Be Excellent To Each Other

This is BEEX. The next programme will follow in 15 minutes after this trade test transmission.



One of the saddest things of the modern age is that you can't turn a TV during the daytime and be confronted with the testcard.

Yes, even in the early 80's when I was a kid you could turn on the TV during the start of the school holidays in a morning to find that BBC 1 was broadcasting an old film, BBC 2 was a testcard or pages from Ceefax, ITV was still showing schools programmes and Channel 4 was also a testcard.

And people dare to say "there's nothing on the tele" these days.

Mind you I'd rather watch "pages from Ceefax" than some of the shite on these days.

Yes, there was no need for television to go 24 hour. They've still not found a way to fill the half of it with quality programming.

A way to spice up television would be to have the Test Card suddenly flash up at random intervals throughout the day, with a terrifying picture of her reaching out of the screen, a pure blank evil in her face and the clown scowling in a fearful way with the shrill scream of a nuclear siren blaring. It would inject a much needed aspect of fear into our everyday lives, and make us think hard before sitting down before a TV show, thus forcing programmers to make and air better quality shows.

Indeed, who wouldn't sit there all day listening to the funky synth music Channel 4 used to play over their testcard. IIRC Channel 4 didn't start until 1pm until about 1988 when the ITV Schools programmes shifted over (branded as ITV Schools on Channel 4!)



Who shows schools programmes these days*? ITV and latterly Channel 4 broadcast a couple of hours worth every weekday morning during term time and I'm sure the BBC did as well.


* Just answered that. Channel 4 still do.

I once found a record at a car boot sale that was full of testcard music from around the world, I think I might have bought it too