Tonight’s BBCtv… in 1968 

31 December 2014 tbs.pm/5494

From the Radio Times for Tuesday 31 December 1968 comes this run down of what you could be watching on BBC television. Things worth noting:

• BBC-2 is entirely in colour except for Medicine Today. BBC-1 would follow late in 1969
• It may be New Year’s Eve, but BBC-1 takes the chance to shove schools programmes on, under the guise of them being a preview for teachers
• BBC-2’s Playschool gets a BBC-1 repeat to pacify viewers without BBC-2 who wanted access to this superb programme for young children
• Circus Boy at 4.55pm on BBC-1 stars Mickey Braddock, later better known as Micky Dolenz of The Monkees
• Jackanory at 4.40pm is presented by Kenneth Williams. He was one of the strand’s best readers, popular with children and adults alike and was invited back to present very often
• The three editions of Look North are advertised by transmitter name. The new Leeds edition goes out on the original pan-north transmitter Holme Moss, while the existing Manchester edition is now confined to the northwest on the new Winter Hill channel 12 service
• Dora Bryan and Hugh Paddick team up for the semi-surrealist comedy series According to Dora at 7.30 on 1. At the time of writing, none of the 15 episodes of this series have been found
• Newsroom at 7.30pm on BBC-2 has three ‘firsts’ to its name: first British news bulletin in colour; first British half-hour news bulletin; and first British news bulletin with two anchors
• Fanny Cradock gets her name above the stereotypical BBC-2 title of her programme, Colourful Cookery. Episode 13 is entitled Emergency Cake Icing. We’re saying nothing.
• At midnight, it’s off to BBC Scotland for the inevitable Hogmanay programme, this year with Stuart Henry (later of Radio Luxembourg) presenting the antics of Jimmy Logan and Chic Murray

With thanks to Jessica Fielding.