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Abstract
This essay uses material from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) archives to show how space-related technoscientific activities played a key role in the development of BBC television. The essay focuses on a crucial period when this influential cultural institution transitioned away from radio as their primary broadcast medium in the 1930s and 1940s to reluctantly embrace television in the 1950s and 1960s. Space-related activities, including astronomy, cosmology, rocketry, aerospace engineering, astrophysics and interplanetary research, played a key role in the modernization of BBC television broadcasting in two intersecting ways. Space-related material provided informative, yet popular, programmatic material that helped BBC television compete in an increasingly commercialized media market, and, later, space projects supplied technologies that impacted on the mechanics of broadcast production and transmission. The profile and prestige of space as a topic, in particular, its visuality, the drama of exploration it presented, and its association with celebrity scientists like Bernard Lovell and Fred Hoyle, meant that such programming became a crucial business asset for the BBC and a professional asset for ambitious producers who saw its commercial potential. Following the launch of Sputnik in 1957, space technology became further intertwined with the development of British broadcasting as the fields of satellite communications and broadcasting transmissions infrastructure converged. In particular, BBC producers promoted the potential development of communication satellites within their television programming by portraying such satellites as plausible and necessary for the advancement of civilization, and most crucially, as a prospective British Space Race achievement.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank Daniel Brandau, Alexander Geppert, Ray Macauley, Laura Gaither, Martin Collins and two anonymous reviewers for their advice and guidance on earlier iterations of this essay.
Notes
1. BBC WAC File R6/185/2: SAC 4th Report, September 1959.
2. Crisell, Introductory History of British Broadcasting, 19.
3. Cain, The BBC, 10–19.
4. Elliot, ‘Media Organisations and Occupations,’ 143, 164–69.
5. Massey and Robins, History of British Space Science, xix, 1, 9.
6. Some exceptions include Makemson, Media, NASA, and Telotte, Disney TV.
7. Mütter, ‘Per Media Ad Astra?’
8. Geppert, Imagining Outer Space, 8.
9. Farry, ‘Far more to it than appears on the surface.’
10. For more on the functions of the Festival, see Forgan, ‘Festivals of Science and the Two Cultures’ and Macauley, ‘Crafting the Future.’
11. BBC WAC File R51/523/5: Cox to Gorham, April 30, 1946.
12. For more on the organizational, cultural and policy primacy of radio in the BBC, see Briggs, The BBC, 243–57, 271.
13. Briggs, The BBC, 243–57, 271–74, 291.
14. For a history of the ITA, see Currie, History of British Television.
15. BBC WAC File T32/256: Miller Jones to McGivern, 7 June 1949, Griffiths to Murray, August 15, 1949.
16. BBC WAC File T32/57: Barnes to McGivern, February 8, 1952.
17. Boon, Films of Fact, 184.
18. BBC WAC File T32/57: Elliot to Miller Jones, November 9, 1950.
19. Simon, BBC from Within, 171–85.
20. BBC WAC File T32/330/4: Johnstone to Miall, November 24, 1953.
21. BBC WAC File T32/330/5: Noordhof to Miall, September 22, 1954.
22. BBC WAC File T32/330/5: Voss-Bark to various, November 10, 1954.
23. BBC WAC File T32/627/1: McCloy to Miss McCallum undated programme blurb, Audience Research Department Report, February 8, 1956; File T32/626/1: Film retention form, June 1957.
24. JRUL SC JBA File CS3/19/1: Lovell memo, June 21, 1957.
25. Moore, Patrick Moore, 28–36, 150–52.
26. BBC WAC File T32/1184/1: Angeloglou to Goldie, May 2, 1957.
27. BBC WAC File R34/851/7: Report from Dr J.R. Simons to Miss L.C. Cohn.
28. BBC WAC File T32/1184/1: Adam to Miall, April 17, 1957.
29. DWC (Misc.): H. Casey to Wilson, December 16, 1955, Contract for employment with BBC, February 28, 1958, N.S. Holmes to Wilson, May 25, 1959, Denis Morris to Wilson, May 28, 1959, Asst. Admin Officer, News (Sound) to Wilson, February 14, 1963, Tony Ashton to Wilson, February 14, 1963, Wilson to AAON (S), February 18, 1963, Undated proposal ‘A Television Evening Paper.’
30. BBC WAC File T32/626/1: McCloy to Miall, September 18, 1957.
31. Launius, Reconsidering Sputnik.
32. BBC WAC File T32/1859/1: Report, November 4, 1957.
33. McQuaid, ‘Sputnik Reconsidered.’
34. BBC WAC File R34/851/7: Anon ‘Material for Board Report September–November 1957.’
35. DWC (Misc.): Newspaper cutting, February 10, 1971 by Adam.
36. BBC WAC Script File Cards: Astronomy and Astronomers: November 9–30, 1958.
37. BBC WAC File T32/626/1: Goldie to Singer, June 9, 1958. JRUL SC JBA File CS3/19/1: Singer to Lovell, September 18, 1958, first draft of script, transmission November 12, 1958.
38. For a history of the Pilkington Committee, see Milland, ‘Courting Malvolio.’
39. BBC WAC File T14/1475/1: Heckmann to Daly, December 26, 1962.
40. BBC WAC File T14/1472/: undated memo by Daly; File T14/1475/1: Daly to Profs Heckmann and Burbidge’s, December 21, 1962.
41. BBC WAC File T14/1478/1: Secretary to Daly to Mrs Fraser (publicity), January 31, 1963; File T14/1475/1: Daly to Heckmann, April 30, 1963.
42. As well as the BBC and other broadcasters, newsreels were also interested in and favored space technoscience for the same reasons, not least its visuality. For example, see the British Pathé films of November 7, 1957 and November 16, 1959.
43. BBC WAC File T14/3290/1: Singer to Cave, December 4 and 11, 1964.
44. BBC WAC File T14/2950/1: Ryan to Singer, October 11, 1965; Jones to Baxter, April 28, 1966.
45. BBC WAC File T14/2950/3: Cave to Peacock, March 4, 1966.
46. BBC WAC File T14/2950/1: Morgan-Witts to Singer, 12 September 1966.
47. BBC WAC File T58/565/1: Noble to Reid, late July 1966.
48. BBC WAC File T58/565/1: Peacock to Singer, October 19, 1966, Singer to Peacock, October 21, 1966.
49. BBC WAC File T14/2950/3: Cave to Peacock, March 4, 1966, NASA press release to Singer, July 11, 1966, Morgan-Witts to Singer, October 24, 1966; File T58/563/1 US Space Flights 1965–68; File T14/2950/1: Ryan to Singer, October 11, 1965, Jones to Baxter, April 28, 1966; File T58/565/1: Peacock to Singer, October 19, 1966, Singer to Peacock, October 21, 1966.
50. BBC WAC File T58/565/1: Noble to Fox and Scott, May 6, 1969.
51. BBC WAC File T47/85/1: News and Current Affairs meeting extract, January 10, 1969.
52. Gregory and Miller, Science in Public, 119.
53. BBC WAC File T14/2950/3: Peacock to Singer, December 12, 1966.
54. BBC WAC File T47/222/1: Minutes, November 8, 1968.
55. BBC WAC File R78/76/1: Minutes, May 29, 1964.
56. Sterling, ‘Satellite Communications History.’ Parks’ Cultures in Orbit is an exception, showing how satellite technology supported an expanded global definition of television, though this study concentrates on the post-1967 period. Allen’s Live from the Moon is also an exception which points out the parallel development of space and media technologies and the interdependencies between visualization and the politics of space technoscience.
57. Parks and Kumar, Planet TV.
58. JRUL SC JBA File CS7/39/5: Miss Miller (Sec. to Mansfield Cooper) to Lovell, January 8, 1959.
59. BBC WAC File T32/1859/1 The Sky at Night: November 1957, script.
60. JRUL SC JBA File CS3/19/1: Lyons to Lovell, May 25, 1959.
61. Parks, ‘Technology in the Twilight.’
62. BBC WAC File R6/185/2: SAC 4th Report, September 1959.
63. Schwoch, Global TV.
64. Herman and McChesney, ‘The Rise of the Global Media.’
65. JRUL SC JBA File CS3/19/1: Singer to Lovell, March 10, 1961.
66. BBC WAC File R34/1118: undated memo by Norman.
67. BBC WAC File T32/1184/5: Jay to Goldie, June 6, 1961.
68. BBC WAC File R34/1118: Rooney Pelletier to various, February 26, 1962, memo by Singer, May 18, 1962.
69. BBC WAC File R28/309/1: Wilson to various, February 27, 1962.
70. BBC WAC File R28/309/1: Norman to sound executives, February 22, 1962; File R44/836/1: Margaret Bayley memo, January 25, 1962.
71. BBC WAC File R44/836/1: Tony (Reuters) to Carleton Greene, February 21, 1962, George Campey to John Cawley, March 9, 1962.
72. BBC WAC File R19/2091/1: Script; Transmission, June 27, 1961, Home Service; René Cutforth to Mr Chabot, July 5, 1961; Carter recommendations, June 12, 1961, Francis Dillon to Miss E Wakeham, June 26, 1961 (contracting).
73. Ariel 1, also known as UK-1 and S-55, was the first British satellite, and the first in the Ariel program. Its launch made the UK the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the USA. It was constructed and launched in the USA by NASA and stayed in orbit for 14 years.
74. BBC WAC File R28/309/1: Wilson to various, February 22, 1962. Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is a telecommunications site located on Goonhilly Downs on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Owned by BT Group plc, it was at one time the largest satellite Earth station in the world, with more than 25 communications dishes in use and over 60 in total. The site also links into undersea cable lines. It ceased satellite operations in 2008.
75. BBC WAC File T32/1184/6: Miall to McCloy, January 30, 1962.
76. BBC WAC File T32/1184/6: Stone to Goldie, May 7, 1962.
77. BBC WAC File T32/1184/5: Stuart to various, December 15, 1961.
78. Whalen, ‘Communications Satellites.’
79. BBC WAC File R34/1118: Rooney Pelletier to Singer, February 26, 1962.
80. BBC WAC File T10/16/1: joint press release, April 26, 1962, Minutes, June 5, 1962.
81. BBC WAC File T38/19: Bale to Rooney Pelletier, February 6, 1962.
82. BBC WAC File T10/16/2: Dimmock to Ward, July 19, 1962.
83. BBC WAC File T38/18: TV programme overview and shape, July 1962.
84. BBC WAC Script File Cards: SC, July 26, 1962.
85. BBC WAC File T38/19: Minutes, July 27, 1962.
86. Michaelis, ‘Science Today.’
87. RCP NLS MC Dep. 370/5: Go and Catch a Falling Star.
88. BBC WAC File T38/19: Minutes, July 27, 1962; File T38/22: Spicer to Hood, November 5, 1962.
89. BBC WAC File T38/22: Spicer to Hood, November 5, 1962.
90. For more on British attempts at broadcast satellite development, see Slotten, Communications Satellites.
91. For an analysis of European space cooperation, including projects such as the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO), see Krige, American Hegemony.
92. BBC WAC File T10/16/2: Spicer to Dimmock, June 15, 1964.
93. INTELSAT was, from 1964 to 2001, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, incorporated to manage an assumed constellation of communications satellites, and which now trades as Intelsat, Ltd., a communications satellite services provider.
94. BBC WAC File T58/410/1: ‘British Space Programme – 24 hours.’
95. McLuhan, Understanding Media.