THE STATISTICIAN’S GUIDE TO TRADE TEST COLOUR FILMS
by
Andrew Keys
The BBC had no particular pattern
for Trade Test Colour Film scheduling, apart from certain slots where a longer
film would not fit the time allotted. This becomes clear in the following tables,
where a film like “Toehold on a Harbour” was shown over a hundred times during
1968, simply because it fitted the first morning slot at 10:43am – it being
only ten minutes in duration. “Spring in Color” is recalled due to it being the shortest film in the
catalogue, which again made it perfect for the same regular time slot - usually
12:23. Of course, as the years passed, a more settled schedule appeared which
allowed for the films to run with some time to spare, so these specially
selected ‘short films’ dwindled somewhat.
As for rotation, films were
generally selected at random, programmed a week ahead and then given as a daily
list in that day’s ‘Service Information’. This allowed us to decide to stay in
until “Multiplicity” came on again for the fourth time that week, thus
providing a time slot to go out and play football in the street. Then we would
return in time for “Light” because it was a bonkers film and worth coming in
for! A new film would receive blanket coverage, being shown each day for
anything up to three or four weeks. Some films were rested, then
resurrected some six months down the line, and some appeared to be joined at
the hip –seemingly always being shown together, one following the other in consecutive
slots: “Study in Steel” and “Something Nice to Eat” were one such pair.
Purely from a fan point of view, it
seems that quality did count above quantity when it comes to recall; for
example, most true devotees go misty eyed at “Oil Underground”, even though its
total showings were dwarfed in any one year by any number of films. At the same
time it is no surprise to find enthusiasts knowledgeable about such numbers as
“Evoluon” and “Paint”, simply because they were good
films and they were shown so often over such a long time span. People struggle
to recall “
THE GOLDEN ERA OF TRADE TEST COLOUR FILMS
The “Golden Era” of Trade Test
Colour Films ran from 21st August 1967 until 24th August
1973. Let’s start by having a look at
the Top 20 most-shown films each year over that period.
The right-hand column of each table
indicates the number of transmissions that year.
1967 TOP 20:
|
1. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS 2. THE 3. OVERHAUL 4. COUPE DES ALPES 5. OMNIBUS FOR ALL 6. 7. DIAVOLEZZA 8. BEAUTY IN TRUST 9. NORTH-WEST 200 10. OIL UNDERGROUND 11. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 12. STORY IN THE ROCKS 13. SKYHOOK 14. COLOUR TELEVISION 15. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION 16. PEMBROKESHIRE – MY COUNTY 17. BLOOD CAN WORK MIRACLES 18. LAND RECLAMATION 19. THE SMALL PROPELLER 20. NETWORK |
74 60 59 58 57 54 47 42 32 30 21 21 20 19 19 18 17 11 10 9 |
The totals are small as we are only looking at transmissions from August
21st. Films that had originally
been shown before the start of the “Golden Era” get the highest placings: “Prospect For Plastics”
(a 1964 vintage) had regular slots, as did its Shell sisters, “Coupe Des Alpes” and “
1968 TOP 20:
|
1. PAINT 2. TOEHOLD ON A HARBOUR 3. THE SMALL PROPELLER 4. BIRTH OF A RAINBOW 5. CASE HISTORY 6. ATLANTIC PARKS 7. STORY IN THE ROCKS 8. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS 9. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION 10. CROWN OF GLASS 11. THE SPLENDID DOMAIN 12. CANADIANS CAN DANCE! 13. HOW A MOTOR CAR WORKS – THE ENGINE 14. VILLA ‘MON REVE’ 15. COLOUR TELEVISION 16. ON THE SAFE SIDE 17. NETWORK 18. IT’S THE TUBE THAT MAKES THE COLOUR 19. BEAUTY IN TRUST 20. IMPRESSIONS OF EXPO ’67 |
107 104 93 83 73 73 71 71 66 64 62 62 57 54 53 48 48 48 48 47 |
If you tuned in on any given day at
10:43, the likelihood was that you would witness some miserable old bloke
giving the ‘thumbs down’ to
1969 TOP 20:
|
1. EVOLUON 2. 3. SPRING IN COLOR 4. RUN AWAY TO SEA 5. IMPRESSIONS OF EXPO ’67 6. THE VANISHING COAST 7. CROWN OF GLASS 8. THE GOLD MINERS 9. JAPAN – SEASON BY SEASON 10. ATLANTIC PARKS 11. A FLIGHT OF FANCY 12. BIRTH OF A RAINBOW 13. THE SMALL PROPELLER 14. GIUSEPPINA 15. HIGHLANDS IN THE SUN 16. PAINT 17. 18. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS 19. THE HOME-MADE CAR 20. THE |
90 86 77 75 75 59 58 57 57 56 56 55 54 50 49 47 46 45 44 41 |
“Evoluon”
cracked 90 in its debut year, which shows the regularity of selections for the
famous 12:23 slot. “Spring in Color”
had been the main user of that slot, but didn’t feature much elsewhere, whereas
“Evoluon” cropped up all over the place. In other news, “
1970 TOP 20:
|
1. THE 2. ONE JUMP AHEAD 3. ALGERIAN PIPELINE 4. ENCHANTMENT OF 6. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT 7. SOUVENIRS FROM 8. THE GRASS GROWERS 9. WE’VE COME A LONG WAY 10. AMONG THE PELICANS 11. EVOLUON 12. RIDE THE WHITE HORSES 13. PAN-TELE-TRON 14. PAINT 15. STUDY IN STEEL 16. 17. ATLANTIC PARKS 18. TRANSPORT-ABILITY 19. SPRING IN COLOR 20. NORTH SEA QUEST |
61 59 59 57 52 52 52 50 47 46 45 44 44 44 43 42 41 40 40 40 |
There were lots of transmissions of
“The
1971 TOP 20:
|
1. CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION 2. 3. THE SHADOW OF PROGRESS 4. A FLIGHT OF FANCY 5. CANTAGALLO 6. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING 7. 8. FACES OF 9. SPRING IN COLOR 10. RIDE THE WHITE HORSES 11. THE CHOICE 12. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT 13. THE 14. DIVERTIMENTO 15. ATLANTIC PARKS 16. WE’VE COME A LONG WAY 17. ONE JUMP AHEAD 18. PAN-TELE-TRON 19. BULONG AND BOLA 20. THE SMALL PROPELLER |
75 64 62 62 60 59 57 56 53 53 51 51 49 49 48 45 45 45 44 42 |
There were higher totals still this
year, as a full calendar of six-days-per-week took place. As usual, new entries
filled the top three slots, although “
1972 TOP 20:
|
1. MULTIPLICITY 2. LIGHT 3. BEHIND THE SPACEMAN 4. DIVERTIMENTO 5. 6. PAINT 7. ATLANTIC PARKS 8. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING 9. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 10. HOW A MOTOR CAR WORKS – THE ENGINE 11. ONE JUMP AHEAD 12. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT 13. CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION 14. THE CHOICE 15. CROWN OF GLASS 16. RIDE THE WHITE HORSES 17. CANTAGALLO 18. PAN-TELE-TRON 19. STUDY IN STEEL 20. THE SMALL PROPELLER |
64 61 53 40 38 38 37 37 36 35 35 34 33 33 33 33 32 31 30 29 |
Increased numbers here –
the last full year of Trade Test Colour Films. January saw the last Saturday used for TTCFs, which overall presented lower averages. Again, the
top three were new introductions this year, and were given ample showings
before settling down into a regular rotation. At last, it was another a bumper year for “A
Journey Into the Weald of
1973 TOP 20:
|
1. THE UNSPOILT LAND 2. THE TIDE OF TRAFFIC 3. HOW A MOTOR CAR WORKS – THE ENGINE 4. CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION 5. IT’S THE TUBE THAT MAKES THE COLOUR 6. ROUTE BURN 7. THE HOME-MADE CAR 8. SMALL SMOKE AT BLAZE CREEK 9. MULTIPLICITY 10 A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 11. PAINT 12. THE SHADOW OF PROGRESS 13. OIL UNDERGROUND 14. THE NORTH SEA QUEST 15. BULONG AND BOLA 16. CROWN OF GLASS 17. THE CHOICE 18. 19. EXPO ’70 20. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING |
31 29 28 26 26 26 25 24 24 23 23 22 22 22 22 22 21 21 21 20 |
1973 wasn’t a complete year, with no
films shown after August 24th.
It’s no surprise that the top two placings
were new films, which enjoyed blanket coverage. “Multiplicity” kept its
momentum going until the end, as did the old stager, “Paint”.
“GOLDEN ERA” OVERVIEW
Looking now across the whole of the
“Golden Era” (21st August 1967 until 24th August 1973),
here’s a complete listing of the number of times each film was shown in
descending order.
|
1. PAINT 2. THE SMALL PROPELLER 3. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS 4. ATLANTIC PARKS 5. CROWN OF GLASS 6. BIRTH OF A RAINBOW 7. EVOLUON 8. HOW A MOTOR CAR WORKS – THE ENGINE 9. GIUSEPPINA 10. SPRING IN COLOR 11. THE HOME-MADE CAR 12. BEAUTY IN TRUST 13. A FLIGHT OF FANCY 14. BULONG AND BOLA 15. STORY IN THE ROCKS 16. ONE JUMP AHEAD 17. IMPRESSIONS OF EXPO ’67 18. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 19. STUDY IN STEEL 20. ON THE SAFE SIDE 21. THE 22. 23. IT’S THE TUBE THAT MAKES THE COLOUR 24. NORTH SEA QUEST 25. RIDE THE WHITE HORSES 26. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT 27. DIVERTIMENTO 28. HIGHLANDS IN THE SUN 29. OIL UNDERGROUND 30. WE’VE COME A LONG WAY 31. ALGERIAN PIPELINE 32. ROADS TO ROAM 33. CANADIANS CAN DANCE! 34. CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION 35. SKYHOOK 36. TRANSPORT-ABILITY 37. PAN-TELE-TRON 38. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION 39. THE SPLENDID DOMAIN 40. 41. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING 42. CASE HISTORY 43. 44. THE GRASS GROWERS 45. THE 46. SOUVENIRS FROM 47. CANTAGALLO 48. THE VANISHING COAST 49. THE SHADOW OF PROGRESS 50. RUN AWAY TO SEA 51. THE CHOICE 52. TOEHOLD ON A HARBOUR 53. 54. LAND RECLAMATION 55. VILLA ‘MON REVE’ 56. JAPAN – SEASON BY SEASON 57. MULTIPLICITY 58. ENCHANTMENT OF 59. ANCIENT MONUMENTS SERIES 1 60. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY 61. LIGHT 62. BOTH WAYS TO BALLYMENA 63. WELSH WELCOME 64. POWERBOAT ’66 65. BEHIND THE SPACEMAN 66. COLOUR TELEVISION 67. DIAVOLEZZA 68. FACES OF 69. THE CATTLE CARTERS 70. 71. COUPE DES ALPES 72. TRANS CANADA JOURNEY 73. THE GOLD MINERS 74. OVERHAUL 75. RISK 76. OMNIBUS FOR ALL 77. NETWORK 79. 80. AMONG THE PELICANS 81. SNOFARI 82. COLOUR 83. LURE OF THE 84. KERMESSE FANTASTIQUE 85. SMALL SMOKE AT BLAZE CREEK 86. DIESEL TRAINRIDE 87. FOUR MEN OF 88. 89. THE 90. PROMISE OF 91. 92. ANCIENT MONUMENTS SERIES 2 93. DREAM OF 94. LA COTE D’HIVER 95. NORTH-WEST 200 96. THE UNSPOILT LAND 97. THE GROWING FLAME 98. 99. THE YOUNG GIANT KAINGAROA 100. THE TIDE OF TRAFFIC 101. YOUTHFUL MARCH OF 102. PEMBROKESHIRE – MY COUNTY 103. ROUTE BURN 104. EXPO ’70 105. HOOK, LINE AND SINKER 106. BLOOD CAN WORK MIRACLES 107. BORGO a MOZZANO 108. PEOPLE + LEISURE = 109. ROSEWORLD ’71 110. L FOR LOGIC 111. THE COACH TRAVELLERS 112. EVENTFUL 113. THE RIVAL WORLD |
300 279 269 264 250 244 217 195 185 184 171 169 168 166 160 154 153 152 149 149 149 148 148 148 147 147 144 143 137 137 136 135 135 134 134 130 130 126 126 116 116 115 114 114 113 113 111 111 111 108 105 104 101 98 94 93 88 84 81 80 80 75 72 72 72 72 71 71 64 64 62 62 59 59 57 57 57 56 54 53 52 49 43 41 39 38 37 36 34 34 33 32 32 32 32 31 31 30 30 29 29 26 26 21 21 17 9 9 8 5 4 2 1 |
It is no surprise to see “Paint” as the most shown TTCF – a long shelf life and regular play listing made sure of that. It is pleasing that much of the top twenty is filled with firm favourites, though again familiarity through repetition goes some way to explaining enthusiast opinion. “Spring in Color” has a high positioning through its status as ‘king of the 12:23 slot’, a schedule it adhered to thoroughly during 1969. As for the bottom of the list, the classic “Rival World” only garners a single viewing during the main sequence, although a far different view will be seen below as we look at the pre-Golden Era.
THE PRE-GOLDEN ERA OF TRADE TEST COLOUR FILMS
Even though the time span for the
‘pre-scheduled’ showings of Trade Test colour films was nearly as long as the
‘main sequence’, there were far fewer films available for viewing, so some
interesting anomalies come to light as we give the same treatment as above to
this earlier period from 5th November 1962 to 20th August
1967.
1962 TOP 20:
|
1. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 2. MACHINES ON THE FARM 3. THE HEART IS 4. SONG OF THE CLOUDS 5. THE RIVAL WORLD 6. THE 7. CLEAN AIR 8. TRAWLER BOY 9. COUPE DES ALPES 10. THE POWER TO FLY 11. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING 12. JOURNEY INTO HISTORY 13. DIAVOLEZZA 14. SKYHOOK 15. BEAUTY IN TRUST 16. AN ACT OF FAITH 17. |
9 9 8 8 8 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 3 2 1 |
With only 17 films shown in the
final two months of the year, the list already features many familiar numbers
that will hover around these positions in the following few years before
scheduled transmissions began.
1963 TOP 20:
|
1. THE 2. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 3. 4. THE RIVAL WORLD 5. COUPE DES ALPES 6. AN ACT OF FAITH 7. VIEW OF MIDDELHARNIS 8. SKYHOOK 9. DIAVOLEZZA 10. BEAUTY IN TRUST 11. MACHINES ON THE FARM 12. SONG OF THE CLOUDS 13. THE POWER TO FLY 14. TRAWLER BOY 15. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING 16. HANDLE WITH CARE 17. THE HEART IS 18. CLEAN AIR 19. JOURNEY INTO HISTORY 20. DOWN TO THE SEA |
271 128 111 107 100 92 91 84 81 81 79 76 70 67 65 64 52 52 44 37 |
In this early bumper year, the eye
is drawn to the fact that during the summer a huge supporter of J. Blake Dalrymple locked himself into the ops room at the BBC and
block-played “The Captive River” until he was rugby tackled to the ground, and
eventually deported. What remains is the anomaly of the film having more
showings in a single year than “Prospect for Plastics” managed in seven years
of scheduled broadcasting! A few early favourites garner high places, although
it is difficult, nay impossible, to find anyone who recalls these numbers: “
1964 TOP 20:
|
1. COUPE DES ALPES 2. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS 3. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF 4. BEAUTY IN TRUST 5. THE POWER TO FLY 6. THE RIVAL WORLD 7. THE 8. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING 9. SKYHOOK 10. SONG OF THE CLOUDS 11. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION 12. NETWORK 13. MACHINES ON THE FARM 14. ELECTRON MICROSCOPY 15. CLEAN AIR 16. ACROSS THE STREET, ACROSS THE WORLD 17. PICCOLO, SAXO & Co. 18. SURF BOATS OF 19. DIAVOLEZZA 20. CRANWELL |
15 14 13 13 13 11 11 10 10 |