THE STATISTICIAN'S GUIDE TO TRADE TEST COLOUR FILMS

THE STATISTICIAN’S GUIDE TO TRADE TEST COLOUR FILMS

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 “Japan - The Beautiful”, even though it was among the most shown films in 1971.

THE GOLDEN ERA OF TRADE TEST COLOUR FILMS

The “Golden Era” of Trade Test Colour Films ran from 21^st August 1967 until 24^th 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 CAPTIVE RIVER

3. OVERHAUL

4. COUPE DES ALPES

5. OMNIBUS FOR ALL

6. ROYAL RIVER

7. DIAVOLEZZA

8. BEAUTY IN TRUST

9. NORTH-WEST 200

10. OIL UNDERGROUND

11. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

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

The totals are small as we are only looking at transmissions from August 21^st. 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 “The Captive River”.

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

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 Wellington, as “Toehold on a Harbour” would generally be on. If not, then either “Diesel Trainride” or “Colour Television” would suffice. But with the introduction of the classic film, “Paint”, the schedulers had something which they could put on all year round every other day or so, which is truly ‘blanket coverage’. The BBC must have been a bit hard up, as “Canadians Can Dance!” made the top 12.

1969 TOP 20:

1. EVOLUON

2. AMSTERDAM

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. BRITAIN

18. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

19. THE HOME-MADE CAR

20. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

“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, “Amsterdam” received heavy rotation as it made its entry here, and even vintage numbers like “The Captive River” managed to scrape in with a decent haul of showings.

1970 TOP 20:

1. THE SEA OF TRIESTE

2. ONE JUMP AHEAD

3. ALGERIAN PIPELINE

4. ENCHANTMENT OF CAPRI

5. A PLACE TO LIVE

6. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT

7. SOUVENIRS FROM SWEDEN

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. BRITAIN

17. ATLANTIC PARKS

18. TRANSPORT-ABILITY

19. SPRING IN COLOR

20. NORTH SEA QUEST

There were lots of transmissions of “The Sea of Trieste”, which made its debut this year – it’s just a pity that no-one watched it! Worse still, no-one kept it either, as it has now completely vanished, and continues to defy collectors. The same is true of “Enchantment of Capri”, which had its high water mark in 1970. More new entries clogged up the upper reaches of the chart, although “Evoluon” and “Paint” continued their rising count. There was no sign of the terrifying “Kermesse Fantastique”, which died out this year, as did “The Captive River” and “Powerboat ‘66”.

1971 TOP 20:

1. CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION

2. JAPAN – THE BEAUTIFUL

3. THE SHADOW OF PROGRESS

4. A FLIGHT OF FANCY

5. CANTAGALLO

6. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING

7. SURF BEACH

8. FACES OF AUSTRALIA

9. SPRING IN COLOR

10. RIDE THE WHITE HORSES

11. THE CHOICE

12. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT

13. THE SEA OF TRIESTE

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

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 “Japan – The Beautiful” only featured in 1971 alone before withdrawal. “A Flight of Fancy” generally fenced with “Spring in Color” to fit in any tiny time slot that was going spare, with “Divertimento” helping out if necessary. It was a wonderful year for Ian Shand, but a rubbish one for “Story in the Rocks” and “The Vanishing Coast”, which promptly vanished!

1972 TOP 20:

1. MULTIPLICITY

2. LIGHT

3. BEHIND THE SPACEMAN

4. DIVERTIMENTO

5. SURF BEACH

6. PAINT

7. ATLANTIC PARKS

8. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING

9. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

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

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 Kent”, but alas “Prospect for Plastics” and “A Flight of Fancy” were both withdrawn.

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 KENT

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. DEVON – A COUNTY FOR ALL SEASONS

19. EXPO ’70

20. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING

1973 wasn’t a complete year, with no films shown after August 24^th. 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” (21^st August 1967 until 24^th 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 KENT

19. STUDY IN STEEL

20. ON THE SAFE SIDE

21. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

22. BRITAIN

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. AMSTERDAM

41. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING

42. CASE HISTORY

43. SURF BEACH

44. THE GRASS GROWERS

45. THE SEA OF TRIESTE

46. SOUVENIRS FROM SWEDEN

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. HIGHLAND PLAYGROUND

54. LAND RECLAMATION

55. VILLA ‘MON REVE’

56. JAPAN – SEASON BY SEASON

57. MULTIPLICITY

58. ENCHANTMENT OF CAPRI

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 AUSTRALIA

69. THE CATTLE CARTERS

70. JAPAN – THE BEAUTIFUL

71. COUPE DES ALPES

72. TRANS CANADA JOURNEY

73. THE GOLD MINERS

74. OVERHAUL

75. RISK

76. OMNIBUS FOR ALL

77. NETWORK

78. A PLACE TO LIVE

79. ROYAL RIVER

80. AMONG THE PELICANS

81. SNOFARI

82. COLOUR

83. LURE OF THE BAHAMAS

84. KERMESSE FANTASTIQUE

85. SMALL SMOKE AT BLAZE CREEK

86. DIESEL TRAINRIDE

87. FOUR MEN OF INDIA

88. DEVON – A COUNTY FOR ALL SEASONS

89. THE GOLDEN CRESCENT

90. PROMISE OF PAKISTAN

91. ENGLISH GARDEN

92. ANCIENT MONUMENTS SERIES 2

93. DREAM OF NORWAY

94. LA COTE D’HIVER

95. NORTH-WEST 200

96. THE UNSPOILT LAND

97. THE GROWING FLAME

98. JAMAICA – NO PLACE LIKE HOME

99. THE YOUNG GIANT KAINGAROA

100. THE TIDE OF TRAFFIC

101. YOUTHFUL MARCH OF KOREA

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 BRITAIN

113. THE RIVAL WORLD

300

279

269

264

250

244

217

195

185

184

171

169

168

166

160

154

153

152

149

148

147

144

143

137

136

135

134

130

126

116

115

114

113

111

108

105

104

101

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 5^th November 1962 to 20^th August 1967.

1962 TOP 20:

1. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

2. MACHINES ON THE FARM

3. THE HEART IS HIGHLAND

4. SONG OF THE CLOUDS

5. THE RIVAL WORLD

6. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

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. SEVERN WESTWARD

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 CAPTIVE RIVER

2. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

3. SEVERN WESTWARD

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 HIGHLAND

18. CLEAN AIR

19. JOURNEY INTO HISTORY

20. DOWN TO THE SEA

271

128

111

107

100

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: “Severn Westward”, “An Act of Faith” and “View of Middelharnis” ranking highly before diving back into obscurity.

1964 TOP 20:

1. COUPE DES ALPES

2. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

3. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

4. BEAUTY IN TRUST

5. THE POWER TO FLY

6. THE RIVAL WORLD

7. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

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 ACCRA

19. DIAVOLEZZA

20. CRANWELL

This was an odd year, inasmuch as a whole bunch of films unique to Spring 1964 were introduced – then withdrawn. This has allowed a number of unusual entries to appear among the safe bets that were by now an established part of the TTCF scene. It’s no real surprise to find “Coupe des Alpes” heading the pack, although “Peaceful Revolution” made an early appearance here before being mothballed until 1967 – probably due to a bit of bulk-buying from AEI, as “Network” is hard on its heels.

1965 TOP 20:

1. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

2. BEAUTY IN TRUST

3. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

4. DIAVOLEZZA

5. THE RIVAL WORLD

6. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

7. COUPE DES ALPES

8. HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION

9. QUESTIONING CITY

10. SKYHOOK

11. TRAWLER BOY

12. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING

13. SONG OF THE CLOUDS

14. THE POWER TO FLY

15. PICCOLO, SAXO & Co.

16. MACHINES ON THE FARM

17. CLEAN AIR

18. ELECTRONS IN HARNESS

19. RURAL AREAS

In a year so sparse for TTCF showings, we can’t even garner enough films to complete a top 20! “Journey into the Weald of Kent” ruled the roost – but only just. The rest are simply the usual suspects, apart from the final two obscure curiosities.

1966 TOP 20:

1. BEAUTY IN TRUST

2. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

3. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

4. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

5. QUESTIONING CITY

6. THE RIVAL WORLD

7. MACHINES ON THE FARM

8. SKYHOOK

9. COUPE DES ALPES

10. HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION

11. DIAVOLEZZA

12. THE POWER TO FLY

13. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING

14. TRAWLER BOY

15. THE UNDERWATER SEARCH

16. SONG OF THE CLOUDS

17. SEPTEMBER SPRING

18. LAND RECLAMATION

19. EMPTY SEAT

20. NO CLAIMS BONUS

It comes to something when a film scrapes into the top twenty with a single showing. That is the infamy afforded to “No Claims Bonus”, which repeated the single showing a year later before being swamped in the mists of time. It’s unusual to see “Beauty in Trust” outshowing its sister picture, “A Journey into the Weald of Kent”, but such are the vagaries of the mid-sixties period.

1967 TOP 20:

1. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

2. BEAUTY IN TRUST

3. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

4. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

5. COUPE DES ALPES

6. EVENTFUL BRITAIN

7. LAND RECLAMATION

8. ROYAL RIVER

9. SKYHOOK

10. QUESTIONING CITY

11. SEPTEMBER SPRING

12. THE POWER TO FLY

13. HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION

14. OIL UNDERGROUND

15. THE COACH TRAVELLERS

16. NORTH-WEST 200

17. OVERHAUL

18. MACHINES ON THE FARM

19. DIAVOLEZZA

20. OMNIBUS FOR ALL

As this period of 1967 only runs up until 20^th August, the numbers are naturally reduced. It’s no surprise to witness J. Blake Dalrymple’s epic at the top spot. Meanwhile, it’s a bumper harvest for “Land Reclamation” and even “The Coach Travellers” are getting somewhere. Not for long though, as this film was withdrawn a few months later.

PRE-GOLDEN ERA OVERVIEW

Looking now across the whole of the pre-Golden Era (5^th November 1962 to 20^th August 1967), here’s a complete listing of the number of times each film was shown in descending order.

1. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

2. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

3. BEAUTY IN TRUST

4. COUPE DES ALPES

5. THE RIVAL WORLD

6. SKYHOOK

7. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

8. DIAVOLEZZA

9. MACHINES ON THE FARM

10. THE POWER TO FLY

11. SEVERN WESTWARD

12. SONG OF THE CLOUDS

13. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING

14. TRAWLER BOY

15. AN ACT OF FAITH

16. VIEW OF MIDDELHARNIS

17. CLEAN AIR

18. THE HEART IS HIGHLAND

19. HANDLE WITH CARE

20. JOURNEY INTO HISTORY

21. QUESTIONING CITY

22. DOWN TO THE SEA

23. EVENTFUL BRITAIN

24. HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION

25. LAND RECLAMATION

26. DISCOVERY OF A LANDSCAPE

27. SEPTEMBER SPRING

28. ROYAL RIVER

29. OVERHAUL

30. PICCOLO, SAXO & Co.

31. THE UNDERWATER SEARCH

32. THE HOME-MADE CAR

33. OIL UNDERGROUND

34. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION

35. THE COACH TRAVELLERS

36. NORTH-WEST 200

37. NETWORK

38. SURF BOATS OF ACCRA

39. ACROSS THE ST, ACROSS THE WORLD

40. CRANWELL

41. ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

42. NEWSPAPER RUN

43. THE RIGHT LINE

44. TRADERS IN LEATHER

45. AFRICAN AWAKENING

46. THE CONTROLLERS

47. FISHERFOLK OF BOMBAY

48. ORIAONS OF BIHAR

49. OUR NATIVE SHORE

50. PEMBROKESHIRE – MY COUNTY

51. THE POWER WE NEED

52. TWILIGHT FOREST

53. HOOK, LINE & SINKER

54. LONDON’S COUNTRY

55. OMNIBUS FOR ALL

56. HOLD BACK THE SEA

57. THE PHOENIX TOWER

58. ELECTRONS IN HARNESS

59. EMPTY SEAT

60. FORTH BRIDGE

61. MOUNTAIN ROAD

62. NO CLAIMS BONUS

63. SCHLIEREN

64. RURAL AREAS

65. DETERGENTS UP TO DATE

66. OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

376

243

196

192

165

144

132

128

126

119

112

111

One of the major facts that stand out with the final total of the pre-Golden Era films is that over half of them were only shown on a handful of occasions – mostly during the spring of 1964. This underlines the huge rotation on the classic films near the top of the table - especially during 1963, which accounted for 60% of the total showings between 1962 and 1967. This period also gave a high rotation rating for films that have hitherto been forgotten – witness “Severn Westward” and “View of Middelharnis”.

Even though “Coupe des Alpes”, “Song of the Clouds” and “The Underwater Search” were frequently shown in two halves, the totals above only indicate a single showing of the complete film. There were exceptions, however; On two occasions only Part 1 of “Coupe” was broadcast. “Song of the Clouds” also garnered a single showing of Part 1. Excerpts of films were also broadcast during early tests, although they were filling a full length slot. This occurred to “Skyhook” once and to “Captive River” twice.

THE COMPLETE PICTURE

Finally, we pull everything together. Here are the cumulative totals for all Trade Test Colour Films over the entire period from 5^th November 1962 to 24^th August 1973.

1. THE CAPTIVE RIVER

2. PROSPECT FOR PLASTICS

3. A JOURNEY INTO THE WEALD OF KENT

4. BEAUTY IN TRUST

5. PAINT

6. THE SMALL PROPELLER

7. SKYHOOK

8. ATLANTIC PARKS

9. COUPE DES ALPES

10. CROWN OF GLASS

11. BIRTH OF A RAINBOW

12. EVOLUON

13. DIAVOLEZZA

14. HOW A MOTOR CAR WORKS – THE ENGINE

15. GIUSEPPINA

16. SPRING IN COLOR

17. THE HOME-MADE CAR

18. A FLIGHT OF FANCY

19. THE RIVAL WORLD

20. BULONG AND BOLA

21. STORY IN THE ROCKS

22. ONE JUMP AHEAD

23. IMPRESSIONS OF EXPO ’67

24. STUDY IN STEEL

25. OIL UNDERGROUND

26. ON THE SAFE SIDE

27. BRITAIN

28. IT’S THE TUBE THAT MAKES THE COLOUR

29. NORTH SEA QUEST

30. RIDE THE WHITE HORSES

31. SOMETHING NICE TO EAT

32. DIVERTIMENTO

33. HIGHLANDS IN THE SUN

34. WE’VE COME A LONG WAY

35. ALGERIAN PIPELINE

36. ROADS TO ROAM

37. CANADIANS CAN DANCE!

38. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION

39. CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION

40. LAND RECLAMATION

41. TRANSPORT ABILITY

42. PAN-TELE-TRON

43. THE SPLENDID DOMAIN

44. MACHINES ON THE FARM

45. THE POWER TO FLY

46. AMSTERDAM

47. LAND OF THE SUN RETURNING

48. CASE HISTORY

49. SURF BEACH

50. THE GRASS GROWERS

51. THE SEA OF TRIESTE

52. SOUVENIRS FROM SWEDEN

53. SEVERN WESTWARD

54. SONG OF THE CLOUDS

55. CANTAGALLO

56. THE VANISHING COAST

57. THE SHADOW OF PROGRESS

58. RUN AWAY TO SEA

59. THE CHOICE

60. TOEHOLD ON A HARBOUR

61. HIGHLAND PLAYGROUND

62. A QUESTION OF SPRINGING

63. TRAWLER BOY

64. VILLA ‘MON REVE’

65. AN ACT OF FAITH

66. JAPAN – SEASON BY SEASON

67. VIEW OF MIDDELHARNIS

68. MULTIPLICITY

69. ENCHANTMENT OF CAPRI

70. ANCIENT MONUMENTS SERIES 1

71. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

72. LIGHT

73. ROYAL RIVER

74. BOTH WAYS TO BALLYMENA

75. OVERHAUL

76. WELSH WELCOME

77. CLEAN AIR

78. POWERBOAT ’66

79. BEHIND THE SPACEMAN

80. COLOUR TELEVISION

81. FACES OF AUSTRALIA

82. NETWORK

83. THE HEART IS HIGHLAND

84. THE CATTLE CARTERS

85. JAPAN – THE BEAUTIFUL

86. HANDLE WITH CARE

87. OMNIBUS FOR ALL

88. TRANS CANADA JOURNEY

89. THE GOLD MINERS

90. RISK

91. A PLACE TO LIVE

92. AMONG THE PELICANS

93. SNOFARI

94. COLOUR

95. JOURNEY INTO HISTORY

96. QUESTIONING CITY

97. LURE OF THE BAHAMAS

98. KERMESSE FANTASTIQUE

99. NORTH-WEST 200

100. EVENTFUL BRITAIN

101. SMALL SMOKE AT BLAZE CREEK

102. DIESEL TRAINRIDE

103. DOWN TO THE SEA

104. FOUR MEN OF INDIA

105. DEVON – COUNTY FOR ALL SEASONS

106. HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION

107. THE GOLDEN CRESCENT

108. PROMISE OF PAKISTAN

109. ENGLISH GARDEN

110. PEMBROKESHIRE – MY COUNTY

111. ANCIENT MONUMENTS – SERIES 2

112. DREAM OF NORWAY

113. LA COTE D’HIVER

114. THE UNSPOILT LAND

115. THE GROWING FLAME

116. JAMAICA – NO PLACE LIKE HOME

117. THE YOUNG GIANT KAINGAROA

118. THE TIDE OF TRAFFIC

119. THE YOUTHFUL MARCH OF KOREA

120. HOOK, LINE AND SINKER

121. ROUTE BURN

122. DISCOVERY OF A LANDSCAPE

123. SEPTEMBER SPRING

124. EXPO ’70

125. BLOOD CAN WORK MIRACLES

126. PICCOLO, SAXO & Co.

127. THE COACH TRAVELLERS

128. THE UNDERWATER SEARCH

129. BORGO a MOZZANO

130. PEOPLE + LEISURE =

131. ROSEWORLD ’71

132. SURF BOATS OF ACCRA

133. ACROSS THE ST, ACROSS THE WORLD

134. CRANWELL

135. ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

136. NEWSPAPER RUN

137. THE RIGHT LINE

138. TRADERS IN LEATHER

139. AFRICAN AWAKENING

140. THE CONTROLLERS

141. FISHERFOLK OF BOMBAY

142. ORIAONS OF BIHAR

143. OUR NATIVE SHORE

144. THE POWER WE NEED

145. TWILIGHT FOREST

146. LONDON’S COUNTRY

147. L FOR LOGIC

148. HOLD BACK THE SEA

149. THE PHOENIX TOWER

150. ELECTRONS IN HARNESS

151. EMPTY SEAT

152. MOUNTAIN ROAD

153. NO CLAIMS BONUS

154. SCHLIEREN

155. FORTH BRIDGE

156. RURAL AREAS

157. DETERGENTS UP TO DATE

158. OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

525

401

395

365

300

279

278

264

254

250

244

217

199

195

185

184

182

168

166

160

154

153

149

148

147

144

143

137

136

135

134

132

130

126

119

116

115

114

113

112

111

108

105

104

101

That’s nearly 160 films in total, and twelve years of television history. When all are totted up, a staggering set of figures are revealed, and because of the J. Blake Dalrymple fan club, we have a winner. The film that makes viewers exclaim: “Kariba!” lies at the top by a massive distance. This makes “The Captive River” arguably the most repeated piece of broadcasting ever, totalling a staggering ten days of solid transmission time alone!

We finish with three more statistics:

Total number of film showings:

Total number of films shown:

Average showing per film:

14206

158

Articles

Latest Update: 20/10/07