BBC

The British Broadcasting Company started daily transmissions on November 14th 1922, by which time more than one million ten-shilling (50p) licences had been issued. In 1927 the company was restructured as a public corporation― the BBC that we know today― by its founding father, John Reith. At this television started to be developed. In 1923 the Scotsman John Logie Baird began developing a system by which television would be made possible. Baird wasn't the only one developing this new system at that time; indeed, Earl Ferdinand Braun had invented the first commercial cathode ray tube as early as 1897. But it was Baird who developed the 12 disc-scanning equipment that made television possible. In 1926 Baird enlisted the aid of Selfridges in London to put on public demonstrations of his equipment. In May of 1934 the British government appointed a committee, under the guidance of Lord Selsdon, to begin enquiries into the viability of setting up a public television service, with recommendations as to the conditions under which such a service could be offered. The results of the Selsdon’s Report were issued as a single Government White Paper in January of the following year. The BBC was to be entrusted with the development of television, which had to transmit a definition of not less than 240 lines with a minimum of 25 pictures per second. On November 2nd 1936 the world's first regular high definition service began transmitting to the 100 or so TV sets available in Britain. The BBC began transmitting from Alexandra Palace for two hours every day (except Sunday's). A copy of the Radio Times dated October 30th reveals the opening day line-up. According to the publication, on this particular week the Baird System was being used. The range of the service offered by the BBC covered a radius of approximately 40 miles from Muswell Hill, although that was by no means a rigid limit. Some people reported picking up pictures from beyond that range although it seemed to depend on a mixture of freak conditions and which transmission system was being used at the time.