1930s BBC Television series
by Thor-Delta | created - 17 Nov 2013 | updated - 05 Jan 2015 | PublicThis is an incomplete list of BBC television series of the 1930s. It does not include the many one-offs produced by the BBC during the 1930s. I might be wrong, but I think that much of the BBC's output during the 1930s consisted of one-offs. For example, most of the early drama was "one-off" presentations.
Please note that nothing survives of these series today, as methods to record live television were not invented until 1947 (and the BBC very rarely used the technology until around 1953).
Some of these have been listed on here for years. Some only recently had pages made for them, sometimes by me, and sometimes by others.
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Cabaret (1936– )
25 min | Music, Comedy
Televised Cabaret featuring different guests from music, comedy and novelty acts every week.
Stars: Walsh and Barker, Eric Cardi, Charles Harrison, Edward Cooper
2. Theatre Parade (1936–1938)
Scenes taken from popular London theatrical productions.
Stars: D.A. Clarke-Smith, Antoinette Cellier, Greer Garson, John Wyse
Votes: 13
3. Sea Stories (1936–1937)
10 min | Talk-Show
A series of talks by Commander A.B. Campbell.
Star: A.B. Campbell
4. Picture Page (1936–1952)
60 min
Topical magazine programme with guest celebrities.
Stars: Joan Miller, Leslie Mitchell, Joan Gilbert, Robb
5. Starlight (1936– )
15 min
Variety programme, presenting musical and comedy acts.
Stars: Evelyn Dall, Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon, Vera Zorina
6. First Aid (1937– )
15 min | Documentary
A three-part series advising viewers about what to do in case of an accident, including "Accidents in the Home", "Accidents on the Road" and "Accidents in Sports".
Star: N. Corbet Fletcher
7. Artists and Their Work (1937–1938)
15 min | Documentary
Stars: Paul Nash, John Skeaping, Robert Gibbings, Kenneth Clark
Votes: 6
8. Experiments in Science (1937– )
15 min | Family
Stars: Mary Waller, Richard Paget, Margot Eates, Charlotte Wolff
9. The Disorderly Room (1937– )
15 min | Comedy
Variety musical sketch about army life in the First World War.
Stars: Tommy Handley, Fred Hudson, Doug Verne, Len Maxwell
Though I believe this was simply a one-off that was performed twice.
10. For the Children (1937– )
10 min
Programme for children of school age.
Stars: Paul Leyssac, Mary Adams
11. The Composer at the Piano (1937– )
10 min | Music
Stars: Jack Strachey, Henry Hall, Billy Mayerl, Marc Anthony
13. Cook's Night Out (1937– )
15 min
A cooking show consisting of five parts. Each part showed how to prepare a single dish. The five dishes could be served separately, or form a five-course dinner.
Star: Marcel Boulestin
14. Sports Review (1937– )
20 min | Sport
Survey of outstanding sports events, with interviews and film extracts.
Star: Howard Marshall
15. The World of Women (1937)
15 min | Documentary
This early television programme was about the artistic and social activities of women. Each episode focused on a different woman.
Stars: Pearl Binder, Mary Adams, Molly McArthur, Olga Katzin
16. The Orchestra and Its Instruments (1937– )
20 min | Documentary
A six-part series, aired in a 20-minute time-slot, featuring descriptions of the instruments of a classical orchestra.
Star: Philip Thornton
17. Pre-View (1937–1938)
5 min
A preview of next week's programming. Jasmine Bligh and Elizabeth Cowell alternated as compere.
Stars: Jasmine Bligh, Elizabeth Cowell
18. Queue for Song (1937–1938)
Music
Stars: Queenie Leonard, Graham Payn, Edward Cooper, Jack Billings
19. Masks Through the Ages (1937– )
15 min | Documentary
A programme about different masks through the ages. Rare masks were shown.
Star: Duncan Melvin
20. Bodyline (1937– )
15 min | Talk-Show
A series of talks about the "Keep Fit" movement.
Stars: A.H. Gem, Phyllis Spafford, Margaret Morris, Winifred Cullis
21. Intimate Cabaret (1937–1939)
30 min | Comedy, Family, Music
A live variety programme.
Stars: Evel Burns, Cyril Fletcher, Truda Binarová, Gilbert Webster
Glad to see people making pages for these shows!
22. Will C. Pepper's White Coons (1937– )
Comedy, Music
Stars: Paul England, C. Denier Warren, Doris Arnold, Wynne Ajello
23. The Mizzen Cross Trees (1937–1939)
35 min | Music
Stars: John Goss, Wendy Toye, Roderick Jones, Douglas Ward
24. Cosmopolitan Cafe (1937– )
Comedy, Music
Stars: Ernest Berk, Lotte Berk, Clelia Matania, Wally Patch
25. Comedy Cabaret (1938– )
30 min | Comedy
Stars: George Robey, The Music Hall Boys, Harry Nesbitt, Max Nesbitt
26. Ann and Harold (1938– )
20 min | Drama, Romance
The story of a London society couple's romance, from their meeting to their grand society wedding.
Stars: Ann Todd, William Hutchison, Louis Goodrich, Halliwell Hobbes
27. Telecrime (1938– )
10 min | Crime, Drama
A series of short whodunnits with enough clues to enable viewers to solve the crime.
Stars: James Raglan, J.B. Rowe, Richard George, Shelagh Furley
Votes: 16
28. Spelling Bee (1938– )
Game-Show
A spelling bee in which contestants competed against well-known television personalities.
Stars: Frederick Grisewood, E. Powys Mathers
29. Order to View (1938–1939)
Comedy, Music
A television revue.
Stars: Billy Milton, Edward Cooper, Warren Jenkins, Sepha Treble
30. Guest Night (1938–1946)
30 min | Talk-Show
A meeting of people who have something interesting to say.
Stars: A.G. Street, Marcel Boulestin, J.F. Horrabin, Hubert Phillips
31. Craftsmen at Work (1938– )
10 min | Documentary
This series featured craftsmen demonstrating their work.
Stars: S.P.B. Mais, John Brown, Charlie Cohen, Elsie Hector
32. Eric Wild and His Band (1938–1939)
20 min | Music
Typically aired in a 20-minute time-slot, this was an occasional series of presentations of music by Eric Wild and His Band.
Star: Eric Wild and His Band
33. Byng-Ho! (1938–1939)
20 min | Comedy, Music
Stars: Duggie Byng, The BBC Television Orchestra, Queenie Leonard, Doris Hare
Though it consisted of only two episodes...surprised someone made a page for this!
34. BBC TV Cricket (1963–2006)
Sport
Stars: Richie Benaud, David Gower, Clive Lloyd, Sunil Gavaskar
Votes: 30
35. Cabaret Cruise (1937– )
Music
Song-and-dance variety show.
Stars: A.B. Campbell, The Ship's Band, Ernest Shannon, Pamela Randell
Votes: 8
36. Percy Ponsonby (1939– )
10 min
Stars: Charles Heslop, Harry Atkinson, Eric Christmas, Herbert Nolan
37. Rough Island Story (1939– )
25 min | Documentary, History
A series of six talks about the history of Britain.
Stars: J.F. Horrabin, Harold Nicolson
I made the page for this myself and I might have got the year of debut wrong. It may have actually debuted in 1938.
40. Western Cabaret (1939– )
Music
A variety show. According to Radio Times, the first episode included a set design featuring a camp-fire and log huts.
Stars: Bill Campbell, Buck Douglas, Ted North, Harry Lester
41. Down on the Farm (1939– )
20 min | Documentary
Aired in a 20-minute time-slot, this series showed the work needing to be done on the farm.
Star: A.G. Street
42. Television Surveys (1939– )
30 min | Documentary
A series of live telecasts from different locations (such as a railway junction, telephone exchange, training of pilots, canals, police horse training, etc...)
43. Fantastic Garden (1939– )
30 min | Musical
Stars: Walter Gore, Eric Starling, Jack Spurgeon, Prudence Hyman
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