Sheffield cable TV pre 1980s

[pinkelephant 10]

Does anyone remember when Sheffield had its own film channel - 21 years ahead of Sky Movies? PTV piped movies into people's homes via British Relay cable and cost six old shillings (30p) to watch a scheduled film. We lived on Winn Gardens estate (from new) with a British Relay TV (I'm sure was supplied by Wigfalls) that gave us ITV as well as BBC for the first time. At our previous house we could only receive BBC (that's just the one channel) and had to watch Yogi Bear and Robin Hood at a friend's house over a mile away. We now had 2 or was it 3 TV channels (another poster mentioned ATV) and I am sure also some radio stations (i think Radio Sheffield in 67 but not certain on that one) In 1969 we were able to watch Granada? when Yorkshire TV was taken off air when Emley Moor collapsed and then as this post has charted, Sheffield Cablevision was born. When you consider the current government's plans for local TV, you can see how far sighted John Brand and his team were in making local TV happen - 40 years ago. To read about the equipment is just amazing. I guess it's like most things, you don't realise what you'll miss until it's gone.

 

Anyway back to the PTV film channel. We had a box (beige?) connected to the TV set that had a coin slot and to watch the films you inserted 3 two shilling coins. I have no idea what happened to the money accumulated in the box. Did someone call round and empty it? I was too young to take much notice of how it worked. It seems incredible now with all the technology that provides movies on demand even on our mobile phone to think it was quite an occasion - so much so we would invite the neighbours round to watch (not sure if they split the cost of the film). We would select the film from the PTV programme booket - see the photobucket album for pages from my only surving programme from 1968) and be ready to insert the 6 bob, which I guess must have been a fair amount to pay when it only cost 5 shillings to go the the Pictures and see the latest release and in COLOUR. We did not have a colour TV till the early 70's so all these films would have been viewed in black and white. Amazing when you think about it.

 

Here is a link to the PTV programme guide for October 1968.

http://s168.photobuc...film%20channel/

[Sigismund 10]

I made some DIY programmes.

 

Sigismund

[Lexikia 10]

Does anyone remember when Sheffield had its own film channel - 21 years ahead of Sky Movies? PTV piped movies into people's homes via British Relay cable and cost six old shillings (30p) to watch a scheduled film. We lived on Winn Gardens estate (from new) with a British Relay TV (I'm sure was supplied by Wigfalls) that gave us ITV as well as BBC for the first time. At our previous house we could only receive BBC (that's just the one channel) and had to watch Yogi Bear and Robin Hood at a friend's house over a mile away. We now had 2 or was it 3 TV channels (another poster mentioned ATV) and I am sure also some radio stations (i think Radio Sheffield in 67 but not certain on that one) In 1969 we were able to watch Granada? when Yorkshire TV was taken off air when Emley Moor collapsed and then as this post has charted, Sheffield Cablevision was born. When you consider the current government's plans for local TV, you can see how far sighted John Brand and his team were in making local TV happen - 40 years ago. To read about the equipment is just amazing. I guess it's like most things, you don't realise what you'll miss until it's gone.

 

Anyway back to the PTV film channel. We had a box (beige?) connected to the TV set that had a coin slot and to watch the films you inserted 3 two shilling coins. I have no idea what happened to the money accumulated in the box. Did someone call round and empty it? I was too young to take much notice of how it worked. It seems incredible now with all the technology that provides movies on demand even on our mobile phone to think it was quite an occasion - so much so we would invite the neighbours round to watch (not sure if they split the cost of the film). We would select the film from the PTV programme booket - see the photobucket album for pages from my only surving programme from 1968) and be ready to insert the 6 bob, which I guess must have been a fair amount to pay when it only cost 5 shillings to go the the Pictures and see the latest release and in COLOUR. We did not have a colour TV till the early 70's so all these films would have been viewed in black and white. Amazing when you think about it.

 

Here is a link to the PTV programme guide for October 1968.

http://s168.photobuc...film%20channel/

 

I remeber British Relay, we had this on Hyde park flats. I now live in Hackenthorpe and the cables are still visible linking from house to house. There are also one or BR pits around the pavements.

 

Remeber watching the Disco's [ local club turn, now retired ] on the channel.

[Sigismund 10]

I used do present a DIY programme for cablevision, in the days of Barry Bucknle (BBC? DIY expert). Lawrence filmed it, we had one or two laughs.

Does anybody remeber it ?

[steelcityuk 10]

We used to have British Relay years ago, I ended up working with Mick West for a short while and installed an analog Sky system for Pecky. I heard a story once about Pecky and a stick on blue flashing light...

[mary-m 10]

We used to have British Relay years ago, I ended up working with Mick West for a short while and installed an analog Sky system for Pecky. I heard a story once about Pecky and a stick on blue flashing light...

 

Its all true from Crookes to Norfolk park on a Visionhire Metro !

[steelcityuk 10]

Emergency service perhaps.

[julado 10]

The flats on the Hanover estate still have the old sockets on the wall with about 10 holes in which someone told me was for the old cable tv system.

 

One here on my wall on Winn Estate too

[Moomin22 10]

Readifusion did cable tv in the Claywood Drive and Norfok Park flats in mid to late 70's

No fancy tv in those times

[flyer 10]

Readifusion did cable tv in the Claywood Drive and Norfok Park flats in mid to late 70's

No fancy tv in those times

what is still mind blowing to me is that Sheffield has T.V thought u was still on radio (well the rich):hihi:

[Nagel 10]

Here's the Sheffield Cablevision Ident preserved from 1975 on TVARK:

 

http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/mivana/mediaplayer.php?id=ffa5da74fcc8fafa1b309254935634c7&media=sheffield_cablevision1975&type=mp4