The 1950s
The 1950s is generally seen as the formative decade of television, when the medium moved from its scientific origins to its place as a ubiquitous household item. The fifties certainly marked the medium's most rapid growth, surpassing even that of radio broadcasting in the 1920s. In the early 50s very few homes possessed a television set, and in Britain there was only one TV station - the BBC. Most people went to the cinema if they wanted to see moving pictures and the wireless was the king of home entertainment.

The British nation came to a standstill on June 2nd 1953 as 20 million people across the country huddled in corners peering avidly at a small piece of furniture with a gray screen. They were watching magic pictures of the coronation of Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey. For many it was their first glimpse of an invention that has gone on to change the face and behavior of the world.
Fewer than two million British homes owned a TV set at the beginning of 1953, and these were mainly in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow. But in the build-up to the coronation, 526,000 sets were sold as coronation fever swept the nation. The first commercial British channel, ITV, was launched on September 22 1955. ITV's impact was immediate. The British public were fascinated by its newscasters, cash quiz shows and American programs - and commercials!

The 1960s
If the Fifties were the innocent childhood of television, the Sixties were definitely the period of rebellious adolescence. Just as the world underwent dramatic social and cultural change, so television led the way in reflecting the Swinging Sixties.

In the USA until 1965 - and in England until 1967 - television was in black and white (if you wanted colour you went to the cinema and watched a movie) and everyone was learning on the job. Viewing hours were also limited. TV did not broadcast 24 hours a day. It did not even broadcast continuously. There were scheduled breaks throughout the day and during the sixties there were many unscheduled breaks as well during which a piece of cardboard would be slung in front of the camera urging "Please do not adjust your set."

The 1970s

The 1980s
There was a massive growth in video recorder ownership in the 1980s, so we were now able to have more control of things (if we could work the timer), and the VCR became the new necessity. In 1985, 94% of American households had a television set, and 50% had a videocassette recorder - double the number from only a year earlier. Ah, but which to buy? Beta? VHS? Beta? VHS? One of the most pressing decisions in the early 80s was which video system to choose for your expanding home entertainment unit. By 1982 there were nine VHS manufacturers and three Beta. The term 'Beta Loser' entered the lexicon as that format went the way of 8-track cartridges.

Also revolutionary, and very pernicious to networks and advertisers, was the invention of the remote control which first appeared in 1983. For the first time viewers were able to take control, flip channels and avoid commercials. Meanwhile, with satellites now in orbit around the Earth, news reports became instant and the world shrank. Television made us see more and made some of us care more. When the Chinese students were trying to democratize their world we saw it happening live. In fact, we knew of the events in Tiananmen Square before people elsewhere in Beijing did!

There was much more television too. British commercial television's second channel (Channel 4) was launched on Tuesday 2 November 1982 at 4:45 pm. The very first program broadcast was Countdown with Richard "Twice nightly" Whiteley and Carol Vorderman (then Mather), long before she turned up on every other program and commercial in Britain. By the close of the eighties, the box in the living room (and the ones in the bedrooms and the kitchen!) became unquestionably the main source of our entertainment.