Greenwich Cablevision was Britain's first cable television channel and launched in 1972, but it only ran as a full service until 1974. However, this was far from the end for Greenwich Cablevision. It continued as an intermittent, community production until the mid-1980s when it had morphed into Greenwich TV. Footage and information regarding this curious corner of British broadcasting is scant, if not non-existent.
Luckily, thanks to a kind donation to Curious British Telly, we can take a closer look at what was happening with Greenwich Cablevision in the early 1980s. This intriguing glimpse into the past comes in the form of 10 editions of Greenwich Cablevision News, a promotional magazine for the service, which date from late 1982 to early 1984.
By the early 1980s, Greenwich Cablevision offered eight channels, including BBC1, BBC2, London ITV, Anglia, Television South, Channel 4, and its own Greenwich TV channel - all for £2.30 per month. The eighth channel was Screentown, an exclusive movie channel which cost an extra £2.30 per week.
The magazines are very much a marketing push to entice residents to sign up for Greenwich Cablevision, with a real emphasis on the wonders of Screentown. Nonetheless, there are plenty of nuggets of interest relating to British television. Each issue focuses on the current state of British cable television, so the importance of communities coming together is frequently discussed and there's even room to imagine what a 30-channel Greenwich Cablevision would look like.
Details of Greenwich TV's schedule is perhaps the jewel in the crown, with much of this information previously lost in the intervening decades. Naturally, it's all very community based. Highlights of The Courage Darts League Area Finals are due to be broadcast during Meantime in Greenwich, while a performance by Playing by Numbers at Cheeks nightclub is also on the horizon. One of the real oddities on offer is Zones of Danger, a driving series designed to produce safer drivers. Diversity is also on the table, with specialist Asian programming produced to truly reflect the makeup of the local community.
There's also news on terrestrial British television, so we get to hear about an upcoming BBC sci-fi series called The Tripods - with little indication it'll collapse after two thirds of the story has been told - alongside dedicated looks at what's happening on Anglia, TVS and Channel 4. It's a wondrous time capsule of a forgotten era and I hope you enjoy flicking through the selected highlights below - please be aware that Jonathan King features among the archive material.
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