ITV 50
Coronation Street
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of ITV, the bfi National Library was proud to present a display of related materials from its vaults. Commemorative books, journals and sources from our Special Collections aim to complement and enhance the celebrations going on throughout the BFI.
50 Years of ITV
The Saint
In 50 years of broadcasting - since the first night on 22 September 1955 - ITV has reflected, and influenced, popular taste in Britain.
Audiences took to the lively new channel immediately as more and more families were able to buy television sets and by the end of the 1950s ITV was trouncing BBC in the marketplace with a 75% share of viewing. Share has fluctuated since, but ITV has always succeeded as a mass-market channel that entertains and informs its audience in an accessible way.
World in Action
It has not been all escapism however. ITV has often challenged its viewers and led the way in broadcasting innovation. News from ITN for example pioneered presenter-led bulletins and the use of filmed reports and satellite technology. Current affairs strands like World in Action and This Week took on the establishment and made people stop and think about how their society was run.
The Avengers
Dramas like The Avengers and The Prisoner redefined what could prove popular with the public, not to mention groundbreaking and ambitious material like The Naked Civil Servant and The Jewel in the Crown.
ITV has always had its contradictions; populist but ambitious, commercial but regulated, proud of its working class audience but by its nature wedded to big business. It has also often been underestimated -partly through snobbery. If you look at ITV's work over the last half century you will notice plenty of fun and excitement, but you will also find insight and innovation. Most of all you see a mirror for Britain, reflecting our tastes, concerns and anxieties.
Phil Wickham, 2005
