Recuperation

‘Towards 2000’ runs for 35 weeks and promises to set new trends in educative programmes. John Hale, professor elect of Modern History at the University of Warwick, spoke in the first three programmes.

So to Thursday, April 9. The Empire Pool was recuperating silently from the shrillness of the night before. The Mods had had their night out. Now in the Guest Room of Television House it was the turn of a very different group of people.

Representatives of the educational press flexed their intellects. Out at the Empire Pool, Keith Fordyce’s voice had amplified around the vast arena. Down in the Guest Room, Guthrie Moir quietly, calmly chatted about ‘Britain – Towards 2000’… the 35 educative programmes starting on Thursday, April 23… the theme of technological and scientific developments since the times of Shakespeare… the look in the latter half of the series at how we can shape the Britain of the year 2000… the aim to interest the general public as well as students… the backing the series was to get in the shape of brochures and booklets… the conference to discuss it with viewers in June.

World shattering stuff? No. Significant? Yes. The part television can play in the education of the population has still to be fully developed. Rediffusion on Thursday, April 9, demonstrated again that it realises this.