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Pages from Ceefax

More news follows in a moment for the next five and a half hoursTHE BEEB’S screensaver. Self-perpetuating flick through virtual catalogue of news, sport, weather and travel news, backed by gentle burbling electronica and Palm Court strummings. Bundled out for hours at a time for much of the 1980s. Spawned a cousin, CEEFAX AM, which became the curtain-raiser for BREAKFAST TIME or, during the holidays, THE PINK PANTHER SHOW (via blocky semi-moving graphic of the eponymous feline). Famously transmitted “between the lines” of normal pictures, or something. Died when 24 hour telly came along. Still available on your set, though, and online, courtesy of its bastard offspring the internet.

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  1. Des Elmes

    December 30, 2010 at 1:36 pm

    Set to disappear completely in 2012 along with analogue TV – so “forever” might not be the most appropriate tag.

    BTW, in case anyone wants to know, the photo’s from 1980.

  2. Glenn A

    May 17, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    You can still receive it if you are one of the small minority that have analogue. I was in London and the hotel television was an ancient portable with only four channels and Ceefax. Made me nostalgic, well for about a minute, until I realised how much better the BBC’s digital services are.

  3. Mick

    March 9, 2014 at 1:26 am

    BBC Micro graphics ordered to resemble mid-70s resolutions and typeset for in-computer compatibility using bolt-on tuner.

    Interesting case of futuristic retrograding, if you see my point.

  4. Matty

    March 13, 2014 at 7:15 pm

    I have a positive memory of the, on the face of it, deeply boring “Pages from Ceefax” because I always used to see it when we were all up early on a Saturday morning whilst waiting for the cartoon/toy serials that were on before the “big” weekend morning kids shows like “Saturday Superstore”. That mixture of text and music became associated with being off school and anticipation of programmes to come.

  5. Terry

    March 28, 2015 at 11:05 am

    I enjoyed the riddle pages – life was never the same once my REVEAL button malfunctioned.

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