"Terry Casey" wrote

The version of events I described is the one that has been quoted for
over 40 years but I only became aware of that bulletin a couple of
months ago ...

Was it a recording you saw - or a film made at the time?

What I actually saw was a DVD, copied from a video tape. My understanding is
that someone at Kingswood Warren decided to record this "first programme"
off-air, but that the tape then lay forgotten for many years until it was
rediscovered a few years ago. I also understand that the DVD I saw was a
direct copy from the original off-air tape. It's clear from the picture
quality that this was a video-tape recording, not a film telerecording.

It was rather a pathetic attempt which should be filed in the "it would
have been better if they hadn't bothered" category.

I don't know what the viewers (if there were any left!) made of it at
the time but, when I saw the film it generated some laughter - possibly
out of pity - from some of the audience.

I entirely agree. Its the most appallingly amateurish thing imaginable. I
particularly like the fact that there is total silence for the first minute
or so and then, at the end of the bulletin, the newsreader says that the
bulletin will be repeated in one minute's time as "I gather nobody could
hear me". So the loss of sound was at the transmitting end. I guess the BBC
were too embarrassed to admit that this news bulletin was actually broadcast
and were quite happy to have the myth that BBC2 only started the next day
gain currency!

David.