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Today is Holocaust Memorial Day.
In 1938, Sir Nicholas Winton brought Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia to safety in the UK.
Fifty years later, That’s Life reunited him with some of those children.
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#OnThisDay
in 1997: Rising star Lewis Hamilton (then aged 12) spoke about his ambition to become an F1 racing driver, on the BBC Two show Black Britain.
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"I’ve never fell off a big chimney. You only fall off one of them once."
#OnThisDay
1979: Extraordinary steeplejack Fred Dibnah was introduced to the nation.
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Today marks 75 years since the partition of India.
In June 1953, independent India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru appeared on the BBC for his television debut. 🧵1/4
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1979: Frank Prentice, an assistant purser on the Titanic, described how he survived the sinking of the ship. For more archive on the Titanic, you can visit -
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1977: Thanks for the Memory - The Viewer's View asked people what they thought about television.
This woman was likely approached for a snappy vox pop, but ended up delivering something closer to a dramatic monologue. Fantastic stuff.
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“How come is everything white?” Muhammad Ali appeared on Parkinson in 1971.
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Enjoy a few relaxing minutes of the great Tony Hart drawing with pastels, on Hartbeat
#onthisday
in 1987.
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How do you live with yourself, after killing another man? What would you have done in WWI? Visit to discover more.
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In 1969, BBC News spoke to Mr Glynne Wood - who had a pigeon living on his head.
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#OnThisDay
1982: The Young Ones was first broadcast. Once in every lifetime comes a love like this...
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1984: Moira Stuart read out the 'other' candidates in the Chesterfield by-election. Glorious!
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"Tonight you'll watch Barcelona against Newcastle United in the European Super League."
In this clip from 1994, Standing Room Only made some big predictions about the future of football in the year 2004.
#SuperLeague
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We're playing the hits today so lets go back to 1977 when the Viewer's View asked people what they thought about television. This woman was likely approached for a snappy vox pop, but ended up delivering something closer to a dramatic monologue. Fantastic stuff.
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1999: The Tweenies was first broadcast. Look at them, wearing shades indoors, they think they're so cool...
#TBT
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1974: As a Friday afternoon treat, see what Tony Hart can create in less than two minutes starting with a few triangles, on Vision On.
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Timing is everything. Behold the greatest piece to camera in the BBC archives, courtesy of broadcasting giant, James Burke.
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#OnThisDay
2005: Dr Who returned to television after a break of 16 years.
Christopher Eccleston was the ninth doctor while Billie Piper played his companion, Rose.
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What sort of thing did Australians expect to find in England? 🌏
#OnThisDay
1961: Alan Whicker interviewed some Aussies just before they set sail from Melbourne to Essex.
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1930: the BBC's news announcer said, "there is no news" and piano music was played for the remainder of the 15 minute segment.
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#OTD
1977: John Noakes scaled Nelson's Column, on a wobbly ladder... with no safety harness...and no helmet...wearing flares... to clean some pigeon poo. Don't try this. Anywhere. Ever.
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1975: Is this football’s loudest fan? Nationwide paid a visit to Burscough Athletic in the Cheshire League to meet a 46-year-old fan with a reputation for making himself heard.
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#OnThisDay
1978: The British public were not impressed at the prospect of switching from miles to kilometres.
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"I don't find being considerate - and trying to help people - a weakness" Ray Wilkins on Sporting Greats in 1999.
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#OnThisDay
1974: children's classic Bagpuss first aired on BBC One.
Created by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, it ran for just 13 episodes, but remains a cult programme for millions.
In 2005, both men reminisced about how they made the show.
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Florian Schneider, co-founder of highly influential electronic pop group Kraftwerk, has died at the age of 73. Here’s a clip of the group showing Tomorrow’s World their studio back in 1975. For more archive clips of electronic music, you can visit -
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#OnThisDay
1908: James Bond author Ian Fleming was born.
Geoffrey Boothroyd was a gun aficionado who wrote to Fleming asking him to change Bond's signature gun – a Beretta – to one more powerful. In this clip, Boothroyd shows why he thought Bond needed a gun with more oomph.
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1976: Blue Peter showed off a phone with no cable that you could even take outside. It'll never catch on.
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1942: Billy Connolly was born in Glasgow.
In 1984, he faced an audience of Scottish teenagers who had some tricky questions for him.
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"Is it sweet or savoury?"
#OnThisDay
1982: That’s Life asked the great British public what they thought about new, edible underwear.
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It's Valentine's Day, so we're going back to 1964 and an episode of Marriage Today that looked at the future of relationships. Young and old reflect on their experiences, and share their opinions on the matter.
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In 1989, Tomorrow’s World predicted what the home of the future would look like in 2020. Only a few hours left to make some adjustments.
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In 1981 Jimmy Greaves movingly told Ian Wooldridge how it felt not to play in the World Cup Final in 1966.
#RIPJimmyGreaves
#JimmyGreaves
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#OnThisDay
1945: Steve Martin was born. In 1979, he appeared on ‘Parkinson’, performed a card trick, and explained the difference between American and British comedy.
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With all the tributes being paid to Terry Jones, we wanted to show a favourite Monty Python moment from the archives - a memorable debate about 'The Life of Brian' with the Bishop of Southwark. For more Python archive gems, you can visit -
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in 1996 Dermot Morgan, best known as Father Ted, packed his bags, ready to be whisked away to far off lands by the Travel Show. Alas, the journey was short…to his native Dublin.
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1912: The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.
In 1979, Frank Prentice described how he managed to escape death on the liner, where he was working as an assistant purser.
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Shane MacGowan has died, aged 65. In a 1997 BBC documentary, he and his parents reflected on life in Carney Commons, County Tipperary, where he spent some of his childhood.
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#OnthisDay1983
: The first series of ‘Blackadder’, originally titled ‘The Blackadder’ was shown on BBC 1. Here’s a clip from ‘Behind The Screen’ showing Rowan Atkinson & co at work on the final series in 1989.
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1980: The Empire Strikes Back went on general release in the UK. A fine excuse to show the cast appearing on Blue Peter again.
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1981: Carry On Thermocoupling: Kenneth Williams was a guest presenter on Tomorrow's World. "The mind boggles!"
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1977: Thanks for the Memory - The Viewer's View asked people what they thought about television.
This woman was likely approached for a snappy vox pop, but ended up delivering something closer to a dramatic monologue.
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#OnThisDay
1985: Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar gave this fascinating demonstration of how he played his instrument.
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1979: Motorcycle obstacle extravaganza Kick Start made its debut. Apart from the theme tune, this clip from 1985 is probably our favourite bit.
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On the eve of partition in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru said India's independence was a "tryst with destiny". 🧵2/4
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1960: A British schoolgirl cheerily told Judith Chalmers about her holiday, which involved accidentally getting arrested in East Germany.
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J.R.R Tolkien, born
#OnThisDay
1892, discusses his work - which include The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - with John Bowen in 1962.
The writer explains how he is 'a meticulous sort of bloke' during an intense, candid and revealing interview
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“How come is everything white?”
Muhammad Ali’s powerful interview on Parkinson in 1971 is today's entry on the
#ArchiveAdventCalendar
of our most popular clips this year.
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Today is Holocaust Memorial Day.
In 1938, Sir Nicholas Winton brought Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia to safety in the UK. Fifty years later, That’s Life reunited him with some of those children. You can watch the full story here -
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1979: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Malcolm Muggeridge and the Bishop of Southwark memorably discussed Monty Python's Life of Brian.
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1973: Luke Casey took a poignant snapshot of Belfast at the height of the Troubles, a city the reporter had never previously visited.
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1977: Thanks for the Memory - The Viewer's View asked people what they thought about television. This woman was likely approached for a snappy vox pop, but ended up delivering something closer to a dramatic monologue.
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#OnThisDay
1972: Walter's one-person picket against his former employer entered its fifth month.
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1994: The hotly tipped Oasis released their debut album Definitely Maybe.
A couple of months on, The O Zone's Zoe Ball met Noel and Liam Gallagher to discuss hotel hijinks, their road to making it, and who really is the best band in the world at that moment.
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1972: The "King of Rock 'n' Roll", the irrepressible Little Richard talked about letting it all hang out, spreading joy and fixing Chuck Berry
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1975: John Lennon was asked the "inevitable" question about a Beatles reunion, on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
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Little Richard has died, aged 87. BBC Archive will never tire of his incredible 1972 interview on Late Night Line-Up.
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1944: Actor Richard Todd took part in Operation Tonga on what is now known as D-Day.
60 years on in 2004, he revisited his landing site in Normandy, returned to Pegasus Bridge and reflected on his experience of war.
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In 1961, Tonight took a tentative step inside the Glynne Arms in Himley (later known as The Crooked House) for a look around "the most cockeyed pub in England" and to ask which end was up and which end was down.
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#OnThisDay
1926: Kenneth Williams was born.
In this clip from 1983, he shows Blue Peter’s Janet Ellis how he performed the different voices for his new Willo the Wisp record.
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1961: Panorama asked whether Irish immigrants should be freely admitted into Britain when Commonwealth citizens were being restricted.
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1960: A British schoolgirl cheerily told Judith Chalmers about her holiday, which involved accidentally getting arrested in East Germany. "I'd like to go again - with a visa"
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1959: Irish writer Brendan Behan definitely wasn’t letting success go to his head.
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We're kicking off December with the
#ArchiveAdventCalendar
! Every day we'll be uploading one of our favourite clips from the last year - starting with the greatest ever (in our opinion) piece to camera, courtesy of James Burke.
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#OnThisDay
1995: Electronics giant Sony had eyes on the UK games console market, with PlayStation due to launch in just over a month. Can it really compete with industry behemoths Sega and Nintendo?
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1979: The one and only Fred Dibnah gained national attention, in the not for the faint-hearted documentary, Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack.
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#OnThisDay
1998: The Royle Family first aired on BBC Two.
The following year, co-creator and star Caroline Aherne spoke to Clive Anderson about the show, selling it to America and meeting Hugh Grant.
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1977: John Noakes (and Terry the cameraman) scaled Nelson's Column to clean out some pigeon poo. This is absolutely terrifying, but compulsive viewing.
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#OnThisDay
1979: Fred Dibnah came to national attention with the broadcast of Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack.
The man and his remarkable endeavours would return to our screens many more times, like in 1982 when he shimmied up the spire of Bury Parish Church to replace the weathervane.
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"I've never seen anything like this Liverpool crowd."
Liverpool play Arsenal at Anfield this evening. In 1964, Panorama's John Morgan was in attendance for the same fixture, where he was awestruck by the Liverpool fans singing pop on the Kop.
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Back in 1968, Harold Williamson paid a visit to primary school kids in Liverpool to talk about their favourite books and reading habits.
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#OnThisDay
1993: Live & Kicking was first broadcast. Here’s some of the best moments from the hot seat segment of the show where pop stars and celebrities would be asked questions by children. Look out for a young Daniel Radcliffe quizzing the Chuckle Brothers about 1 minute in!
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John Noakes, Blue Peter's resident action man, scaling Nelson's Column in 1977. He has died, aged 83.
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"It was like going into a members' club... an all-male club" Nancy Astor, the first woman MP to take her seat, recalled the experience on Panorama in 1959.
#InternationalWomensDay
#IWD2019
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#WorldBookDay
is a fine excuse to show one of our favourite clips - Roald Dahl at work in his writing hut.
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1992: A landmark moment in the history of British Television occurred when Mr Blobby made his first appearance on Noel’s House Party.
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In 1978, Londonderry was treated to the phenomenon that is Tom Baker, then and forever the fourth incarnation of Doctor Who, turning on Derry's Christmas lights and signing autographs aplenty.
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1978: The British public were not impressed at the prospect of switching from miles to kilometres.
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in 1955, Richard Burton had a Christmas message he wished to send in Welsh to his family, his village and his country. He also had a festive message for English people... and a particularly feisty stallion. Merry Christmas / Nadolig Llawen, from all at BBC Archive.
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Pele, the legendary footballer, died today in his native Brazil. In October 1983, Peter Duncan and Simon Groom could barely believe he was joining them in the Blue Peter studio, while handing out one or two technical tips.
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The legendary Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker has died at the age of 97.
Here’s a look back at the time he “realised a life ambition” by getting behind the wheel of a Formula One car.
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“I consider myself a remarkable fella.”
#OnThisDay
1963: David Attenborough met Jack Mulholland, an Irishman who preferred the peace of a ghost town in Borroloola to the pressures of conventional life.
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Amateur archaeologist Basil Brown is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in a new film, The Dig, about the spectacular Sutton Hoo discovery.
In this clip from 1965, see the real-life Mr Brown describe how he uncovered a large Anglo-Saxon burial ship 26 years earlier.
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#OnthisDay1964
: Nicolas Cage was born. In 1990, he somersaulted onto Wogan to bare his soul (and his chest).
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#OnThisDay
1981: Carry On Thermocoupling: Kenneth Williams was a guest presenter on Tomorrow's World. BBC Archive adores this clip.
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#OTD
1949: This footage of a Japanese singer giving it stacks in a Tokyo nightclub never fails to make BBC Archive smile.
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#OnthisDay
1979: Frank Prentice, an assistant purser on the Titanic, described how he survived the sinking of the ship.
#AudioVisualHeritageDay
#AudioVisualHeritage
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