BBC coat of arms, adopted 1927
British public service broadcaster (1927-)
Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was established on January 1, 1927 under a royal charter. The BBC is funded principally by an annual television licence fee set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and is used to fund the BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical system developed by John Logie Baird.
Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service began in 1936 as the BBC Television Service. The BBC lost its monopoly in television in 1955 when Independent Television (ITV) began. In response, the BBC felt it should change its identity and priorities. As a result, the BBC Television Service was relaunched as BBC tv in 1960.
ITV's success, however, led to the BBC losing much of its audience, as noted in the 1962 Pilkington Report, which decided to award an additional television station to the BBC on the basis that ITV was, by comparison, lacking in serious programming. In 1964, BBC2 was launched and BBC tv became BBC1.
British actor (August 8, 1917 - December 2, 2002)
SciFi credits
R.U.R. (TV play, 1948): "Marius, a robot"
Nineteen Eighty-Four (TV play, 1954): "First man"
R3 (TV series, 1964-66): "The Big Balloon" (1965), "Operator"
Doctor Who (TV series, 1963-89)
Colony In Space 1971: "Time Lord"
Planet Of The Spiders (1974): "Audience member"
The Visitation (1978): "Ralph"
Blake's 7 (TV series, 1978-81): "Project Avalon" (1978): "Scientist"
Australian actor (October 21, 1921 - October 20, 2013)
SciFi credits
Stranger From Space (TV serial, 1951-52): "Delpho"
Out Of This World (TV series, 1962): "Dark Star" (1962), "Commander Delabo"
The Champions (TV series, 1968-69): "Project Zero" (1968), "Pilot"
Timeslip (TV series, 1970-71): The Day Of The Clone (1971), "Desk Attendant"
British playwright and actor; born March 11, 1926; died March 10, 2009)
SciFi credits
Return To The Lost Planet (TV serial, 1955): "Professor Bergman"
R3 (TV series, 1964-66): "Tom Collis", "A State Of Anxiety" (1964); "On The Spike" (1964); "The Short Cut" (1964)
Timeslip (TV series, 1970-71): "Frank Skinner"
Out Of The Unknown (TV series, 1965-71): "Immortality Inc" (1969): "Tom Clarke"
Doomwatch (TV series, 1970-72)
"Public Enemy" (1971): "Arnold Payne"
"Flood" (1972): Dr Ridley"
American actor; born George Bishop, June 11, 1932, died June 8, 2005
SciFi credits
Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons (TV series, 1967-68): "Captain Blue"; Narrator (as Edward Bishop)
Out Of The Unknown (TV series, 1965-71): "Commandant Tom Decker" (as Edward Bishop), "Beach Head" (1969)
Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun / Doppelgänger (Film, 1969): "David Poulson" (as Edward Bishop)
UFO (TV series, 1970-71): "Cmdr Ed Straker"
The Day After Tomorrow (TV film, 1975): Narrator
1990 (TV serial, 1977): "Ed Burbank", "Whatever Happened To Cardinal Wolsey?" (1977)
Stainless Steel And The Star Spies (TV film, 1981): "Stainless Steel" (voice)
Whoops Apocalypse (TV series, 1982): "Jay Garrick"
Chocky's Children (TV serial, 1985): "Dr Deacon"
The Demon Headmaster (TV serial, 1996-98): "TV Supremo" (Season 3, eps 2-5 1998)
British actor (January 26, 1920 - October 15, 2006)
SciFi credits
R.U.R. (TV play, 1938): [Unknown]
The Invisible Man (TV series, 1958-59): "Picnic With Death" (1959), "John Norton"
British actor; born Eliazar Reuben Van Boolen, July 2, 1896; died 1974)
SciFi credits
The Quatermass Experiment (TV serial, 1953): "Len Matthews"
The Lost Planet (TV serial, 1954): "Hermanoff"
Nineteen Eighty-Four (TV play, 1954): "Barman"
Return To The Lost Planet (TV serial, 1955): "Hermanoff"
Quatermass And The Pit (TV serial, 1958-59): "Truck driver"
British actor; born Henry Wilfrid Brambell, March 22, 1912; died January 18, 1985)
SciFi credits
The Quatermass Experiment (TV serial, 1953): "A drunk"
Nineteen Eighty-Four (TV play, 1954): "Old man/Thin prisoner"
Quatermass II (TV serial, 1955): "Tramp"
British actor; born Sidney Bromley, July 24, 1909; died August 14, 1987)
SciFi credits
Nineteen Eighty-Four (TV play, 1954): "Waiter"
Quatermass II (TV serial, 1955): "Father"
Quatermass And The Pit (TV serial, 1958-59): "Tattered man"
British actor (January 4, 1907 - January 17, 1971)
SciFi credits
R.U.R. (TV play, 1938): [Unknown]
The Prisoner (TV series, 1967-68): "Dance Of The Dead" (1967), "2nd doctor"
British producer, director, and writer (July 20, 1909 - April, 1984)
SciFi credits
R.U.R. (TV play, 1938): Producer, director, writer
R.U.R. (TV play, 1948): Producer, director, writer
The Time Machine (TV play, 1949): Director