A Byte High No Limit / illarterate co-production
In 1974, a brand new technology called teletext was being rolled out. It would, over the next few decades, have far-reaching implications, not only in the UK but worldwide.
These are the stories of those involved in the production, restoration and art of the blocky medium that graced UK TV screens until 2012. You’ll hear from the pioneers, those who made teletext tick, and the newcomers keeping the medium alive 50 years after its inception.
This is a social record of teletext, and these are the teletext people.
This is a fan-made, not for profit documentary. A comprehensive list of credits can be found below.
Podcast version
To get the audio version for your device, see here.
Sonic credits
Various sound effects courtesy Pixabay
“Seesaw” by Aretha Franklin, cover by Pixelblip
“Tip Toes” by Myuu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJKeIzPzrWE
“Waltz For a Cat” by MondayHopes https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-waltz-for-a-cat-8089/
“Wicked Annabella” by The Kinks, cover by Pixelblip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV1X05EgyOw
“Jumping Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones, cover by Pixelblip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YudzwK7gV3Y
“The Ballad of Sir Clive Sinclair” by Mr Biffo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVnv1tVmmjk
“The Wozniak Song” by Mr Biffo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZvoFHkmolk
“Ambient Classical Guitar” by William King https://pixabay.com/music/solo-guitar-ambient-classical-guitar-144998/
“Dance Off” by Timtaj https://pixabay.com/music/dance-dance-off-8843/
“Long Hot Summer” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, cover by Pixelblip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLqWoy3MfSI
“Resistance” by Gvidon https://pixabay.com/music/beats-gvidon-resistance-170918/
“Orange Juice on the Table” by MondayHopes https://pixabay.com/music/bossa-nova-orange-juice-on-the-table-8024/
“Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia” by The Cuban Boys (light mashup) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJ5oaU940U
“Road to Nowhere” by Grand Project https://pixabay.com/music/dance-road-to-nowhere-long-188064/
“A Villain’s Redemption” by Katzen Tupas https://pixabay.com/music/solo-guitar-a-villain39s-redemption-12976/
“Bossa Nova Dreams” by HD-Studio https://pixabay.com/music/bossa-nova-bossa-nova-dreams-182163/
“Clock Cracker” by Caboose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBcCts2nlbA
“Road Rash” by Octosound https://pixabay.com/music/rock-road-rash-172665/
“Heroes” by David Bowie, cover by Pixelblip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_HzlaIxnHg
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” by Elton John, cover by Pixelblip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ_Ed-d2dD8
The Teletext People
- Carl Attrill (Show Presenter)
- Mort Smith (Ceefax, Intelfax)
- Julie Morton-Smith (Intelfax)
- Ian Irving (Ceefax, Intelfax)
- Colin McIntyre (Ceefax) – via archive interview from Channel 4
- Steve Rosenberg (Intelfax, Russian Teletext, BBC)
- Gareth Herincx (ORACLE)
- Graham Lovelace (Ceefax, Teletext Ltd)
- Paul Rose (Teletext Ltd)
- Sara-Scott Rivers (Teletext Ltd, Videotron, Datasolve)
- John Earls (Teletext Ltd)
- Ricardo Autobahn (The Cuban Boys)
- Ian Westbrook (Ceefax, BBC News)
- Paul B Davis (VBI Microtel)
- Dan Farrimond (Teletext Artist, Show Editor)
- Jason Robertson (The Teletext Archaeologist)
- Alistair Cree (ZXNet browser-based teletext editor)
- James Domestic (artist)
- Count Binface (Space Politician)
- Nathan Dane (NMS Ceefax)
Additional sound clips courtesy
BBC, ITV, WFLD Channel 32, Teletext Holidays, Peter Kay Live at the Top of the Tower, Q Radio, Hit n’ Run
Misc.
- Eleven Labs (synthesised voices)
- All interviews from Teletext People by Byte High No Limit
- Steve Horsley Teletext Holidays segment from the Teletextr Podcast
- Colin McIntyre Interview courtesy Channel 4
Timecodes
0:00 ACT 1: Ceefax, the world’s first teletext service (Beginnings) 1974-1980
9:14 Technical difficulties: teething problems
15:22 Going Global (Keyfax and Russian teletext) 1980-1992
26:29 ORACLE, the UK’s other service (Debbie’s Diary) 1992
31:16 ACT 2: Deregulation (launch of Teletext Ltd) 1992-1993
40:13 Digitiser and sick worms 1993-2003
47:25 Teletext Holidays 1993-2009
51:30 Emergence of the Web and Interactive TV 1993-1999
59:07 Princess Diana 1997
1:04:17 The Music Men: Planet Sound 1998-2009
1:11:15 Teletext sports and the Ceefax Striker
1:13:59 The end of teletext in the UK 2009-2012
1:19:06 ACT 3: Teletext rises again! Teletext art 2005-2015
1:25:58 Hidden teletext (teletext recovery) 2010-
1:30:46 Recreating Ceefax for the 21st Century 2016-2024
1:39:50 Teletext today 2024
1:43:21 Tributes & memories
Visual Material
Courtesy Mort Smith:
- This Is Ceefax, BBC
- Ceefax Is Here, BBC
- Mini Documentary about Teletext & Subtitling, Channel 4
- Esmerelda photos
- Misc. archive photos and newspaper clippings
- Ceefax Behind the Scenes With Maggie Philbin, BBC
- Channel 4 4-Tel Promo
Nite-Owl, 32 WFLD, various clips courtesy Fuzzy Memories Museum of Chicago Television
Punching a Paper Tape, Micheal McCabe @YouTube
President Reagan’s Address to British Parliament, Reagan Library
Open University: Teletext, BBC
The Dawn of Interactive TV – Pebble Mill, BBC Archive
All screensavers 1 Ostankino channel (1992-1995), STV-ANDREY-VHS @YouTube
Max Headroom Incident on CBS, courtesy Truther TV Archives @YouTube
Various Digitiser images, Channel 4, Teletext Ltd. Archived by Chris Bell
Turner the Worm images, Channel 4, Teletext Ltd. Archived by Alistair Cree
Mr Biffo on Gamesmaster, Hewland International/Channel 4
‘The Joy of Text’ Teletext Ltd Art Booklet, provided by Sara Scott-Rivers
September 11th news report, CBS
Paul B Davis on Nintendo Hacking by Hit n’ Run, courtesy Lektrogirl @YouTube
VBI Microtel art by various artists, courtesy Lektrolab Flickr
PixelAche – International Teletext Art Festival 2012 Callout
International Teletext Art Festival & promo material by FixC
BBC Biteback, Ceefax (1996) courtesy the TV Room
Ceefax: It Has A Way With Words TV Advert courtesy BBC, Uploaded by Appropriated Subdiffusion @YouTube
Are YOU Ready For The Internet? BBC Archive @YouTube
Windows 95 Launch: Is The Internet Too Big? BBC Archive @YouTube
Cyber Cafe feature, CBS News (1995), courtesy Terry Phillips @YouTube
BBC Text advertisement, TVArk @YouTube
Daily Mail ‘Snoozepaper’ commercials, Associated Newspapers
Digital Teletext/Teletext Holidays clips courtesy Teletext Ltd.
Audio Cassette clip courtesy Beachfront B-Roll @YouTube
Opening – British Open Golf, BBC
Ceefax Level 2.5 broadcast (BBC) courtesy Sticky Tape N’ Rust
Teletext Raspberry Pi video demonstration by Peter Kwan
Various photos, studio tour, NMS Pages From Ceefax – Nathan Dane
Teletext Sofa Club Live 2023 @ Harrow, filmed by Ash Versus
BBC Golf – Opening Titles, BBC. Courtesy legbreakgoogly @YouTube
1990s Tenerife | Playa de las Américas | Spain in the 1990s | Wish you were here? | 1992, Thames TV @ YouTube
Servizio Teletext in onda sui vari canali gratuiti sul satellite Astra 19 2, courtesy Beatrice @ YouTube
Digitiser 1993 – 2005, courtesy Singnogna @ YouTube
Adobe Photoshop 4.0 in 1996, courtesy Web Design Museum @ YouTube
Channel One Sir David English, Courtesy David Dunkley Gyimah @ YouTube
Yummy Carrot Cake Recipe, BBC Good Food
Nicky Wire interviewed on Jules Holland, 1998
The Telephone at Work, Rank Film Library, courtesy Ephemeralfilm
BSKYB: Football Years, clip courtesy the Wycombe Wanderer
Ceefax Being Closed Down Soon, BBC Points of View courtesy TopTellyFan
“Datacrime” by the Cuban Boys – music video
Virgin Music Video (1992) HQ LaserDisc Rip, courtesy Laser Visionary @ YouTube
The Internet – The Computer Chronicles, WITF Inc., courtesy OnlySublime
Sky News – Buzz – Did The Web Spell The End For Teletext? Clip courtesy Graham Lovelace @YouTube
Central adverts 1, Growing Pains of Adrian Mole trailer, courtesy Charlie Bowser @ YouTube
Sega Genesis Commercials Chronologically 80s and 90s, courtesy Eric DIY @ YouTube
Newspapers Behind the Scenes, Aims Hollywood, courtesy Aaron Kuehn @YouTube
“The Postcode Connection”, A 1970s documentary about how the Post Office deliver post, by The Royal Mail, courtesy Maxustaxus @YouTube
Russia: The Empire Strikes Back, BBC, courtesy Will Vernon @YouTube
Zenith – System 3 “The Smart Set” Commercial (1984), Courtesy Danny Sigelman @YouTube
Chicago Sun-Times commercial – 1990, Courtesy Eric Cohn @YouTube
Hoover Dirtsearcher Vintage TV Commercial courtesy ibaisaic @YouTube
Paging Dr. Google – Google’s First TV Commerical (2005) courtesy firsttvcommercial @YouTube
IBA Archive – teletext clips courtesy the IBA Archive @YouTube
- 17 September 1985 – ‘Teletext – A World at Your Fingertips’
- 31 March 1987 – ‘Oracle Fastext Feature’
Count Binface’s 2024 Election Manifesto courtesy Dan Farrimond and Count Binface
Snapshots from Teletext’s final edition courtesy Ant ‘Superwonderstar’
Snapshots from Oracle’s final day courtesy Jason Robertson
Teletext services
- Ceefax
- Oracle
- Aertel
- ARD Text
- Yle Text
- Teletext Ltd
- ORF Text
Art & graphics
- Carl Attrill
- Dan Farrimond
- Sara Scott-Rivers
- Paul Rose
- Voskomo
- Slippers
- Paul B Davis
- 8BP
- Ceefax L2 reconstruction and L1 demonstration by GKTheMac
- “Art In Here” Teletext Art by Paul B Davis
- ‘Rip’ cartoon courtesy Freepic
Teletext captures
- Alistair Buxton
- Tomsonic
- Byteman
- ZXGuesser
- Jason Robertson
- 20% Off
- Neil Miles
- Tim Bisley
- Ant ‘Superwonderstar’
Photography
- Steve Rosenberg photo, courtesy Steve Rosenberg
- Pete Winter photos courtesy Pete Winter
- Onkelsqu @Teletext Discord
- Tomsonic @Teletext Discord
- ByteMan @Teletext Discord
- ieARB1 @Twitter
- Mike Brown @mb21.co.uk
- teletekst monitor @Twitter
- Phil Pemberton @Discord
- RJluna2, computer monitor framing image CC-BY-SA-4.0
- “A Great Sh*t” Ceefax screen courtesy Sportingintel
- Tim Moore photo courtesy Tim Moore
Vere Harold Esmond Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
by Bassano Ltd
half-plate film negative, 16 July 1968
Purchased, 2004
Photographs Collection
NPG x172327
National Portrait Gallery
Everything else…
- BBC
- ITV
- Channel 4
- Channel 5
- WFLD 32
- BSKYB
- Ostankino
- ORACLE
- Teletext Ltd.
- Philips Electronics
- Pixabay
- Pexels
- The Teletext Archive
- Jason Robertson
- Steve Horsley
- Goodking Memorex
- Paul Rose
- The Cuban Boys
- Ian Irving
- ZXGuesser
- FixC Artists’ Co-operative
- ARS Electronica
- TVArk
- Neil Miles
- FixC Co-operative, Helsinki
- Bryan Green
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