On This Day – June 21st

The Wimbledon Tennis Championships was televised by the BBC for the first time on June 21st 1937.

For the young television service this was an important event, providing coverage of a popular sport at a time when interest in it was high following Fred Perry's victories in the 3 previous championships.

In the event the Men's final was won by the American Don Budge, but the technical achievement of bringing the live outside broadcast into viewer's homes was great.

Teddy Wakelam commented on this first match that viewers could see in the comfort of their own homes, which was between Bunny Austin and George Rogers.

The BBC sent three outside broadcast vans, a camera, a van housing the transmitter, and another which powered everything with a generator.

The coverage was 'enlivened' when the camera swung round to view Queen Mary entering the Royal Box.

The listings magazine The Radio Times did not include details of the broadcast of the coverage. As the technology was so new and considered to be experimental the programme would have been taken off-air with little notice if (or when!) it failed.

From a single camera in 1937 things have obviously moved on since then. How many cameras does the BBC use on Centre Court alone these days?

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