BBC - Three Railway Engines (1953) 80th Anniversary.(1953 Sad Story of Henry)

It all began - and, to be honest, came to an end - on a Sunday evening, on the 14th of June, 1953. We could only imagine what it was like to sit down and watch the “Sunday Programme”, what usually was the weekly “crème de la crème” of British television, only to then see… Well, what we all know happened after that.
Now, you no longer need to merely imagine.
Behold, what we can say, without any false modesty, is the closest thing you’ll ever see to a programme from years gone by - The Three Railway Engines.

It's not easy to recreate an old program. With very little reference material, it might seem nearly impossible to recreate a live broadcast from that era. However, following months of preparation, weeks of filming and editing, and years (yes, years) of research, we made sure that everything - from what needed to go right to what didn't - feels authentic, occasionally purposefully awkward, in order to produce a piece that could transport you, the viewer, back to that fateful evening, to an era when live television could create such unfortunate albeit unforgettable moments.

We would especially like to thank Miss Susan Charlton for her amazing narration, ‪@fan100_thomas‬ and ‪@cheddarious_life‬ for being the catalyst that started it all, ‪@whereareyou.961‬ for their amazing work simulating the 1950s telerecording process, and the Alexandra Palace Television Society for the ident that was featured during this video.


#1953sadstoryofhenry
#1953pilot