Timeline of in vision teletext broadcasts in the UK facts for kids

Teletext was a special service that let you read pages of information on your TV screen. Before the internet, it was a quick way to get news, sports scores, weather, and TV guides. This timeline shows how teletext was broadcast on UK television, especially Ceefax from the BBC and ORACLE from ITV and Channel 4. These broadcasts showed the teletext pages directly on screen when there were no regular programmes.

Teletext on UK TV: A Timeline

The Early Days: 1980s

• 1980
  • 12 March – The very first Ceefax pages were shown on BBC1. This was called Ceefax in Vision. It was on for 30 minutes in the morning. Soon after, BBC2 also started showing Ceefax in Vision twice a day. These broadcasts helped people learn about teletext.

• 1983
  • 14 January – The morning Ceefax show on BBC1 ended before Breakfast Time started.
  • 28 February – BBC1 began a new 30-minute Ceefax show called Ceefax AM before Breakfast Time.
  • 18 March – Channel 4 started showing teletext pages. They showed two magazines, 4-Tel on View and Oracle on View. These were shown in short bursts before programmes started on weekdays.
  • 2 May – Ceefax in Vision started being shown more often on BBC2 when there were no programmes.
  • 19 September – When BBC's daytime education shows Daytime on Two were on, special Ceefax pages were shown during long breaks.
  • October – Ceefax in Vision was shown all morning on BBC2 during weekends when the Open University was not broadcasting.

• 1984
  • 7 January – The daytime Ceefax shows were renamed Pages from Ceefax. This was because the Radio Times started listing them in TV guides.
  • 4–12 August – During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, the BBC showed Ceefax Olympics AM overnight. This was the first time Ceefax pages were broadcast through the night.
  • 15 October – Channel 4 started broadcasting earlier, so teletext pages were shown from 10am.

• 1985
  • 7 January – Pages from Ceefax started appearing on BBC1 in the afternoons. On BBC2, Ceefax pages were shown almost continuously from 9am to 5:25pm.
  • 18 February – The Ceefax AM show became longer, lasting 50 minutes.
  • 28 June – The special Ceefax service for Daytime on Two ended.
  • 8 September – BBC1 stopped showing Pages from Ceefax on Sunday mornings.

• 1986
  • February – For the first time, animated pictures were seen on teletext. This happened on 4-Tel on View.
  • 2 April – The first teletext service on ITV was launched by Central. It was called Jobfinder and showed job listings after programmes ended.
  • 9 September – The last all-day Pages from Ceefax broadcast on BBC2 took place.
  • 14 October – BBC2 started showing regular programmes in the late afternoon, so Ceefax broadcasts ended earlier, around 4pm.
  • 24 October – Pages from Ceefax was shown during the day on BBC1 for the last time.
  • 8 December – BBC2's broadcasting hours were extended, so Pages from Ceefax ended at 2pm during school holidays.

• 1987
  • TV-am briefly showed Oracle pages called Daybreak before its programmes.
  • 30 January – Yorkshire became the second ITV region to launch a Jobfinder service.
  • 25 April – Central TV started broadcasting all night, filling the late hours with its Jobfinder service. Tyne Tees did the same later in the year.
  • May–August – Pages from Ceefax on BBC2 were extended to run until 3pm.
  • 12 June – After the 1987 United Kingdom general election, BBC2 showed a Ceefax Results Service in the morning.
  • 14 September –
    • ITV Schools programmes moved to Channel 4. This meant Channel 4's teletext pages started earlier, at 8am.
    • The content of Oracle on View changed to focus on news.
  • 11 October – Ceefax broadcasts on Sunday mornings almost stopped. This was because a new children's block, Now on Two, started during the Open University break.

• 1988
  • During the summer, Children's BBC Ceefax returned to BBC2 in the afternoon, but it was only 25 minutes long.
  • 18 August – Newer, more advanced graphics were used for Pages from Ceefax for the first time.
  • Many ITV regions started broadcasting 24 hours a day. They often used a Jobfinder service overnight, showing job listings with improved graphics.
  • October to January 1989 – Ceefax continued to air on Saturday mornings. On Sundays, only a few minutes were shown due to Now on Two. This was the last time Ceefax filled programme gaps during the Open University break.
  • By the end of 1988, most ITV regions had a 24-hour service, often including a Jobfinder service on weekdays.

• 1989
  • 31 March – The last Oracle on View broadcast took place.
  • 3 April – Channel 4 launched its breakfast show, The Channel Four Daily. 4-Tel on View was then shown in one 40-minute block and also on weekends.
  • 16 June – Pages from Ceefax was shown after 10am for the final time on weekdays.
  • 15 September – Ceefax AM was broadcast for the last time.
  • 20 November – The Ceefax service was updated to focus mainly on news. Pages from Ceefax then showed a 13-page 'Newsreel'.
  • 22 November – After the House of Commons started being shown on TV, BBC2 launched a breakfast summary. This led to Pages from Ceefax being shown for about 30 minutes before the 8am news.

The 1990s: Evolution and Endings

• 1990
  • 2 January – A 30-minute Ceefax slot returned to BBC1 at 6am. It was listed as Pages from Ceefax.
  • April – Pages from Ceefax was broadcast after 9am for the last time.

• 1991
  • 17-27 January – During the Gulf War, BBC1 stayed on air all night to provide news using Ceefax pages.

• 1992
  • 16 November – After an update to the Ceefax service, Pages from Ceefax showed more content. The number of pages more than doubled, including headlines for finance, sport, weather, and sometimes travel news.

• 1993
  • 4 January – BBC1 started broadcasting at 6am on weekdays. A 15-minute Ceefax broadcast was still shown at the start of the day.
  • Channel 4 began showing 4-Tel on View during its overnight closedowns.
  • April – A 7am Ceefax broadcast started on BBC1 on weekends.

• 1994
  • February – Newer, more advanced graphics were used for Pages from Ceefax. The service expanded greatly, showing sports news, financial prices, travel news, and TV listings.

• 1995
  • 16 October – BBC Learning Zone launched. Pages from Ceefax was shown in the gaps between regular programmes and the start of Learning Zone broadcasts. This was the first time Ceefax was regularly broadcast overnight.

• 1996
  • March – Pages from Ceefax went back to an older, simpler broadcasting format.
  • 16 November – A big change to Ceefax meant the on-screen sequence went back to showing news pages with headlines for news, finance, sport, and travel. The number of pages was cut in half.

• 1997
  • 6 January – Channel 4 started broadcasting 24 hours a day, which meant the end of 4-Tel on View.
  • 9 November – Pages from Ceefax was broadcast nationally on BBC1 for the last time. From the next day, overnight time was filled by BBC News 24. Pages from Ceefax was still sometimes shown on BBC One Scotland during gaps.

• 1998
  • 14 January – ITV Nightscreen started on ITV as an overnight filler. It showed news and information about ITV using teletext pages.

• 1999
  • In mid-1999, the top line of information was put back on Pages from Ceefax broadcasts.

The 2000s and 2010s: Final Years

• 2002
  • After six years, weather maps were brought back to Pages from Ceefax broadcasts.

• 2003
  • Teletext pages were no longer used for ITV Nightscreen. The information was shown in a new, different format.

• 2004
  • BBC Learning Zone had less airtime, so Pages from Ceefax was shown more often.

• 2005
  • 5 September – A Pages from Ceefax broadcast was introduced from 6am to 7am, replacing the CBeebies children's block.

• 2006
  • 22 December – The morning Ceefax broadcasts ended as the 6am CBeebies hour returned.

• 2007 to 2011
  • During this time, Pages from Ceefax was shown a lot, especially on weekends. Some broadcasts lasted up to five hours. They were shown from the end of BBC Two's BBC News 24 broadcast until children's programmes started at 6am.

• 2012
  • 22 October – At 5:59am, the very last broadcast of Pages from Ceefax ended. It had special announcements and a final screen showing different Ceefax graphics from over the years.

See also

• Timeline of teletext in the UK