Idents in schools

[deejay]

I feel suddenly very old. Picture the scene (if you can). A freezing cold village school classroom (which doubled up as the hall, dining room, well everything really) in winter 1979. I see the Head push in what looked like a cupboard high up on a wheeled trolley. Two wooden doors were opened, from which rose a black metal shade, neatly folded inside. The doors opened to an angle as the shade became horizontal. Clips held the whole thing together. Inside was revealed I should think a 21” grey TV Screen. It was plugged into the mains and the solitary TV aerial socket, switched on and left to warm up while we chatted and were repeatedly told to “shush” by the teacher.


Music filled the classroom - something vaguely jazzy, but nothing we knew. There was nothing on the screen for several minutes. Eventually the screen began to brighten and we could make out the following black and white image:


And later:


And then we had to become silent for You and Me, Music Time, or Watch.

Certain memories, 40 years on, remain so clear, even if, at times, the picture on those extraordinary school television sets weren’t.