Channel 4 closedown | Tuesday 1 April 1986

From the archives of www.transdiffus...
It's the early hours of 1 April... or should that be 11 April? Channel 4 explains after a nice advertless interval.

[@RegularCapital]

The Channel 4 of the 80's broke all the rules because they made the rules, they couldn't do this sort of joke on BBC or ITV.

[@sillygoose635]

Um, they definitely could do this joke on the bbc or itv.

[@MrThecarebear]

@@sillygoose635 BBC and ITV have enough jokes of their own these days - Gary Lineker and Ant & Dec.

[@sillygoose635]

@@MrThecarebear No.

[@Cheeseburgerandfries2006]

@@MrThecarebear who you calling ant & Dec a joke

[@RavenWitchShade]

Well that's certainly one of the cleverest April Fools jokes I've ever seen.

[@seanwilkinson3975]

I usually pride myself with never getting fooled on April 1st, but this got me. Great job by Channel 4. Also, why is it that I have this weird fascination (and even a longing for) station breaks, broadcast start-up/shut-down, "please stand by", TV clocks, etc.? It's all very strange, even for a childhood television addict like me. Vague comforting songs, images, and such...

[@127dot0dot0dot1]

Sean Wilkinson Its just something we dont see anymore. Either its just a cut to black, or infomercials. There's no class in Television presentation anymore, no pomp, no ceremony....

[@liammustapha6643]

You are not alone! I like the ITV start ups the best! (TV-am in particular)

[@davidsanderson5918]

No it's not because it doesn't happen now and it evokes some kind of sentimentality. It used to have be oddly 'comforting' even then. My feeling, if I try and transport myself back, was that it felt like I was the only one watching. It was abandoned, low--key and off-peak.....the direct opposite of peak viewing......"trough viewing?" I mean.....Who else would be looking at a static image on a screen and listening to some library music for the umpteenth time? Clearly I wasn't the only one.

[@liammustapha6643]

I love how the second digit falls off showing it was an April Fools joke! xD

[@saraflint2982]

Scary music at 2:39, though, after that long silence. Kind of like, "In your face!"

[@beavermuffin]

@@saraflint2982 but that’s Fourscore, the Channel 4 theme.

[@saraflint2982]

@@beavermuffin It is, but it's perfectly fitting for a joke like this!

[@andyhartley]

Just in case you were wondering. The reason there was an advert break with no adverts is because in the early days of Channel 4 the individual ITV regions were responsible for selling (and broadcasting) the adverts. If that region couldn't sell the space (which, outside of London, was a common occurrence, especially since large areas of many regions didn't even have Channel 4 being broadcast) then there were no adverts, and Channel 4 filled the space with a "follows shortly" caption, which looks very odd stuck in the middle of Countdown!

[@ClydebridgeStation]

Although, in this case, the interval was probably part of the joke!

[@onyxkxrux]

love the way he holds back a small laugh at 2:17

[@resonance_mk1]

i love how that 1 fell like: "HA YOU THOUGHT LOL ITS APREL FOOEL"

[@saraflint2982]

It's been 36 years today since this awesome "calendar change" stunt was pulled.

[@thearchive02]

LOL! at 2:34. I thought it was 11th April?. It's not!.

[@arthurvasey]

What with the musical interlude instead of an ad break, it looks like a cwilliams1976 video!

[@Vintangus]

At that time, ITV companies inserted their own adverts into Channel 4, if your region had no adverts to show you got this. When Channel 4 started there was a dispute about actors fees in adverts which meant a severe lack of adverts and this sort of break was common. This particular "break" may have been part of the joke though.

[@kargaroc386]

0:25 Almost exactly how a continuity announcement would go down on american public television right there. Except there might be a station ID with call sign in the corner somewhere but that's the only difference I can think of.

[@imrustyokay]

This must've been how people in September of 1752 in the UK must've felt, lmao

[@rogerdarthwell5393]

35 years ago today!

[@CaptainSiCo]

He almost had me fooled there!

[@robertianhawdon]

I love how they drop the second 1 just so the remainder of the nation realise the joke.

[@LeonardStarbuck-pw6wm]

The April Fool joke is great best one since the left handed Mars bar I saw in the papers!!!!!!

[@97channel]

I was very confused by that. I was starting to think that I might actually be a bit younger than I'd always believed. Then... *penny drops*

[@electrogeek77]

That was beautifully executed.

[@mango4606]

Well done, Channel 4.

[@twocvbloke]

Even today it's making everyone look like a bunch of april fools... :P

[@mondegreen9709]

2:34 Just in case you didn't get it... 😋

[@Griffwad1983]

Superb!!

[@digitalramyun]

Ah, they don't play continuity jokes like that any more... Nice to see a C4 interlude slide from this period - I remember them well, and am pretty sure that they were occasionally animated ("cycling" patterns, mostly). Do you happen to have any of these, or is my memory going (!)?

[@Werten25]

This was an April Fools joke! XD

[@svillex9997]

Well done 👏👏👏

[@RobinCarmody]

Indeed, 1986 it is.

[@tellydav]

Just brilliant.

[@parasatc8183]

Stay awake until closedown?

[@jameslivingston9801]

I suppose the idea of an 'important' announcement back in the days of the cold war would have kept every single viewer awake at the point of closedown!

[@Moviesxp]

2:33 I THOUGHT YOU SAID APRIL FOLLS

[@GeoNeilUK]

lol at the people getting fooled 25 years down the line

[@barringtonpennycooke335]

Talk about confusion

[@Identificational236]

Okay, how on earth can the date be changed like that? Please explain.

[@Alfieee434]

Was this an April Fool's Joke?

[@ThisIsARubbishName]

I have a belief that if I was up at that hour (I couldn't have, I wasn't even born!) I'd actually would have poo'd my pants when that 1 dropped. It was a bit too fast. And it didn't move across, which is also why it scared me now. I wish that the kids channel over here (ABC3) would have done something like this, because our other channels are too stuffy.

[@nicolerichwine5767]

Huh, by US stereotypes about Britain and Australia, I'd would have expected the opposite!

[@ThisIsARubbishName]

Nicole Richwine really? jeez, we're not that bad!

[@nicolerichwine5767]

ThisIsARubbishName I was thinking of Australia having all the fun April Fool's Jokes and Britain being 2stuffy4u. Sorry for any misunderstandings.

[@ThisIsARubbishName]

It all depends on what station. ABC2 would do something, ABC3 would attempt to do something, but everyone else BUT SBS 2 wouldn't do a thing. Very much, #6stuffy9me. Oops.

[@nicolerichwine5767]

ThisIsARubbishName American TV may do something, but sometimes it's just swapping hosts for the day (slightly trite.) Cable/satellite networks are usually more adventurous.

[@FantasticMrFox19]

so what actually happened did Britain lose 10 days or something

[@KameronH14]

Before: April 11 After: April 1

[@solojinglesradio1]

captain obvious

[@transdiffusion]

1986, most likely.

[@sillygoose635]

You know what, let's just give Channel 4 the W for the brilliant April Fools joke.

[@NerdTV512]

Announcers: oops

[@Identificational236]

Oh dear this is an April Fool's joke!!!

[@mariahbenetatos]

oh my god

[@Onmysheet]

The music @ 0:40 is some creepy shit.

[@matthall3077]

2:33 PSYCH!

[@alexhillery4457]

no its 1364

[@mango4606]

Have you read the title by any chance?

[@MCboy7594]

Was that a joke?

[@transdiffusion]

You tell us.

[@MCboy7594]

Oh now i know. Its april

[@svillex9997]

+MCboy7594 wow you should go to university

[@MrSean64]

Why did they do that joke?

[@transdiffusion]

It was April Fools Day.

[@MrSean64]

Transdiffusion Broadcasting System They should have said April Fool's.

[@imrustyokay]

Sean Patchen Well, the second 1 did fall off.

[@MarlonBitoy]

April fool's day!

[@Channel-kx1mz]

The ultimate troll!!

[@itme999]

Ha, that was funny. :)

[@lukestanbridge9750]

Ha ha ha! Well done c4!

[@scottsbox669]

April fools, lol