Channel 4 News’ first ever transmission from 1982

This is Channel 4 News’ first ever programme which aired on November 2nd 1982, anchored by Peter Sissons who died today aged 77. (Subscribe: bit.ly/C4_News...)
On the agenda are the Falklands and the American midterms featuring President Ronald Reagan.
The programme also features a young Trevor McDonald, in a broadcast so old it predates Jon Snow!
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[@hazzaknox1069]

That is the most 80s british news bulletin I have ever seen. Thatcher with public spending, Thatcher with the falklands, thatcher with the pit controversy

[@ajs41]

Well she was prime minister.

[@montecristo1769]

Thanks for posting this. Wallowing in nostalgia always feels good.

[@forfengeligfaen]

RIP Peter Sissons

[@JacStudios642]

This will go out in history, the first news broadcast is almost 40 years old 🎉🎉🎉

[@ZarrahDoesVoices1444]

you mean it's ALREADY 40 years old

[@forfengeligfaen]

8:53 Why did you cut the ads? Would have been really interesting to see adverts on Channel 4 from 1982.

[@flatoutflatbroke]

There actually weren't that many ads initially due to a dispute with the actor's union Equity, so it was often just a holding slide with few or no ads (depending on the region as the advertising was at the time sold by the ITV franchises). Something similar happened when TV-AM launched in 1983.

[@stickytapenrust6869]

This was recorded by Channel Four from the output of their presentation mixing desk, there wouldn't have been any adverts to record, as the C4 adverts were inserted by local ITV regions before 1993.

[@forfengeligfaen]

@@stickytapenrust6869 interesting

[@pljms]

He stated in his excellent autobiography that sitting there without a desk and with his papers sat precariously on his lap never felt comfortable. He also states that the early viewing figures for the Channel 4 news were very disheartening. Virtually no one was watching!

[@johnking5174]

No wonder since 7pm slot was used very well by ITV, for example in December 1982 the 7pm hour would have This Is Your Life, Coronation St, Whose Baby, Only When I Laugh and Play Your Cards Right, whilst BBC 1 had a movie, Tomorrow's World, Top of the Pops, a repeat of To the Manor Born, Angels and Ask the Family - all big family ratings hitters

[@honved1]

Not like a conservative government to make cuts to public services.

[@englishsteve1465]

@Andy M - Couldn't agree with your sentiment more. Thatcher and Reagan was the start, when they realised that if you gave stupid people a scapegoat and dressed it up in stirring nationalistic language, they'd happily vote against their own best interests. Striking miners and Harry Enfields "loadsamoney" eh and it's still working.

[@honved1]

@@saxglend9439 Ah yes, the WORLDWIDE financial crisis caused by the labour of great britain.

[@honved1]

@@saxglend9439 labour alone caused the IMF crisis did they?

[@WorldNews92]

Not like America to screw us over in the UN. Weird.

[@williamlong7188]

A true gem thank you for posting this. Glad that the delivery of news has got better over time and evolved into a programme of trustworthy news on mainstream media. Sorry to see Jon Snow go but it’s got a great news team of journalists behind it.

[@dimwit3006]

They are great now. Their cover of Ukraine has been bar none. Let's hope they keep it up after privatisation!

[@leepenfold]

Peter Sissons was at Channel 4 News 1982-1989 then Jon Snow came from ITV to take over as Presenter in 1989

[@rajnirvan3336]

In 1989 Peter was poached by BBC

[@dvidclapperton]

Leonard Parkin moved from the ITN News At 545 bulletin to replace Peter Sissons on the ITN News at One over on ITV.

[@rajnirvan3336]

Peter Sissons was my favourite newspaper. 1st watched him on News At One whenever I used to come home for lunch

[@eightiesmusic1984]

He looks more like a human than newspaper.

[@BossySwan]

Trevor McDonald - what a legend

[@MediaCentUK]

Paul Coia was the announcer there

[@dannymurphy1779]

These guys can be very proud of their output.

[@englishsteve1465]

"Mrs Thatcher plans her biggest ever public services spending squeeze" They didn't call it "austerity" back then but it meant the same thing. "Scargills allegations of pit closures put coal board on the defensive" - not long after this miners would go on strike to try to protect their jobs. They didn't know that the Conservative govt had been stockpiling Brazillian coal for two years in order to break the strike and when the miners finally fell, the govt would embark on a series of anti trade union policy that would ensure that unions lost almost all their power and so ordinary working people had no means to fight for better wages and conditions and they still don't. But bankers bonus payments continue to climb every year.

[@russellnewton6660]

english steve the problem with your analogy is it’s all true 👍

[@paulsawtell3991]

Keep repeating all that and you will come to believe it. Mrs T won the GE precisely because people were finally fed up with being held to ransom by trade unions' fed up seeing their spending power evaporate and their savings dwindle in value because of the high rates on inflation caused by trade union demands. Fed up having their power switched off; fed up seeing factories close due to union greed. And of course the Winter of Discontent sealed their fate.

[@misterpeachy2213]

Only watched 2 minutes of this video and things have changed so much over the years

[@MikeL-7]

Mister Peachy Except that people are still stupid enough to vote the Tories. Apart from that, yeah so much has changed.

[@misterpeachy2213]

B Mike78 It’s changed for the better and for the worse 👍🏻

[@jerryjones9799]

The 'good old days' when we all 'trusted' the NEWS to at least be objective!

[@jerryjones9799]

@@johnmulligan455 Yeah - but back then we all thought it was!

[@ajs41]

@@johnmulligan455 It was pretty close to being objective in my opinion, compared to today.

[@ajs41]

@@jerryjones9799 It was as close to being objective as you could get in the real world.

[@sillygoose635]

you're all wrong, and you can still trust today's news, as always, the truth, not matter how subjective or objective it is, has to prevail.

[@Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

Remember watching Walter as an 11 year old kid, scared me for life lol

[@sikenah103]

I'm sick and tired of the ben sharpio adds on youtube the amount of videos I've decided not to watch on youtube because I cant stand seeing him.or hearing him even for 10 secs is starting to rack up

[@elliotsodergren2270]

He has such an obnoxious voice

[@WillScarlet1991]

Watch just one. And that 'one' being when Andrew Neil takes him apart 😁😁

[@snowstrobe]

Get ad blockers

[@sillygoose635]

@@WillScarlet1991 haha yes

[@sillygoose635]

@@elliotsodergren2270 it's insufferable.

[@LogoMan7777]

0:51 - What's with the VHS noise, Channel Four? I would have thought you'd have a master copy. You're looking like a fan account.

[@felixprescod4105]

is there an archive of these hiding somewhere?

[@alfiejmulcahy]

ITN

[@sillygoose635]

@@alfiejmulcahy definitely itn.

[@Lettersfromhome18]

37 years ago today (2 November 2019).

[@theskywalker75]

Was this on s4c?

[@antster1983]

No, S4C had a Welsh language news programme produced by BBC Cymru on at that time, _Newyddion Saith._

[@johnking5174]

ITN had only two studios in 1982 - Studio 1 at 2,000 Sq Ft had a permanent News at Ten set and was also used by the other ITV bulletins - did Channel 4 also use this studio? As the only other studio was the 750 Sq Ft smaller Studio 2, which I would have thought would have been too small for the one hour news?

[@TheGerkuman]

I guess the iconic theme came later.

[@TheGerkuman]

@Robert Cunningham and was also used in the trailer for the Clint Eastwood film 'Pale Rider, for some reason'

[@cameronyoungcg9270]

Very end of 1982 as a big relaunch of the programme because basically no one watched it.

[@ajs41]

Only about 6 months later I think.

[@andyscott6315]

off air recording. me thinks wiped?

[@jacksugden8190]

Theme tune was like something from The Benny Hill Show.

[@johnking5174]

How long was it before they started to use "Best Endeavours" theme tune, which has remained to this day?

[@johnking5174]

I wonder if you could help with this? ITN had only two studios in 1982 - Studio 1 at 2,000 Sq Ft had a permanent News at Ten set and was also used by the other ITV bulletins - did Channel 4 also use this studio? As the only other studio was the 750 Sq Ft smaller Studio 2, which I would have thought would have been too small for the one hour news?

[@ajs41]

@@johnking5174 It was only about 6 months later when they switched to Best Endeavours.

[@rhysholdaway]

I can just imagine Ronald Reagan screaming fake news!

[@Scalihoo]

Because the press treated the industry with dignity , fact checked & weren't in cahoots with the left to the degree they are today..

[@rhysholdaway]

@@Scalihoo 😂

[@sillygoose635]

@@Scalihoo they still do, trump didn't. your press was always in cahoots with the right to every degree then and now.

[@rustledjammies8769]

This is Sarah Hogg, as in "Sarah Hogg, Viscountess Hailsham". She was dropped because her voice was apparently too weird, lol.

[@TheEuroboss]

0:54 "shite ms thatcher" True

[@hamzahassan2066]

48:29 48:45

[@Silkroads733]

Yes you know why I’m here today.........

[@ahmeddhagahofficial9034]

26th October 1982

[@MrJonno85]

"Black mob in fire rampage" 5:02 - a headline unthinkable even by the end of that decade.

[@Bilobatron]

It was The Sun!

[@FranzSanchez-ky9up]

Through an actor? It's only the great Burgess Meredith!

[@snowstrobe]

Trevor was already going grey!

[@numcadam405]

third - this transmission is p much the same as today news wise.. no, worse..

[@alingard1]

make britain great again like 1982!!

[@maxinemckenzie5765]

Truthful reporting, not left wing bias. Pioneering stuff early Ch.4.

[@sillygoose635]

nope, still is, also there isn't any left wing bias in anything.

[@inny74]

@@sillygoose635 Wrong. Theres a bias for every side.

[@RobbieDee]

Second

[@ether_lana3921]

yeah.... your wife said I was the first

[@jayman7752]

Third

[@threestarsandasun04]

NINETEEN NINETY FOUR 1994

[@MoebiusUK]

R.I.P Peter Sissons

[@sadmhusn]

R.I.P Peter Sissons