Remembering Rediffusion

Rediffusion became multi-national company with over 170 branches in the UK and divisions worldwide. In 1976 the Groups Assets were £ 130,000,000 with 13,100 UK employees and 2800 overseas employees.

In the mid 1980's Rediffusion's parent company BET decided to part company with Rediffusion and the Group was subsequently broken up and sold off. The TV rental side of the business going to Granada Television and the property and existing networks going to the Maxwell Group. Other divisions were sold on to private ownership.

Little evidence remains relating to Rediffusion and it's Cable Distribution and Television Rental business. The name is now generally remembered as the ITA programme contractor which provided television programmes for the ITV network from 1955 to 1968.

I would be most pleased to hear from anyone who worked for Rediffusion at any time. What are your memories? Your branch details, dates etc.

Mike Worsey Hull
Ken Allott Hull
Terry Gillett, Ireland
Gerald D'Almada California
Jon Evans The Valve Page
Les Harrison Hull
Barney Breet Bradford
John Leach
Peter Barnard Brighton
Brian Coyne, Hants
Mike Davies Merthyr Tydfil
Alan Sansome Leicester
Les Harrison Hull
Sid Babbage, Brighton
Brian Coyne, Hants
Joe Bob Newman, Arlington TX.
Louis Haar, London
David Viner, Norwich
Ray Harby, Nottingham
William Wong, Hong Kong
Alan Haydock, Liverpool
Terry Knight, Leicester
Ken Purser. Harwich
Tony Draper, Gateshead
Michael Gibbons, Exeter
J S Thomas, Barnet
Barry Cheetham, Salford
K T Chan, Hong Kong
Steve Crisp, Hull
M H Lai, Hong Kong
John Delaney, Salford
Colin Niles, Hull

Rediffusion, originally called "Broadcast Relay Service Ltd " was formed in 1927 and started to relay radio programmes to subscribers using an existing network of urban power cables belonging to city tram operator British Electric Traction The following year, 200 subscribers in Braintree, Ramsgate and Hull were paying 3 shillings a week for the service. It soon flourished because the depression meant that most people could not afford a 'wireless set' and many houses did not even have electricity.
In 1947 British Electric Traction (BET) acquired a minority shareholding in Rediffusion and in 1967 BET became controlling shareholder with an outright purchase in 1983. ( Read More )

The name was based on re-diffusing or re-broadcasting audio signals via a wired network. This was later developed to include television relay and to be generally known as Cable Television. Rediffusion manufactured it's first television set in 1947

In 1954, Rediffusion formed the broadcasting company Associated-Rediffusion which was the first commercial television station to go on the air in 1955 from the ITV transmitters at Crystal Palace south London. The station was to be the mainstay of commercial television broadcasting for the London area through to 1968

Rediffusion set up their wired networks in many UK towns and cities during the 1940's and 1950's and carried interference-free Radio and later, Television channels from the BBC and ITV to thousands of homes. Subscribers selected their required Radio or TV channel using a Rotary selector switch conveniently located in the home adjacent to the Television Set or Radio Speaker. The white and yellow Rediffusion service vans were a very common sight in most cities around the UK.

Tony Weston, London
George Smith, Co Durham
John Brigstock Leicester
Brian Philipps Brighton
Stephen Wolstenholme Rochdale
Roger Hine Wales
Judy Adkins Hull
Jonathon Watts Nottingham
Jim Gregory Malta
Rohit Patel Leicester
Michael Densham Leicester
Bernard Hammond Hong Kong
David Murphy Brough
Sylvain Mercier Montreal
Raymond Allcorn Thanet
John Delaney Manchester
Charles Moreira Malaya
Andrew Wesley Canterbury
Greg Erwood Cheam
Shash Chohan Leicester
Tony Jackson Hastings
Stan Ainsworth Hastings
Bill Waterhouse Canada

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Rediffusion Montreal,   The History of Rediffusion Inc. Montreal Canada.  North America's first cable TV.

Pioneers of Relay   Frank H Austen MBE

Rediffusion Leicester   Pictures of Staff and Offices

Rediffusion Malta   A Look Back at Broadcasting in Malta incuding memories by Jim Gregory

Central Rediffusion Services Coombe Lane.    Development of the Wired Vision System including System 8 by Cyril Hunt CEng MIET

Rediffusion Video Leasing Inc.   Boston USA
The Conquest of America

Poulton Training School Remembering The Manor.

Rediffusion North East   Brian Coyne shares his memories of Tyneside branch

RTV Hong Kong   KT Chan provides some great pictures of Rediffusion HK