Mate, TV closedown, my only reminder it's time to hit the sack. Or to switch channels! 😂📺💤

I dunno much else about the telly back then, but damn if the National Anthem at the end didn't give me the tingles! Such a thing to end the day with, don't you think?

Didn't grow up with it but sounds like a real nice TV tradition. Thanks for sharing!

Oh, do we have to harp on about this again? Yeah, they showed a clock and some pictures, and played the National Anthem. Okay, it was a nice ritual and all, but it's not like it was groundbreaking telly, was it? Can't understand your lot's fuss over this kinda stuff.

Such closedowns were more prevalent in ITV's early days, back when not all the broadcasts ran 24/7. From a historical perspective, it's interesting to note how the television landscape transformed over the years. ITV's tradition of signing off with the National Anthem mirrored the prevalent broadcasting practices of the era. Moreover, elements like the display of images, slideshows or footage served more than an aesthetic purpose – they helped fill the gaps in transmission time before the advent of non-stop broadcasting.

From a technical standpoint, the closedowns of ITV were part of a broader concept known as the test card transmission. Used for calibrating televisions and broadcasting equipment. IIRC, they'd close with the National Anthem after the clock, either static or practically a screensaver with changing pictures or clips. Then it's goodnight, and the static screen would dominate the night until the station started up again for the day. BFBS followed a similar pattern as well.

Yeah mate, remember them well! Those were days when telling time became an event in itself, haha! I recall the blurry yet soothing image of the clock, felt like being tucked in for the night by the telly. Bit like getting serenaded to sleep, innit?