Grandstand Vidiprinter Footage

BBC’s Grandstand was a sports programme that aired on Saturdays and provided football fans from across the country with the latest scores running across the screen.

In the 80s when the technology, called a vidiprinter, became popular, I remember watching the flashing cursor scroll across the screen hoping and wishing that a favorable score was listed for my team. The technology in those days was cutting edge. Now it seems quite hokey in comparison.

I haven’t been able to track down any original footage, but I did find this impersonation of Grandstand host Des Lynam and the vidiprinter. Enjoy.

About The Gaffer

Founder and publisher of EPL Talk, The Gaffer (aka Christopher Harris) is a journalist who has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications as well as on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT. Harris, who lives in Florida, has supported Swansea City since 1979. Harris launched EPL Talk in 2005. View all posts by The Gaffer →
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3 Responses to Grandstand Vidiprinter Footage

  1. Anonymous says:

    What about Teletext, is that still going?

  2. The Gaffer says:

    Ceefax is still alive and kicking. You can even run a Ceefax widget on your Mac from http://www.gingerbeardman.com/ceefaxviewer/

    Or you can learn more about Ceefax at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceefax

    I’ll have to write a blog post in the future on what Ceefax was and how useful it was for me and other football fans.

    Cheers,
    The Gaffer

  3. Chris O says:

    How fabulous! This takes me back, Gaffer! Rory Bremner did that wonderful mickey-take which I still remember even now… classic footage!

    :-)

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