Ceefax – bringing rugger news to Orcney in 1972

What an amazing find! Someone called Diteli Media – Film & Video posted these images on Facebook, saying:

These stills are probably from the earliest known recordings of Ceefax pages anywhere in the world. I found these on an open reel Shibaden video tape and as far as I can ascertain, going from the Sheffield United V Charlton football match, date from 23rd October 1972.

If genuine – and no reason to suggest it’s not – then Ceefax was testing at least 2 years before it officially launched. I find stuff like this fascinating – and it’s mindblowing to think that it’s over 50 years old, too. But Orcney? Soccer? RUGGER?

Tuesday 9 May 2023, 10078 views