Today marks 75 years since the first regular high definition (as in 405 line) television service began broadcasting from the BBC studios at Alexandra Palace in North London.

The BBC’s Nick Higham has posted two videos about the anniversary: BBC celebrates 75 years of TV and Behind the scenes at Alexandra Palace, the cradle of television.

There is also anniversary coverage on:

• The BBC Story site
• The About the BBC Blog
• Ariel
• BBC News: the story of the competing Marconi-EMI and Baird systems in 1936

(Test Card C illustration from the Test Card Circle.)

I went to the annual BECTU London Freelances’ Fair 2011 on Friday 17 June 2011 at Savoy Place.

In the morning I went to The Freelance Toolkit Workshop – an extremely informative and useful session run by David Thomas.

After a peruse around the fair exhibition area (pictured), I participated in two seminars in the afternoon: the first on using DSLR cameras to make film and television programmes (not convinced, to say the least!) and the second on pitching programme ideas (a sort of role playing exercise – very interesting).

This year saw a significant increase in attendence compared to last year – many thanks to BECTU’s Writers Producers and Directors Branch for organising the event and to the sponsors for their support.

I attended this year’s BECTU Annual Conference in Eastbourne on the weekend of 4-5 June 2011.

Fast Train, sponsored by Skillset and hosted by the BBC Academy, held on Wednesday 18 May 2011 at White City, was great.

Pictured is Jon Plowman, who gave a fantastic keynote speech.

Let’s hope this is the first of a regular series of similar training events.

I’ve just launched the BECTU May 2011 London Production Division social networking evening site.

I put together this simple one page site in less than a day – made possible by the flexibility and efficiency of WordPress.

This weekend the new Orange Coconut blog was launched.

I built the multi-author blog, using WordPress, to allow company team members to report on projects in which they are involved.

When blog posts are published, a link to the post is automatically sent to the Orange Coconut Twitter account.

Yesterday a new area was launched on the Orange Coconut site: videotape recycling.

I’ve designed and developed this area to support Orange Coconut’s established low carbon broadcast videotape recycling service.

The current area will be expanded over the coming days and months with additonal pages to provide more details and facilties.

I’ve been rewatching the updated, contemporary, witty, knowing, intricate, stylish, brilliant, modern, reinvented, exciting, fun, imaginative, enjoyable, excellent, fantastic, brilliant, intriguing, wonderful, gripping, thrilling, entertaining, engaging, clever, gripping BBC series of Sherlock.

Definitely one of the best television series of 2010.

I’ve just caught up with the first two episodes of The Trip on iPlayer, and it’s very good indeed.

Bringing together Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, along with director Michael Winterbottom, it reunites the trio involved in A Cock And Bull Story and 24 Hour Party People – both great films.

The Trip – highly recommended.