1975: First live broadcast of Parliament
The first live transmission from the House of Commons has been broadcast by BBC Radio and commercial stations.
Commentary was provided by BBC political editor David Holmes and Edmund Boyle, from Independent Radio News, who shared a cramped, sound-proofed box inside the chamber.
Secretary of State for Industry Tony Benn was the first minister to be questioned in Parliament live on air, starting a debate which some listeners said was difficult to follow on radio.
But the BBC and IRN said it was pleased with the first daily Question Time broadcast of this four-week experiment.
Mr Holmes and Mr Boyle - who both said they hoped their uncomfortable booth would be upgraded if the trial became permanent - attempted to provide background details of the proceedings. But they admitted this was sometimes difficult with the speed of the debates and Commons' traditions like referring to other MPs as "honourable gentleman", rather than their name.
BBC boss Peter Hardiman Scott said it would be arrogant to expect MPs to alter their procedure for the sake of the broadcast, but said he would not be surprised if subtle changes were made in time.
"One might get shorter speeches, or speeches rather to the point - only the diehards would suggest that these would be changes for the worst," he said.
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