The best BBC News reports

Actually, the BBC gave it rolling coverage and it was the top news story on the national news that day. Michael Buerk presented the BBC programme covering the event. See http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/news/eclipse1999.html

Lots of things are top news on a certain day. That doesn't make them important news events. I can't even remember it happening.

That doesn't mean the coverage was one of the 'best' things that BBC News has done. A big story on the day butit was fairly average coverage of an event. Plus it was all a bit of a cock up as it was cloudy almost everywhere on the line of totality in the UK

Yes. We went to France to see it predicting a better chance of clear skies than Cornwall. Wrong !!

In fact, judging by the photos on display on the cross channel ferry coming back, that had been the best place to view the event from

I was in Cornwall.... watching the eclipse on a big screen, the pictures coming from a plane somewhere above us!

The Six O'Clock News on Tuesday 23 October 1984. I was only 6 at the time but I remember it as clear.

and

The Suez Crisis
The Aberfan Disaster
Kennedy's Assassination

Oh yes! Completely forgot about JFK assassination!

Aren't we now just listing historical events - rather than particularly memorable news reports? I don't remember seeing any of the BBC footage from these stories. Did the BBC even do proper new bulletins when the Suez Crisis happened for instance? Wasn't the news on the Beeb just a man in a dinner jacket talking over some stills?

As a youngster, I vaguely recall what seemed to be days of endless live coverage of the siege at the Iranian Embassy in London, where the SAS swung into action, as well as the events outside the Libyan Embassy, which surrounded the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

Those types of breaking news outside broadcasts are obviously commonplace nowadays and we take it very much for granted that an anchor or reporter would be on the scene talking to someone back in the studio.

But, I guess back in 1980 and 1981, the logistics involved would be far more complicated given the technology of the day. Yet, I remember it being exactly the same as it is today, only minus all the onscreen clutter and whooshes. Clean screen, voice of a reporter at the scene (telephone, perhaps) and the newsreader back in the studio asking the questions.

IIRC, it was Jan Leeming who was in the studio for the Iranian/SAS story, and it was Kate Adie who was at the scene for one or both of the events listed above.

It was around this time that my fascination for tv news started to build. Also IIRC, I don't think ITN quite had the same live coverage. (the days before remote controls, where channel hopping wasn't quite as common as it is today.......seriously.)