The Twelfth: Sixty years ago BBC Northern Ireland’s first live outside broadcast was of the parade

The Twelfth demonstration in 1960 was the occasion of BBC Northern Ireland’s first outside live coverage.

It constituted ‘the most ambitious television coverage of the Orange demonstration that [had] ever been attempted by the BBC’.

In his evocative memoir of growing up on Belfast’s Donegall Road entitled No Surrender, first published in 1960, Robert Harbinson observed that ‘the greatest spectacular event of the Ulster year took place on the Twelfth of July’.

The Twelfth was, therefore, a very appropriate occasion for BBC Northern Ireland’s first outside live coverage.

A journalist noted that local television made ‘a major advance’ on July 12 1960 and that it was fitting that the date should be one which could ‘be remembered so easily’.

The BBC’s new outside broadcast unit’s television coverage of the Twelfth began at 11.45 am and was scheduled to last an hour. The principal commentary was provided by Jimmy Hughes, assisted by Diana Hyde and Michael Baguley.

The programme was produced by Innes Lloyd of the BBC’s London staff and Robert Coulter. Coverage alternated between Bedford Street and the demonstration field at Finaghy.

TV viewers saw the first lodges entering the demonstration field at Finaghy during a shower, while at the same time the procession was seen to be bathed in bright sunshine in Bedford Street.

The programme contained pre-recorded bonfire scenes on the ‘Eleventh’ night and glimpses of early morning preparations for the ‘Twelfth’.

The Northern Ireland television news at 6pm had more ‘Twelfth’ scenes, including the demonstration at Comber. Later in the evening there was a 15-minute television programme with filmed reports from two other provincial demonstrations.

On BBC radio there was a 20-minute ‘Twelfth’ programme starting at 1.15pm.

The BBC’s new outside broadcast unit consisted of eight new vehicles and equipment costing £50,000.

Within a year the BBC hoped to invest £130,000 (including a video-tape recorder at the cost of £30,000) in the new unit, ‘enough (according to one commentator) to launch a fair-sized industry’.

The BBC proudly gave the press a preview of the new vehicles and equipment on July 6.

Live outside broadcasts were initially confined to an area within a 12 to 15 mile-radius of Belfast but within a year the BBC hoped to extend the range of its live outside broadcasts to a 50 to 60 mile-radius of Belfast.

Henry McMullan, head of programmes, expressed the hope that there would be at least one live outside broadcast, if not more, per week during the course of 1960-61 and these would include sporting events, religious services and special occasions in Northern Ireland.

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