TV Early Days: The History of British Commercial Television and Its Pioneers

TV Early Days: The History of British Commercial Television and Its Pioneers

Updated 29th September 2026

One of the defining influences of life in the twentieth century is the rise and influence of radio, television, and cinema. To understand the history of British commercial television, we must first look at where popular visual entertainment began: in the crowded picture palaces and music halls of the early 1900s.

While music halls originally provided public entertainment, film made its grand entrance in October 1894 with the Edison Kinetoscope in London. By 1896, short films were projected onto white walls as part of music hall programmes, traveling fairgrounds, and East End Mission halls. This was affordable entertainment open to all comers, offering a warm refuge and an escape from daily hardship.

A massive construction boom followed as film-going became an ingrained habit. Between 1906 and 1914, over a thousand cinematographic theatres were operating across the UK. Often called the "poor man's theatre," these picture palaces set the foundation for mass media consumption.

Behind this cultural shift were visionary media moguls whose journey through early cinema directly shaped the history of British commercial television.

Sidney Bernstein: From Picture Palaces to Granada Television

Into the cinema arena stepped Sidney Bernstein. Born in Essex in 1899, Bernstein inherited his father's property empire at just 15 years old. Alongside his brother Cecil, he created a thriving circuit of sixty cinemas and built a leisure enterprise that eventually included a lucrative TV rental business.

As co-founder of the London Film Society, Bernstein befriended Alfred Hitchcock and brought revolutionary Russian films to Great Britain, demonstrating the power of visual media to cross cultural barriers and educate the public. During the 1930s, he aided anti-Nazi filmmakers escaping Germany and lobbied Hollywood to support the anti-fascist cause. During World War II, Bernstein worked with the Ministry of Information, producing morale-boosting films like Mrs Miniver (1942) and documenting the liberation of concentration camps in Night Will Fall.

As the war ended, Bernstein lobbied the UK government for the right to produce and show television programmes to theatre audiences. His efforts culminated around a major turning point in the history of British commercial television: the Television Act of 1954.

This landmark legislation paved the way for independent broadcasting in the UK, breaking the BBC's long-standing monopoly. Bernstein established Granada Television—naming it after a holiday he had enjoyed in Spain—which quickly became one of the most iconic independent TV franchises in Britain, famed for groundbreaking journalism (World in Action) and world-class drama.

The Birth of ITV and the Regional Franchise Model

The introduction of the Television Act of 1954 ushered in a brand-new, advertising-driven broadcasting system overseen by the Independent Television Authority (ITA).

To ensure regional representation, the UK was divided into regional broadcasting franchises. Regional television companies provided local news, documentaries, and entertainment while selling advertising space to fund their operations.

The initial "Big Four" regional ITV companies were:

• Associated-Rediffusion: London weekday programming
• ATV (Associated Television): Midlands weekdays & London weekends
• Granada Television: North of England weekdays
• ABC Television: North of England & Midlands weekends

This decentralised system unleashed an explosion of creative talent, spark-plugging a social revolution. Watching TV became a shared experience, creating a national dialogue as audiences discussed the latest dramas and news reports in homes and pubs across the country.

Lew Grade: The Showman Who Built ITC and ATV

Another titan in the history of British commercial television was Lew Grade. Born Lovat Winogradsky near Odessa in 1906, his family fled anti-Semitic persecution in Russia, arriving at London's Tilbury Docks in 1912. Raised in Brick Lane in the East End, Grade possessed a brilliant photographic memory and sharp business acumen.

Grade first made a name for himself as the World Charleston Champion in 1926 before transitioning into talent management. Alongside Joe Collins (father of Joan Collins) and later his brothers Leslie and Bernard Delfont, Grade built one of the premier theatrical agencies in Britain, booking major American stars like Abbott and Costello, Judy Garland, and Dorothy Lamour.

When the UK government granted commercial television licenses in 1954, Grade seized the opportunity. He helped assemble the capital and leadership behind the Independent Television Corporation (ITC).

“he had no interest in the creative side of things and left it to those who were expert in such matters. He was more interested in the business end……and the rough and tumble of deal making” 

Although regulators initially feared Grade would create a monopoly, he turned the challenge into an advantage by producing hit TV shows and supplying them to broadcasters nationwide. Under Grade’s leadership, ATV and ITC produced some of the most internationally successful British series of all time, including:

Though a healthy rivalry existed between Sidney Bernstein and Lew Grade, both figures were foundational to the evolution of UK broadcasting. Sidney Bernstein (Baron Bernstein, d. 1993) and Lord Lew Grade (d. 1998) oversaw the massive mid-century transition from vaudeville and picture palaces to mass television entertainment.

Their pioneering work during the formative years of independent television democratised UK broadcasting, laid the groundwork for modern commercial media, and shaped British popular culture for generations to come.

Further information is available here

Granada Land Archives: www.granadaland.org

Lew Grade's Autobiography: Still Dancing: My Story by Lew Grade Available on Amazon

Copyright HT @LLS