Switch on BBC World Service television and there is a good chance there will be a female news presenter. Among the more familiar faces these days are Lucy Hockings, Sally Bundock, Philippa Thomas and Karin Giannone. I'm always amazed how calm and relaxed they look in what must be such a stressful job.
Even more remarkable is how they manage to avoid appearing totally bored while reading out mind-numbing reports on Brexit, UK elections, the real meaning of "quid pro quo" and whether people sweat or not.
Women have presented the BBC news for many decades now, but it wasn't always this way. In fact 60 years ago female news presenters in Britain were actually frowned upon. This brings us to a lady called Nan Winton, who died earlier this year at the age of 93. The name will not mean anything to most people, but Winton became the first-ever BBC television female news presenter in 1960.
Sadly she didn't last very long in her job, but not through any shortcomings of her own. It was simply because she was a woman.
In what they called an "experiment", the BBC appointed Winton to read evening and weekend news bulletins and she was quickly dubbed "Newsgirl Nan" by the newspapers. But she was abruptly taken off after only seven bulletins, with the BBC claiming viewers did not like a woman reading the news. She was told women were "too frivolous to be the bearer of grave news".
It was an astonishing attitude and no wonder she remarked: "There were times when I was doing the announcing when I wanted to cry aloud like Shylock, 'Hath not woman eyes, ears, sense?' "
Rippon revolution
Winton said later she had no negative feedback from the newspapers or the public, only the dinosaurs at the BBC. Not surprisingly she moved to rival television network ITV in 1961 and went on to enjoy a successful career. On her departure from the BBC she commented, "In Italy they have women newsreaders who are beautiful and sexy too. We're afraid of that here."
Among Winton's fellow news presenters at the BBC in those days were Michael Aspel, Judith Chalmers and Kenneth Kendall, all household names to any Brits who lived through the 1960s. It wasn't until 1975 that Angela Rippon became the first regular female reader of the nightly news bulletins on the BBC and very popular she was too.
The first television newsreader for the BBC was Richard Baker who began in 1954 and continued until 1982, becoming a familiar face. Even in his old age, he would collect all the daily newspapers at his retirement home and read aloud a 6pm news bulletin in the lounge to his fellow residents, just as if he was on television.
The potter's wheel
I grew up when the BBC was still finding its feet in the 1950s. From what I can recall we were often faced with a blank screen and the message, "Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible." This later graduated to "there is a fault _ please do not adjust your set."
Sometimes, when there was a breakdown of a longer nature, there would be an "interlude" featuring things like babbling brooks and a potter's wheel, while another featured windmills accompanied by soothing music. Sometimes they would show London to Brighton in Four Minutes, a speeded up film of the rail journey, belting along at the equivalent of 765mph.
In those days the BBC would close down about 11pm, so when the late night announcer was signing off they always ended with a rather annoying reminder, "Don't forget to switch off your set."
Good old days
In many ways Thai television doesn't seem to have changed all that much since I first arrived five decades ago. The soaps may be a bit more sophisticated these days, but they still seem to invariably end up with a lot of screaming, shouting and blubbering.
Then there are the game shows -- which I must admit I even hated in England, let alone the Thai versions.
Still, if viewers really want to waste their time watching "celebrities" doing really silly things, then the best of luck to them.
One area in which Thai television has improved considerably is in its news presentation. In the 1970s the local TV news was frankly quite awful, consisting mainly of less-than-inspiring shots of third grade officials trying not to nod off at tedious seminars while somebody important droned on about the latest tapioca prices or something else equally gripping.
Alternatively you could watch generals or other big-wigs awarding one another medals to the accompaniment of jaunty brass bands. You got the feeling that possibly more important things might have been going on in the world.
In those pre-cable TV days in Thailand, foreign news already had cobwebs on it by the time it arrived on our screens.
Fair deal
Just a reminder that the annual Ploenchit Fair takes place next Saturday from 10am to 9pm at Bangkok Patana School on Sukhumvit 105 (La Salle). There is a shuttle-bus to the school from Bang Na BTS station.
Organised by the British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy (BCTFN), it's a great way to spend the day and the beer always slides down a lot easier when you know it's for charity.
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