The data is taken from the printed London Edition of the TVTimes. The listings included in TVTiP are the planned programmes at the time the London Edition TVTimes went to press, not the programmes as they were actually broadcast. In the vast majority of cases programmes listed were broadcast. However, if you are using TVTiP as the basis of your research, you should note this distinction.

The TVTiP database extends from September 1955 to March 1985, covering the formative years of Independent Television through to the launch of Channel 4. There are however, a number of gaps in the data as a result of industrial action preventing the TVTimes being printed. These are listed here.

The project went through two phases of inputting. In the first phase all information in the TVTimes was included - approximately 3,000 days of 10,000 days covered by the database or one third of the records or approximately 80,000 records. In the second phase descriptions were not included. This is a compromise made to achieve the full chronological range 1955-1985 within the time and financial constraints of the project.

"The TV Times database is an excellent resource for those engaged in media and cultural history. It is also a valuable resource for those working in the television industry. It is possible to use the database to find information about particular programmes or performers which appeared on ITV, but it is also a crucial tool to be able to assess developments in broadcasting more widely, such as programming and scheduling changes. As such, the database is not just a source of useful information, it represents a major step forward in archival research which should shape future methodologies and paradigms in broadcasting history." Rob Turnock, Bournemouth University, UK.

"Too often, commercial television production is lost in the haze of history, as researchers focus on 'quality' public service programming. This leads to dangerously distorted ideas about television in 'the old days' - that it only showed documentaries and high-minded public affairs. Now we have access to an invaluable source of information about the programs that audiences were actually choosing to watch!" Alan McKee, University of Queensland, Australia.

"Establishing precise details for BBC TV programmes is a far from easy task but, until now, undertaking such research for ITV material has always been close to impossible. No single body kept the information and most of the programme-making companies have gone out of business. Therefore the TVTiP database marks a dramatic improvement to the situation. If it merely carried programme titles and dates that would be very useful, but the addition of contributor and crew names and programme synopses is a masterstroke: one can simply key-in an actor or writer or director or producer name and within seconds view a list of that person's contributions to commercial television productions. This is extraordinary. And while it may disappoint some users that the database utilises only London-area programming the unwieldy nature of ITV always presented such difficulties; certainly, though, all the networked programmes are included, so almost everything is here. TVTiP is a most welcome and necessary resource for British television information and research." Mark Lewisohn, Writer and Researcher, UK.

The TVTimes Digitisation Project was funded by a Resource Enhancement Grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The project was led by Professor John Ellis (Applicant) and Matt Holland (Co-Applicant). The Project Team included Julia McCain (Project Manager), Jane Scott (Project Administrator) and Marianne Open (BUFVC). The project was based at Bournemouth University. An agreement has been signed with IPC Media to enable non-commercial use of the TVTimes. We are grateful to IPC Media for their support. We are also grateful for the advice and support for the project provided by Mark Lewisohn.

HOLLAND, M., 2004. The TVTimes Digitisation Project 1955-1985. VIEWfinder, March, No 54, 11-13.

January 2005