In 1949, the arrival of television was a miraculous event for the speaker and his friend Jeremy Dart. Jeremy’s dad, Fred, had built his own television set in time for the switch-on of the Sutton Coldfield transmitter, bringing television to the Midlands. This homemade TV was not a handsome piece of furniture, but it provided the speaker with his first-ever sight of a television picture, featuring a children’s program with Muffin the Mule. For the kids, witnessing television pictures landing in ordinary houses was a kind of miracle.
As television became more commonplace, neighbors began building their own TVs as well. However, the speaker points out that the current state of television is not what it once was. He laments the fact that the air is flooded with noise and color, filled with attempts to sell products or entertain, often at the expense of quality content. The speaker mentions his dislike for expensive, loud, and gaudy displays such as the Eurovision contest and criticizes the idiocy of some contestants on modern quiz and game shows.
The speaker reflects on the journey of television from its miraculous arrival in the 1940s to its current state. He questions what Fred Dart, who built his own TV, would make of the current use of television technology. The speaker points out that the original miracle of television has turned into something far from what it once was, with a flood of noise, color, and debased content. Despite the technological marvel of television, the speaker laments its current state and the use of TV to push products and to entertain at the expense of intelligence and quality.
