We’ve spent 65 years dodging detector vans
By Ali Kirker
akirker@sundaypost.com Love it or hate it, the TV licence is here to stay – for now!
FEB 1, 1952
some anniversaries are made for celebrating.
Others simply provide a reminder of how times have changed.
So it is with the 65th anniversary of TV detector vans.
When they first came into operation, in 1952, the Home Office that was in charge of collecting the licence fee – the BBC didn’t take over until 1991.
When TV detector vans were launched and demonstrated in front of then Postmaster General, Lord De La Warr, he was keen to stress that it wasn’t a campaign of spying on British citizens.
“We are most unwilling to start a snoop campaign,” Lord De La Warr said, aiming to reassure the public.
However, he pointed out that people without licences were receiving free entertainment – and were being subsidised by those honest members of the public who bought their licences when they were due.
Not everyone was convinced, though.
While some supported the TV detector vans, others viewed them with suspicion, believing they were some sort of shady device for spying on what people got up to in their own homes.
Others wondered if the vans did actually have the technology to detect television receivers, or if they were simply a clever way of scaring licence-dodgers into coughing up.
Despite the march of technology and the fact that “smart TVs” are now readily available and affordable for many people, some traditional souls are still have black-and-white sets.
More than 9000 people in the UK have a black and white only licence, with Glasgow having the highest number of devotees.
And, while many people down the decades who have been caught have admitted the offence, others have come up with novel excuses.
They include: “I have no television. It’s a microwave,” and “I only use the TV as a light.”
Attempts to get us to pay up when we should have often involved famous faces.
Celebrities including the late Victoria Wood and John Cleese have appeared in the ads.
And there was controversy at the beginning of last year when it was revealed that over-75s might be encouraged to make a “contribution” towards the licence fee.
Legally, they don’t have to buy a licence, but there was talk of getting “silver celebrities” such as Helen Mirren and Sir Michael Parkinson to front campaigns.
Interestingly, you’re more likely to be prosecuted for TV licence evasion if you live in England and Wales. That isn’t because Scots are more willing to buy the licence, but because of the way the justice system is set up north of the Border.
Love it or hate it, the TV licence is here to stay. For now!