Tag Archives: bob mckenzie

Vintage election nights: the time a painter had to come on screen to extend the Swingometer

I have always remembered the classic moment when, during the BBC general election night TV coverage of 1970, a painter had to be brought on to extend the swingometer. This was because the Conservative swings were unexpectedly high, and the swingometer didn’t go far enough to cover some of them.

In these days of high tech, it is difficult to believe that such a thing happened. Indeed, as I have recalled the incident over the years, I don’t think many people have believed me.

Posted in General Election and TV and film | Also tagged and | 1 Comment
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Jack Meredith
    @Matt (Bristol( WOW, you literally did call it!...
  • PM
    @ Mick, We agree that the triple lock should be maintained . We disagree that the burden should fall mainly on the younger generation. This is what your " w...
  • David Allen
    Selfish comment: I'm 76, healthy for now, live in a small village, couldn't easily cope without a car. One day, I might become unable to drive. Then, despite ...
  • Peter Davies
    Driverless cars are not just a replacement for Black Cabs which make up a small proportion of the hire market. They will replace minicabs first but expect them ...
  • Peter Davies
    "A 2025 study in Traffic Injury Prevention found Waymo’s San Francisco any-injury crash rate was 0.88 per million miles against a human benchmark of 8.02, an ...