Election night 1974: Latest analysis

Last Friday, BBC Parliament cleared its regular schedules and ran February 1974′s election night coverage instead. Not just the highlights, but pretty much the whole thing.

If the idea of sitting through that fills you with horror (or incomprehension) then please click away now.

If the idea thrills you, on the other hand, you may be a political scientist – in which case, sorry, this won’t be the blog post for you either. The historic political events of that night have been analysed thoroughly elsewhere.

But if, like me, you’re just unnaturally fascinated by the look and atmosphere of 1970s telly – well, I’m happy to say I did all the hard work for you, and ploughed dutifully through it. (Not all at 30x speed, either.)

Here are a few visual tasters from the BBC’s coverage. I’ll let most of the pics speak for themselves.

Note how the female results-takers are in uniform: grim, brown smocks reminiscent of Sainsburys uniforms from the 1980s.

David Lomax is in Cobberton, North Devon, outside the house of Jeremy Thorpe MP. Is the Liberal leader around for a few words?

No, he isn’t.

Meanwhile, Penrith’s count seems to have been transported back to the 1920s.

Southampton hasn’t quite reached the colour era yet, either.

This guy’s speaking live from The Hague – so the monochrome is perhaps to be expected. He appears to be taking the RECOUNT AT BODMIN news hard.

There was a fashion in 1974, it turns out, for announcing results on the balconies of grotty council buildings.

I have to (sincerely) pay tribute here to Sir Alastair Burnet’s outfit on the night.

Especially considering this is 1974 we’re talking about, Burnet’s combo of mid-grey suit, pink shirt with cutaway collar, black watch, tie with plum dots and – brilliantly – dark plum pocket square has barely dated. Fine work.

As you’ll have spotted, the biggest winner of the night was Letraset. I imagine art suppliers in West London had to helicopter in emergency supplies of Helvetica Bold during the election period.

We’ve now found Jeremy Thorpe, who’s on the phone…

…to Cyril Smith MP, who is at the Liberal party press conference, smoking a cigarette.

And here’s the complete studio set in all its majesty. You can’t see in this screengrab, but each pundit’s chair came complete with a chrome ashtray on a tall stand. Class.