A century after John Logie Baird invented telly, Malcolm Baird salutes his dad.
When I was born, in 1935, my father, John Logie Baird (1888-1946), was enjoying a rare spell of affluence. Since its formation in 1926, Baird Television Ltd had only a handful of employees, struggling to promote the idea of television. My father’s title in the enlarged company was Managing Director. This was a misnomer because most of his work was technical, while the administrative duties were divided among the board of directors. However, he attended the board meetings and often made statements to the press. Last but not least, he received an annual salary of £4,000. A few months before the takeover, JLB (as I shall call him) had rather abruptly got married to a young concert pianist from South Africa, Margaret Albu. They had met during one of the experimental television transmissions at the BBC. She was 24 to his 43. Nevertheless, the marriage was a success; my parents...
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