Our World (1967 TV program)

The opening credits were accompanied by the "Our World theme" played by the Vienna Philharmonic and sung in seventeen different languages by the Vienna Boys' Choir.[lower-alpha 5][8]

The program began with an introduction from the BBC's TC1 studio in London and went on attending the births of four children in the delivery rooms at Hokkaido University Hospital in Sapporo, Japan;[lower-alpha 6] at Aarhus University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark;[lower-alpha 7] at Hospital de Obstetricia III in Mexico City, Mexico –reported by Pedro Ferriz–;[lower-alpha 8] and, at Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton, Canada –reported by Libbie Christensen–.[lower-alpha 9]

Back in BBC's TC1 studio in London, a journey around the world was introduced starting at the United Austrian Iron and Steelworks in Linz, Austria,[lower-alpha 10] and continuing aboard a Protection Civile helicopter flying over the returning weekend traffic at Porte de la Chapelle in Paris, France –reported by Joseph Pasteur–;[lower-alpha 11] at the Medina in Tunis, Tunisia;[lower-alpha 12] and, aboard some fishing vessels sailing in the Gulf of Cádiz, Spain, showing the work of the fishermen and praising the country's fishing industry.[lower-alpha 13]

At 7:17 p.m. GMT, the show switched to Glassboro, New Jersey, in the United States –at 3:17 p.m. EDT local time– where the Glassboro Summit Conference between American president Lyndon Johnson and Soviet premier Alexei Kosygin, was taking place –reported by Dick McCutcheon who ended up talking about the impact of the new television technology on a global scale–. Since no politician could be shown, only the exterior of the Hollybush Mansion –where the conference was being held– was televised.[lower-alpha 14][3] At 7:18 p.m. GMT it switched back to Canada, to the Two Rivers Ranch in Ghost Lake, Alberta, showing a rancher, and his cutting horse, cutting out a herd of cattle –reported by Bob Switzer–.[lower-alpha 9] At 7:19 p.m. GMT it switched to Kitsilano Beach, in Vancouver's Point Grey area –at 12:19 p.m. PDT local time–.[lower-alpha 9][3]

At 7:20 p.m. GMT, the program shifted continents to Asia, to Tokyo, Japan –at 4:20 a.m. JST local time, the next day–, showing workers building a segment of the Tokyo subway system.[lower-alpha 6][3] The equator was crossed for the first time in the program when it switched to Australia –at 5:22 a.m. AEST local time–. This was the most technically complicated point in the broadcast, as both Japanese and Australian satellite ground stations had to reverse their actions: Kashima Ground Station in Japan had to go from transmit mode to receive mode, while Cooby Creek Tracking Station in Australia had to switch from receive to transmit mode.[2] The segment from Melbourne dealt with trams leaving the South Melbourne tram depot; this was reported by Brian King explaining that sunrise was many hours away as it was winter there.[lower-alpha 15][3]

Back in BBC's TC1 studio in London, a section about human overpopulation was introduced starting at the Controlled Environment Research Laboratory (CERES), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)'s phytotron in Canberra, Australia, featuring plant physiologist Lloyd Evans who was carrying out experiments to extend the frequency of cereal crop cycles –reported by Eric Hunter–[lower-alpha 15][9] and continuing at New York City;[lower-alpha 14] at Ikushima shrimp farm in Takamatsu, Japan;[lower-alpha 6] at a farm in Wisconsin, United States;[lower-alpha 14] at Habitat 67 housing complex in the International and Universal Exposition in Montreal, Canada;[lower-alpha 9] and, finishing at Cumbernauld, Scotland –reported by Magnus Magnusson–.[lower-alpha 16]

Back in BBC's TC1 studio in London, a section about men and women trying to achieve their best was introduced starting at Empire Pool in Vancouver, Canada, featuring swimmer Elaine Tanner trying to break the 110-yard butterfly World Record –reported by Ted Reynolds–,[lower-alpha 9] and continuing at the Equestrian Circle in Castellazzo di Bollate, Italy, featuring riders Piero D'Inzeo and Raimondo D'Inzeo –reported by Alberto Giubilo–;[lower-alpha 17] at Söderfors, Sweden, featuring canoeists Gert Fredriksson, Gunnar Utterberg, Lars Andersson and Rolf Pettersson;[lower-alpha 18] and, finishing at Calanque de Callelongue in Marseille, France aboard the maiden voyage of the Téléscaphe, the very first underwater cable car.[lower-alpha 11]

Back in BBC's TC1 studio in London, a section about men and women in pursuit of art was introduced starting at San Pietro church in Tuscania, Italy for the rehearsals of the film Romeo and Juliet, featuring film director Franco Zeffirelli and actors Milo O'Shea, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey[lower-alpha 17] and continuing at Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, West Germany, for the Bayreuth Festival rehearsals of the opera Lohengrin featuring director Wolfgang Wagner, conductor Rudolf Kempe and singers Heather Harper and Grace Hoffman;[lower-alpha 19] at Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France featuring sculptor Alexander Calder and painter Joan Miró;[lower-alpha 11] at Mexico City, Mexico featuring singers Antonio Aguilar singing "Allá en el Rancho Grande" on horseback and Flor Silvestre singing "Como México no hay dos" –reported by León Michel–;[lower-alpha 8] at the Lincoln Center in New York City featuring conductor Leonard Bernstein and pianist Van Cliburn rehearsing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3;[lower-alpha 14] and, finishing at EMI Recording Studio 1 in Abbey Road, London, for the first recording session of "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles –reported by Steve Race–.[lower-alpha 16]

Back in BBC's TC1 studio in London, a section about outer space was introduced starting at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Kennedy in the United States,[lower-alpha 14] continuing at Parkes Observatory in Parkes, Australia, featuring John Gatenby Bolton tracking quasar 0237–23, the most distant known object in the universe at the time –reported by Kim Corcoran–[lower-alpha 15][9] and finishing back in BBC's TC1 studio in London for a closing segment intercutting live footage from several of the locations already shown.

The Beatles performing "All You Need Is Love" (colourised version from The Beatles Anthology)

As the broadcast took place at the height of the Vietnam War, the Beatles were asked to write a song with a positive message.[10] They topped the event with their debut performance of "All You Need Is Love". They invited many of their friends to the event to create a festive atmosphere and to join in on the song's chorus. Among the friends were members of the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Moon and Graham Nash.[10]

Although Our World was originally recorded and transmitted in black-and-white, for its use in the 1995 TV special The Beatles Anthology, the Beatles' performance on the program was colourised, using colour photographs taken at the event as a reference.[11] The sequence opens in its original monochromatic format and rapidly morphs into full colour, conveying the brightly coloured flower power and psychedelic-style clothing worn by the Beatles and their guests that was popular during what was subsequently dubbed the "Summer of Love".[11]

In the 2000 novel The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter, the global media empire run by Hiram Patterson is called OurWorld, the name chosen after the character saw the program as a child and was inspired to change the world.[12]

A permanent exhibition at London's Science Museum opened in 2018, telling the story of the transmission using footage from the show itself and video interviews with surviving members of the production team, recalling the technical challenges involved and the legacy created by the broadcast.[13]