Is Folkestone the Birthplace of Television?
Where did the first-ever TV broadcast take place?
Beginning with a forgotten plaque in Folkestone, filmmaker Ben Barton follows a trail left behind by television pioneer John Logie Baird – and re-examines where television first sparked to life.
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Ben BartonDirector
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Ben BartonWriter
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Alexander SaxbyCamera, Drone Operator, Editor
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Nick PaytonGraphic Design
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Alex GrohlMusic
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Scott GibsonProduction Assistant
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:6 minutes
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Completion Date:February 12, 2026
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Production Budget:1,500 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival 2026Kent
United Kingdom
March 29, 2026
World Premiere
Official Selection
Ben Barton is an award-winning analogue filmmaker and writer.
His super-8 film 'Stella Erratica' was a co-production with David Bowie's creative team, one of the last projects Bowie worked on before his death in 2016. It later premiered at Cannes.
Ben is also the Co-Director of the Folkestone Film Festival, founded in 2023.
'Is Folkestone the Birthplace of Television?' is Ben's first film shot on digital, and also his first documentary.
"This documentary began as a newspaper article, where I investigated where exactly television was invented. But, after publishing the article, I had more to say! TV is a visual medium, and this story felt best told on screen. Alongside the plaque in Folkestone, I uncovered archive footage unseen for over 70 years. Styled like a short magazine TV segment, the film reflects on how history is formed – and what can sometimes be overlooked."
