The BBC’s Ceefax service, the world’s first teletext service, will finally be laid to rest this evening when the UK’s analogue TV signal is switched off for the last time.

The UK is set to complete the final stage of its long awaited digital changeover at 11.30pm tonight, when Northern Ireland’s analogue signal is turned off after being in use for more than 70 years, effectively switching off Ceefax’s life support system in the process.

Once an indispensable service for millions of people up and down the country, Ceefax has somewhat pitifully limped through the final stages of its life, falling by the wayside to services like the BBC’s Red Button, and of course, the World Wide Web.

First launched back in September, 1974, Ceefax was a revolutionary technology at the time, bringing with it the latest news and sport headlines, TV listings and weather forecasts to UK viewers at the touch of a button – at a time when previously, the best way to keep up to date was by listening to the radio.

Ceefax, with its clunky, garish block-style graphics, was born out of the development of TV subtitles, after engineers discovered it was possible to fill an entire screen full of chunky text information through the old analogue signal.

The service took its name from the simple idea that it would allow TV viewers to ‘see the facts’ at the touch of a button. This was largely because, given the limited space available for news bulletins, stories had to be written in an ultra-concise, straight-to-the-point style.

Among the biggest connoisseurs of Ceefax were sport fans, navigating their way through the colorful text visualizations to stay up to date with the latest scores and results. Ceefax also satisfied the thirst of millions of news hungry individuals, speedily covering all the major stories as they broke, while those who wanted to learn about the latest goings-on in travel, gaming, tech and music were also catered for.

For anyone growing up in the UK during the 1970s, 80s and early 90s, Ceefax reigned supreme as the only way to keep in touch with the world as things happened – after all, with no internet and no smartphones to turn to, what else was there but the occasional news bulletin on the TV and radio?

Ceefax, as outdated and as ugly as it is, will be sorely missed by many. For even today, despite all the mind-blowing depth the World Wide Web provides, it’s not always easy to get your news in such a fast and succinct way, which is exactly what Ceefax was all about.