Michael Bennett-Levy (1946–2016)





by Malcolm Baird, published in BVWS Bulletin, winter 2016



Michael Bennett-Levy, who passed away on 28 September 2016, was a leading collector of early technology items including television sets. His illustrated books TV is King and Historic Televisions and Video Recorders are classics. His focus was on the external design of television sets, rather than the electronic circuitry. Many of the sets collected by Michael can be seen in museums such as the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and the MZTV Museum in Toronto.





When I first met Michael in 1994 at his large house near Edinburgh, I was infected by his enthusiasm for television history. This became almost a full time job for me after I retired from chemical engineering in 2000. Over the last few years Michael had some major health problems which he faced with courage and his characteristic sense of humour. His loss will be greatly felt by the television history community.