TV Memories: The Computer Chronicles
My tribute to Stewart Cheifet
A few days ago, I was saddened to hear that Stewart Cheifet, presenter and producer of The Computer Chronicles, passed away on 28 December 2025 at 87 years old.
The show ran from 1983 to 2002, and Stewart appeared in 433 of the 437 episodes.
I had been concerned about him for a while, given that his last post on X was about recovering from surgery in April 2023.
Isn’t it funny how a TV presenter you’ve never met can feel so familiar, like a friend, after you’ve watched them countless times? It really hit me to hear of his passing.
I became interested in electronics and computers at a young age. As a teenager in the ‘80s, I watched UK TV shows about computers, such as The Computer Programme and Making the Most of the Micro.
Although I didn’t see The Computer Chronicles when it first aired, I discovered it at some point during the last 15 years or so — and I was hooked right away! (YouTube and the Internet Archive are great resources!)
The Computer Chronicles is now a fantastic archive to look back on, which documents the growth of personal computers and the rise of the internet.
I love being able to go back and experience the introduction of various pieces of technology.
The show covered a wide range of computers, including the PC, Mac, Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64. General technology topics were also covered, such as artificial intelligence and the rise of the internet.
There were appearances from many well-known people from the industry, including Steve Wozniak (Apple), Jack Tramiel (Commodore, Atari), Adam Osborne (Osborne Computer), and co-host Gary Kildall (CP/M, Digital Research).
There are so many more I could list, but you get the idea!
With such a vast archive of episodes, there’s no way I could highlight all my favourites. But I especially liked those presented by both Stewart Cheifet and Gary Kildall. They made a great team, and while they had a professional and polite way of working, their personalities also came through. (Sadly, Gary died in 1994.)
Stewart Cheifet interview from 2013
Here’s a great interview that includes clips of The Computer Chronicles.
One of my favourites is at 25 minutes, where they discuss a clip from when John C. Dvorak was on the show, demonstrating how easy it was to take the IBM PS/2 apart — but he was struggling!
🔗 Here is the full episode from which the clip was taken. (The clip was from 14 minutes in.)
Stewart Cheifet talk
Here is an interesting talk that Stewart gave in 2016.
I also found a newer talk from 2018, but the sound quality was lacking.
Selected episodes
I could easily have picked dozens of episodes to share below, but I’ve limited myself to three. (There is a full list of episodes on Wikipedia with links to videos on archive.org. Many can also be found on YouTube.)
The New Amigas (1988)
This episode includes the Amiga 500 and the NewTek Video Toaster.
Something of particular interest to me (at 9:46) is Music-X, a piece of software by David Joiner at MicroIllusions.
I used that software on my Amiga to sequence music keyboards in the ‘80s and ‘90s. (David also wrote a game I played on the Amiga, The Faery Tale Adventure.)
Hypercard (1987)
This episode features Bill Atkinson, the creator of Hypercard. (Sadly, Bill passed away in June 2025.)
Bill also created MacPaint, and he designed and implemented QuickDraw, a key part of the original Mac operating system.
Low End Computers (1985)
This episode includes Jack Tramiel (the founder of Commodore International and Atari Corporation). It also shows the Commodore 64 and Atari ST.
Podcast
In 2016, the Retro Hour Podcast EP46 featured a great interview with Stewart.
Tribute/obituary
Finally, here’s a great post by S.M. Oliva from 31 December 2025 about Stewart’s life: Stewart Douglas Cheifet (1938 - 2025). It also includes a video that splices together numerous Computer Chronicles introductions.
Final thoughts
I keep thinking about all the things I’ve omitted, but I must accept that I can’t describe everything that The Computer Chronicles showed over its 20-year run.
While I’m sad that Stewart has passed away, I also think about the fantastic archive he has left us. His decades of hard work and dedication have resulted in a legacy to be proud of.
Thank you for reading!
~ Alan ~