THE famous BBC test card featuring a girl playing noughts and crosses with a toy clown has made a return to the nation's television screens.

The image is being broadcast on the BBC's high definition (HD) channel to help viewers set up their HD TV sets.

First transmitted in 1967, Test Card F shows Carole Hersee, then aged eight, and a clown doll called Bubbles, surrounded by colour scales and test graphics.

Technicians at the BBC have rescanned the card in HD to allow people to set the colour, contrast and sharpness on the latest TVs.

Andy Quested, principal technologist for BBC HD, said: "The HD version uses the very famous picture of Carole added to an HD version of the widescreen test card.

"I hope we can all celebrate its reappearance after many years."

The test card is currently being shown for 90 seconds every two hours on the BBC HD channel when it is not broadcasting programmes.

Mr Quested warned that the image could "burn in" to screens if left on for more than two minutes.

Ms Hersee, whose father George was the BBC engineer who designed the test card, now works as a theatre costume designer.

Test card enthusiasts may be interested to know that the cross on the noughts and crosses game marks the exact centre of the picture - to help viewers line the picture up correctly on their set.