BBC
When I was about 5 or so, I had a habit of getting up really early (like 5am), going to the kitchen to find whatever I could to eat (once settling on cat food, but that's a story for another time...), then going to the front room to watch TV.

Almost always, the TV had been switched off the night before tuned into BBC 1. Being that it wasn't a 24 hour channel back then (is it now? *shrugs*) there would be this still frame of this girl writing something on a chalkboard, and this clown sitting next to her, with this eerie high pitched noise.

I don't know what it was about it, but it used to make me absolutely white in fear...

I just looked for the picture on Google Images, and the feeling of apprehension before finding the correct image was amazing :)
(Dracia flailed on, Sat 12 Apr 2008, 23:42, 7 replies)

The clown looked sinister
I saw the test card with her and that creepy looking clown so often, I thought she was just part of the family who lived in my lounge.
I used to hope that one day she'd finish her game of naughts and crosses.
( BUTT FART is currently addicted to Improbable Island, Sun 13 Apr 2008, 0:15, closed)

Yup,
Completely agree
( Paedosmile service with a grin., Sun 13 Apr 2008, 0:17, closed)

Oh
Jesus, yeah.
She was more than a little creepy.
Kind of reminds me of damien from the omen now that I think about it.
(Good Looking Deity Grew a magnificent beard on, Sun 13 Apr 2008, 11:16, closed)

I was just about to post the same thing...
...bloody test cards.
(LukeHarrison says, "Your taste in music is shit!", Sun 13 Apr 2008, 14:48, closed)

Life on Mars got it spot on
..there's that one scene where Sam is asleep and you notice that the test card is on his TV screen, but the little girl has escaped from it. Now THAT is scary.
(Cryptoprocta has abandoned the username of Voodoo Mary, Sun 13 Apr 2008, 20:29, closed)

Testcard
There's another story about testcards here that links to yet another story involving testcards (in the comments).
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Sun 13 Apr 2008, 20:59, closed)

test cards
I remember waknig up that early. I would always watch eat your words and magic schoolbus on 3 (I think, might have been 4)

but yeah that card was scary, I believe its a strong contributing factor to many people's clown phobia. mine included

But if you thought this one was scary - www.mediacollege.com/video/test-patterns/television/bbc-f1997.jpg

this one is worse - www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/graphics/2007/05/25/nosplit/ix600testcard2.gif
(Katzilla Follow Me! @Kat_Zilla (I don't promise funnehs), Mon 14 Apr 2008, 10:54, closed)