The panel driven by the circuit of the invention comprises essentially two display devices in a single gas-filled envelope. The panel comprises a left-hand portion including an array of rows and columns of scanning or priming cells and an array of rows and columns of display cells which are vertically aligned with each other, with each scanning cell communicating with a display cell. Electrode arrays are provided for operating the left-hand scanning cells and display cells in scanning fashion, column-by-column. The right-hand portion of the panel includes an identical arrangement of scanning cells, display cells, and electrode arrays therefor.A panel of this type is particularly suitable for displaying 80 characters or so, and, in order to achieve favorable brightness in all of the cells of the panel, the two portions of the panel are operated simultaneously. The panel is operated by energizing the two sets of scanning cells sequentially, column-by-column, and, as the columns of scanning cells are energized, selected display anodes are energized by information signals to transfer glow from a scanning cell to the display cell above it.