Once TV-am concluded, when the rest of the UK received schools programmes, Thames viewers were left with a blue screen showing their upcoming emergency schedule which would normally start at around 1.30pm and conclude around midnight. Watch Danny Boyles Sex Pistols drama Pistol on Disney+ now (opens in new tab). From its formation in 1954, the Independent Television Authority (ITA) offered broadcasting licences to different companies for weekday and weekend service in its first three Independent Television network locations, the London area, the Midlands, and the North. Lovely riah. RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84. In Pistol, Lydon's character corrects that, saying: "It's a great matter of pride to the Irish people that the first person to say 'fuck' on TV was Brendon Behan'." [24] On Monday 22 October, a management-run service started operating; the company claimed the revised schedule was popular with the viewers. The Pistols were in rehearsals for the Anarchy tour when the call came in about the Today programme. Star Games [25/12/79] The Grand Final Comedy V TV Presenters. In the aftermath of the programme, Grundy, who in articles for Punch had developed a self-styled image as a Dean Martin-style drunk, protested to The Guardian that he was stone-cold sober. The handwritten sheet was given to the founder of the inaugural David Bowie fan club by the star. Melinda Wittstock "Thames, a wounded Phoenix, takes flight into production", Thames wins ITV dispute. Tony Bastable, who has died at the age of 62, was one of the bright and breezy Mr Clean children's television programme presenters of the 1970s, with a fringe, a winning . 5-7am on DRIVE and 17.00 -19.00. and every Thursday lunchtime 13.00 - 15.00. Enjoy your trip in the time machine!www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5UUBNEPQQRV78 The IBA said it had nothing against Carlton owning part of an ITV company, but believed 'any' single ownership of an ITV company was undesirable.[36]. It's a little known fact that the writer Behan was the first person to swear on British TV, in1956, in an interview with Panorama. Allan Hargreaves (1977). R.I.P. Melinda Wittstock "ITV franchise losers consider a joint bid for Channel 5". Thames profits from strike. Weve fucking spent it, aint we? says Steve Jones. He later built up somewhat of a cult following amongst students as the long-serving host of Central TV's Blockbusters on ITV in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1976, the tabloids, an apparently the nation, went berserk. The presenters flirting with Siouxsie Sioux, who was standing behind the band and was aged 19 at the time; Grundy was 53 provoked Joness comment: You dirty sod. Today was launched on 30 July 1968 when ITV switched from their ATV/Rediffusion contracts to the new Thames Television/LWT model. It certainly would have added to the series and astonishing coverage at the time. The first ident was used to signify programmes made at Rediffusion's old studios at Adastral House, the latter, shows that came from ABC's former Teddington Studios. Within 18 months he was working for ATV as a presenter of children's shows, sports magazines and schools' programmes. This button displays the currently selected search type. . Georgia Toffolo, also known as Toff, has shown fans around her new central London home as she shares photos on social media of her new abode. 3, Guardian Friday, 11 October 1985 P20, Dennis Barker "Carlton Communications proposal ruled unaccepted"- IBA blocks sale of Thames, IBA puts off flotation talks with Thames TV. Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA, www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5UUBNEPQQRV78, nostalgiacentral.com/pop-culture/people/raquel-welch/, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64558222, edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html. Finalist for 'Chimeras in Medicine': "This two-part radio series explores the complex scientific, ethical and societal implications of using animals to solve challenging medical problems. "[45] The Times quoted a spokesman the day after the announcement: "We can be more profitable this way, being forced out of broadcasting will save us 32.5m a year in bid payments, 30 million a year in advertising revenue taxes and about 10m in transmitter cost. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Bryan Cowgill, the managing director of Thames left the company, as he believed his position was untenable since the board was unwilling to support his plans to buy the series. He then rang Thames to complain about the damage to his telly (Rotten later remarked unsympathetically: Havent they ever heard of the off button?). Were doing our best.. "[1] Thames covered a broad spectrum of commercial public-service television, with a strong mix of drama, current affairs and comedy. The company took over the This Is Your Life format in 1969, several years after the BBC had dropped the show in 1964. In 1983, she had a spell as a BBC TV network announcer. More conventional sitcoms, all of which began in Thames's early years, included Father, Dear Father (196873), the Sid James vehicle Bless This House (197176), and Love Thy Neighbour (1972-76), with a controversial take on race relations. Conspiracy theorist and former TV presenter Liz Gunn has been reportedly arrested after a scuffle involving a security guard at Auckland Airport. : With Mavis Nicholson, Jasmine Bligh, Mary Berry, Judith Chalmers. [3] It was reported that Rediffusion's chairman Sir John Spencer Wills felt the ITA owed his company a 'debt of gratitude' for this, a comment which particularly annoyed the authority. [51][52] Some programmes recorded at Teddington, such as some episodes of the 1969 series of "Callan" did, however, use the "from Thames" caption, indicating that they may have been edited at Adastral House rather than Teddington. Thames was the main shareholder in a consortium (alongside Warner Bros. Television and others) called Channel Five Holdings. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. . A few years after The World at War, Thames broadcast Hollywood (1980), a 13-part documentary series about the era of the America silent cinema. A programme on Harold Lloyd (The Third Genius) followed in 1989. She was the first black journalist on TV after landing job on Thames TV in 1968 Ms Hannah said her contract was not renewed after bosses showed racist letters The offensive right-wing notes ranted . Following the loss of Thames's franchise, the Euston Road base of Thames was sold off and demolished. The corporation ended the series in 2003. Or why not treat yourself? Guest presenters will include multiple media personalities, including Flava host Stacey Morrison as well as Moana Maniapoto, Matai Rangi Smith, Neil Waka, Peata Melbourne, Julian Wilcox, Luke Bird . We have always suggested that we would make absolutely sure the company would continue to be what it is at this moment in time.' What happened next changed everything. When approached by reporters the next day for comment, Grundy told them to fuck off, and his photo later appeared under the headline in theDaily Mirror, The Filth and the Fury. In Julien Temples The Filth & The Fury movie, Steve Jones says: I remember downing about four bottles of Blue Nun and I was fucking just having a fucking good old time, pissed by the time we went out there. Enjoy your trip in the time machine! The premise of the series was that it was a pirate television station operated by the show's hosts, who had to . The British Film Institute describes Thames as having "served the capital and the network with a long-running, broad-based and extensive series of programmes, several of which either continue or are well-remembered today. 1979. Mary Green. With the introduction of colour, the ident was remodelled on the vignette, this time using photographs rather than drawings. Eamonn Andrews - main presenter of Thames Television's 'Today' programme during the 1960s and 1970s. 2, published by Palgrave Macmillan. By Barrie Clement. He later participated in the relaunch of TV-am in . [53] All of these animations featured the same design, which consisted of the skyline slowly rolling up from the River Thames along with the logo, which was reflected briefly on the water and then quickly faded to its static position at the centre of the ident. Rest in peace Dickie Davies. This station was more highly regarded by the ITA (amongst others) than Rediffusion whose programming was seen as downmarket and whose management-style was viewed as high-handed. I'm absolutely certain it would not have been a major change to Thames. During the hours after Rainbow and before the children's slot, Good Afternoon was transmitted, a magazine programme. Bill Grundy. Carlton was forced to advertise on LWT to promote its new programme line up until December 1992, following an acrimonious High Court dispute between Thames and Carlton over the selling of rights of hundreds of films in Thames's library. Rest in peace Dickie Davies. Mon 24 Oct 2011 12.17 EDT. The Thames TV papers also seem to put paid to the conspiracy theory that the groups appearance was some kind of publicity scam concocted between Thames TV and their part-owners, EMI. The Times, Saturday, 27 December 1980 pg. The TV presenter Michael Barratt, best known for his work on BBC's Nationwide, has died aged 94, his family have announced. Press Esc to cancel. It continued after Harry Corbett's retirement in 1975 with his son, Matthew Corbett, and lasted on Thames until late 1992. Sally was born in Weston-super-Mare, in November 1940. Great British Presenters can help! That the then Conservative government had passed such an act caused accusations of direct responsibility to be levelled at former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in particular, who had presided over its creation. Thames believed Carlton's demands were unreasonable and would have forced it to drop most networked programmes on ITV during the autumn of 1992. Maybe Steve Jones found a bottle of wine or a bottle of whisky or something but he didnt seem that kind of drunk to me., Bill Grundys late son, Tim, himself a broadcaster, later said with some bitterness that he felt the Pistols went on air with preconceived ideas of how they could set out to use the interview as a publicity stunt. That subsidiary was split into four new production companies at the start of 2012, with the new Thames producing light entertainment programming. It brought punk to the masses and some say killed it stone dead. He is known for hosting the live-action science program Bill Nye the Science Guy. [40][41], However, by October talks had stalled, with EMI and BET still controlling Thames before heading into the 1991 franchise round.[42]. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64558222 Good Afternoon! Hill spent most of the rest of his career with Thames. The show at its peak had 21 million viewers, while the last episode had nine million. 4-3-2-1 Hot and Sweet, ZDF TV music programme, the two presenters Ilja Richter and Suzanne Doucet here in the show, circa 1970. So, as this was the last story on the programme, I let it go., Housego had no way of predicting the extent to which Grundy would lose it. This site is not affiliated with any broadcaster, production company or design/marketing/talent agency. See MoreSee Less, The Nostalgia Central website has been a labour of love for me since 1998. Thames (IVC) - 1989. Radio presenter on various shows, Currently broadcast 2 shows a week on Radio Seagull 1395 & 1602 am. Tape and film editing - entertainment. She was also a daytime continuity , Peter was a continuity announcer in various ITV regions: Ulster TV (1967 1969); Anglia TV , Australian-born former pirate radio disc jockey (known as Jim Gordon, or Jumbo Jimmy Gordon during , Evadne is a former Central TV continuity announcer. Todaywas launched on30 July 1968 when ITV switched from their ATV/Rediffusion contracts to the new Thames Television/LWT model. Bob was a Granada Television continuity announcer (1961 - 1964) and also a regional presenter for Thames TV in London (1968). Or so people thought. As a result, the only complaints were about his drunkness. Hollywood and the Chaplin series were narrated by the actor James Mason. ABC had majority control of the new company and the make-up of its board predominantly (and eventually fully) came from ABC. 11 September 1986 -. Of much greater prestige was The World at War (197374), a 26-part history of the Second World War using unseen footage and interviews, often of high-level participants. Richard Evans and Richard Ford and Dominique Searle "Trial by TV' row over IRA killings film", Dunn to Thames Board, July 1983 (uncatalogued deposit), ITVA Archive from, Cherry, S. ITV: The People's Channel, Reynolds and Hearn, 2005, p196. Opinions varied on the matter of political motivations; some cite the documentary "Death On The Rock", which may have caused displeasure to the then government,[48] whilst others link it to a more general ideological dislike of the way ITV had been run at the time, with over-manning, and the fact that programme production was generally limited to franchise holders (sometimes critically referred to as barriers to entry), being seen as examples of why more commercial freedom and competition was needed within the network. The Pistols best was already behind them. [23], Over the following four weeks, further discussions took place about implementing the plans while introducing new technologies. A desperate EMI offered up new group the Sex Pistols as a last-minute replacement to Todays producers. Today was cancelled two months later, and Bill Grundy never worked in prime-time television again. Bona to vada your jolly old eek. Other Thames shows included This Week (known as TV Eye between 1979 and 1985), Rumpole of the Bailey, the game shows Strike It Lucky, Give Us a Clue and Name That Tune, and the drama Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest. This big limousine turned up outside this place. ; Jonathan Aitken - presenter on Yorkshire Television's Calendar from 1968 until 1970: he was the first person to be seen on screen when the station launched. The Sooty Show, cancelled in 1967 by the BBC, now aired on Thames and began on the first day of transmission. The original host was Eamonn Andrews, with Bill Grundy taking over in 1976. The Times, Thursday, 17 October 1991, Winners and Losers. For pre-school children there was Rainbow, which started in 1972 and ran for 20 years. [18] The programme questioned the authority of British troops who had shot dead suspected IRA members allegedly planning a terrorist attack on a British military ceremony in Gibraltar. With no access to ITN News, viewers in the Thames region had to make do with short Thames News bulletins. Other successful series in the genre from this period include Shades of Greene (1975-76), Rock Follies (1976), and Armchair Thriller (1978-80). And thats all I remember., Matlock, however, maintains that the band had only had a couple of beers: I had a beer or two, as we all did, he told a TV interviewer in 2005. This led to a serious problem for the ITA as ABC was a popular station, whose productions earned vital foreign currency - one such series was The Avengers. The Role. [28], For the Thames board, the dispute represented a huge, but necessary, cost if the company was to expand its production operations profitably. The children's department also spawned the independent production company Tetra Films, which would later revive some classic Thames children's programmes for ITV The Tomorrow People (19925, in association with Thames-owned Reeves Entertainment for ITV and Nickelodeon) and Rainbow (199496, for HTV) along with a range of original film and television productions. Consequently, ABC applied for both the Midlands seven-day operation and the contract to serve London at the weekend, preferring the latter. The loss of Thames's franchise was seen as controversial by many, and highly significant by most, given Thames's history within ITV, as a long-standing franchisee in its own right, its heritage from the start of the network through its founding parents ABC and Rediffusion London, and the fact that it was one of the major contributors of content to the ITV network. In 1974, he joined BBC Radio London and then Anglia Television and HTV West (now ITV West Country) where he worked in producer and reporter/presenter roles. Thames's share was bought out by Flextech in 1996.[61][62]. The technicians walked out, but the station was off the air for just one day as management and administration staff took over their roles. 2023 The TV Room. The infamy that surrounded the Pistols as a result of the Today show turned the group into stars, but some say the chaos it brought ended up wrecking their career. These included the variety show Opportunity Knocks, Armchair Theatre, the last series of The Avengers and the detective thrillers Callan and Public Eye, all inherited from ABC. This Is Your Life ran on ITV for 26 years until around 1995 when ITV cancelled it and the series was recommissioned by the BBC, with Thames continuing to produce it. A merger between the two existing contract holders A.B.C. The series, narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier, was commissioned in 1969, took four years to produce, and cost a record 4m (approx 47m in 2018). Video : Thames TV on the Chrysler Alpine. In March 1990, EMI and BET tried once again to sell off their shares in Thames, with Cartlon and CLT (a Luxembourg-based media company) both in the running. Grundy (and British television audiences) would never forget 1 December 1976 the day he attempted to interview theSex Pistolslive to air. [27], The strike ended on 3 November 1984, after 62 film editors agreed to the new conditions, while the ACTT agreed as well to start negotiations about the introductions of new technology. He then joined Thames TV as a researcher for Thames News in 1983. Entertainment and arts reporter, BBC News. When Thames was formed, the new company acquired numerous other properties of the former franchise holders. The former Made In . 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