Thames at 6 [12/09/77] presenter. The Thames TV 'Drive In' programme reviews the Chrysler Alpine in 1976, and comes up with some interesting conclusions, treating it as an imported car. It continued after Harry Corbett's retirement in 1975 with his son, Matthew Corbett, and lasted on Thames until late 1992. [11], The interview filled two minutes at the end of the programme, but the production team feared trouble in the studio if they stopped the programme mid-air. 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. He then joined BBC Newcastle , David started his television career as a continuity scriptwriter for ATV, but soon moved to the , Bob was a Granada Television continuity announcer (1961 1964) and also a regional presenter , Well known Thames Television announcer and newsreader (late-1970s 1992) and LWT continuity . ABC had majority control of the new company and the make-up of its board predominantly (and eventually fully) came from ABC. The station continued formats inherited from its predecessors. 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. 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. Bryan Cowgill said: "The need for sensible change in the way we conduct our operations has been at the heart of this dispute. The outcome proposed by the ITA was a "shotgun marriage" between ABC and Rediffusion. RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84. on-screen participant. Thames's subsidiary production company Euston Films continued to produce many of Thames's highest-profile drama contributions to ITV network programming to the end of its ITV franchise. To shock the nation then, an easy way to do it would be to pin down someone like my dad and get yourself on every single national newspaper in the country., However, watching the interview it seems pretty clear that the Pistols were just badly handled by Grundy. 1977. reporter. R.I.P. You cannot do a job like I do without being sober.. The following year, in 1989, Thames ended the contract of Benny Hill, a stalwart at the station since 1969. 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. The corporation ended the series in 2003. Melinda Wittstock. : With Mavis Nicholson, Jasmine Bligh, Mary Berry, Judith Chalmers. Bill Grundy. Tue 5 Jun 2007 02.15 EDT. Within 18 months he was working for ATV as a presenter of children's shows, sports magazines and schools' programmes. Today was launched on 30 July 1968 when ITV switched from their ATV/Rediffusion contracts to the new Thames Television/LWT model. Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States. Less well-known is its adaptation of Andy Capp (1988), starring James Bolam. Anne Gregg - reporter and presenter on Ulster Television 's Roundabout; also worked for Anglia Television; later co-presented the BBC's Holiday programme during the 1980s; died in 2006. Granada Television won daytime service in the North, and ABC the weekends. Today. Not that they were necessarily that drunk. [citation needed]. The air turned blue as Johnny Rotten and his pals effed and blinded while Bill goaded them to go further and further . Type above and press Enter to search. Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. The Thames offshoot Euston Films was founded in 1971 to specialise in drama output made entirely on film, then still a rare practice. [16] In October, Thames paid the BBC, via the IBA, 300,000 in compensation to make up the shortfall in additional cost for new episodes of Dallas.[17]. Thames profits from strike. 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. The comedy duo's leading scriptwriter, Eddie Braben, did not initially move to ITV with them, and with Eric Morecambe's failing health, the new shows never gained the audiences or matched the esteem they had previously enjoyed. Weekend ITV schedules for the London region were not affected by the strike, with London Weekend Television coming on air on Fridays at 5.15pm as usual. The Mr. Bean pilot episode, starring Rowan Atkinson as the titular character, was first broadcast on ITV on 1 January 1990, and the eventual run lasted beyond Thames holding of its franchise. Press Esc to cancel. The Times, Tuesday, 27 November 1990, Thames TV cuts. Grundy appears not to hear the profanity, which wasnt that easily audible as people were talking across each other, although in the hand-written notes on the Thames documents it says: Bill told to cool it on earpiece., Grundy took no notice. I could talk to Bill through his ear-piece and tell him to cut the interview right there and then and we could actually get into a film very quickly. TAKE A CHANCE ON ME! Star Games [25/12/79] The Grand Final Comedy V TV Presenters. The comedy Do Not Adjust Your Set, though, originated with Rediffusion, and if nominally a children's show, was one of the forerunners of Monty Python's Flying Circus. after the union agreed to rostering according to need, while the management dropped plans for ending six-day working fortnights. Michael Clark. In this era, Euston also made single one-off dramas such as The Naked Civil Servant (1975). If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation to help me with the running costs of the site. As a result of the changes to the schedule, ABC was at risk of losing both of its existing franchises, the weekend services that would be going away. With unforeseeable dramatic consequences. The Times, Thursday, 17 October 1991. How this evaded the press at the time and how it evaded Pistol scriptwriter Craig Pearce remains a mystery. 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. . And with that Jones became the first working-class person to say fuck on TV. THE X FARM EDITING TEAM. If they only knew what lay ahead . Hill gained a following in the United States when this version was screened there. Thames produced the daily live entertainment and information programme to reflect "what is going on in London". Two of its post-franchise sitcoms found more success when they transferred away from ITV Men Behaving Badly, which moved to the BBC in 1994 and Is It Legal?, which moved to Channel 4 in 1998. Thames's share was bought out by Flextech in 1996.[61][62]. "It's awkward, it's embarrassing but everyone is on the same level - we do it in bathrobes," laugh the women behind The Naked Podcast, Jenny Eells and . The union warned against a management-run service, as it would be a recipe for total network disturbance and a massive loss of programmes, but Thames claimed that it would be justified due to the strike being unofficial. Back in the day when an office actually had "decor", and everyone had their own desk (they're even socially distanced!). [Being] punk rockers we were like: Were not getting in that thing Then this phone call came through from [band manager] Malcolm McLaren saying: If you dont do it your wages will be stopped this week. We were all in the car like a shot.. Rest in peace Dickie Davies. The result? These programmes were made in the then standard 'hybrid' studio video/location film format, but the British industry was in the slow process of dropping the multi-camera studio format for drama, excepting soaps, to making the genre entirely on film. The ident was finally withdrawn in the summer of 1989, when Thames celebrated its 21st anniversary. Following the loss of Thames's franchise, the Euston Road base of Thames was sold off and demolished. And while they had featured extensively in the music press, they had limited experience of TV interviews, having been featured only on BBC current affairs programme Nationwide, and interviewed by Janet Street Porter on The London Weekend Show. The life of TV presenter and journalist Paula Yates will be the focus of a new two-part documentary. "[45], The transition of ITV companies was never smooth, but Thames's bitterness stayed until the very end. Rest in peace Dickie Davies. Host Carl Smith consults practitioners to explore how xenotransplantation - growing replacement organs in genetically modified . [20] For Thamess management, this was a materialist operation with a clear dimension, and to weed out unscrupulous bargaining and working practices. The Times, Wednesday, 18 June 1986, 200 jobs go at Thames. Thames TV/ ITV. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. See MoreSee Less, Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94, For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. With the introduction of colour, the ident was remodelled on the vignette, this time using photographs rather than drawings. Bill Grundy (1976) Unusually for a commercial broadcaster, it also produced lavish versions of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Australian Museum. With no access to ITN News, viewers in the Thames region had to make do with short Thames News bulletins. It caused the biggest stink in British TV history. In 1976, the tabloids, an apparently the nation, went berserk. [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. It certainly would have added to the series and astonishing coverage at the time. [37] The shares on offer were being sold by BET and Thorn EMI, which planned to reduce their shareholding from 100% down to 28.8%. By David Hewson. 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. The Observer, 24 April 1988, Central TV to shed 467 more jobs in new year. 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 . Mr Punter said: "The competition was a lot of fun and the students had . [35], Carlton's owner, Michael Green, claimed that the decision left him 'bewildered' and said: 'We are surprised at the IBA's decision. 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