The result was Magpie - a magazine show aimed at eight to fourteen-year-olds, which was to provide genuine competition for Blue Peter. The handwritten sheet was given to the founder of the inaugural David Bowie fan club by the star. Michael Clark. Dead at 82. An absolute giant of British sports broadcasting. Geographical and structural changes to the network led to the first significant shakeups of the network, a process that started in 1967 to take effect from 1968. This big limousine turned up outside this place. Later, the presenter claimed hed been pursuing a deliberate strategy to prove that these louts were a foul-mouthed set of yobs and that is what I did prove., Mike Housego sensed danger but decided that letting the interview continue would be less problematic than trying to clear the Pistols from the studio. The flotation was not a great success, EMI and BET only managing to reduce their shares to 56.6%, with management acquiring much of the new stock. Pistol on Disney+ dramatises the Sex Pistols' appearance on the Bill Grundy Show in December 1976. Euston made the police series The Sweeney (197578), Danger UXB (1979), and Minder (197994), plus the last appearance of Nigel Kneale's best known creation in Quatermass (1979). We are keen to appoint an enthusiastic individual to join our team at Lecturer level to lead the Professional Experience components of our courses. Thames is often quoted as a prime example of a good commercial public-service broadcaster with shows covering all aspects of the spectrum and the largest producer in the network. He joined the BBC in January 2004. . 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. He is known for hosting the live-action science program Bill Nye the Science Guy. ITV - Thames TV continuity announcers (1968 - 1992). Moira Stuart's career in radio and television spans more than two decades. "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. Or why not treat yourself? WHAT WE DO. 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. The truth is even better than the show. . [24] On Monday 22 October, a management-run service started operating; the company claimed the revised schedule was popular with the viewers. [38], During 1989 reports appeared that talks were taking place with Carlton about an agreed merger,[39] which resulted in no action. 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. Producers don't often get credit for great TV series but they are an integral part of the creation process. In 2003, Thames Television was merged with another FremantleMedia subsidiary, Talkback (founded by comedians Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones in 1981) to form Talkback Thames. Thames sitcoms during the 1980s and early 1990s included Keep it in the Family, Never the Twain, After Henry, and Mr. Bean. 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. My passion is building rich relationships to support the delivery of really strong results on projects large and small. [34], In 1985, Carlton Communications had executed a failed take-over bid for Thames after Thorn EMI and British Electric Traction decided to sell their share of Thames. Melinda Wittstock "And now for Channel 5". [2] Questioning the ITA's decision, Rediffusion attempted to slow down the merger: only the threat of giving the licence solely to ABC made it relent. 1979. And then youve got to rely on the guys on the studio floor to get the person out of the studio, which could lead to even more trouble than the interview was to start with. 2, published by Palgrave Macmillan. The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years. 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 two companies allowed Thames independence (although in later years there were accusations that they both treated the company as a cash cow). after the union agreed to rostering according to need, while the management dropped plans for ending six-day working fortnights. Later, she worked for . In his acclaimed punk tome Englands Dreaming, Jon Savage says that the impact of the Today appearance had a totally disastrous effect on the group: from then until their demise in January 1978, they added only four new songs to their repertoire and their approach to their audience and their music remained the same. [1] In 1986, the earlier name was revived and This . Carlton settled out of court for 13.1M.[47]. His retained popularity in the UK was confirmed following his death, when Thames (which had refused to air his shows since the cancellation) gave in to public demand to rerun the shows. Thames produced the daily live entertainment and information programme to reflect what is going on in London. 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. Find Thames Television stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. (From 1982, the handover time was 17:15. Jack was a popular BBC TV forecaster (17th May 1969 4th May 1983) and for many years was the , Johns broadcasting career began at ILR station Radio Tees. But it still takes 30 seconds to get a film rolling so youve still got 30 seconds of abuse to listen to. Associated-Rediffusion (Rediffusion) won the London weekday service while Associated Television (ATV) operated weekends. Lucy Domachowski Showbiz Reporter. This is sometimes attributed to the culture of the company, which could be claimed to be a continuation of that at ABC. 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. The Times, 15 July 1992. The file indicates that a producer on the programme, named as Martin Lucas, ignored instructions to remain in the room with the Pistols, and left them and their posse which included Sue Catwoman and some of the Bromley contingent, one of whom was Siouxsie Sioux alone with the ringing phones. 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. In 1992, studio producer Mike Housego remembered: They were only allotted 90 seconds, and I thought, Well, not much can go wrong However, in one of the Thames documents outlining just what had gone wrong, an unnamed producer writes that the programmes researcher, Christine Whitehead, had warned Mike in advance that they might say fuck. The following year, in 1989, Thames ended the contract of Benny Hill, a stalwart at the station since 1969. The co-star of Elvis Presley also worked in TV on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I. The disgraced British socialite , 61, spoke by video call with the Talk TV presenter on January. Barker, Dennis The Guardian; 4 September 1984; TV strike threatens network. THE X FARM EDITING TEAM. Video : Thames TV on the Chrysler Alpine. Grundy (and British television audiences) would never forget 1 December 1976 the day he attempted to interview theSex Pistolslive to air. [25][26], During the period of the management operated emergency schedule, viewers in the Thames Television region would see the ITV breakfast service TV-am from 6.25am until 9.25am. In the years since, various conspiracy theories have attached themselves to the Pistols appearance on Today. He began his career as a newspaper journalist on the Eastern Evening News , Keith was born in Sandwich and was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. Whilst at HTV, in the late-1970s, Sally pr . To assist Rediffusion financially, the ITA insisted that the new company have two sets of shares: voting shares which would allow ABC to have control (with 51%) and 'B' shares which were to be split equally between the two, thus sharing profits fairly.[6]. Magpie was effectively a "groovier" version of the BBC's Blue Peter. These items, like The Sweeney and Minder include images when available. The press continued to be interested in the incident for several days. 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. Comically, the 12-line telephone system automatically diverted any unanswered calls to the Green Room. Today was launched on 30 July 1968 when ITV switched from their ATV/Rediffusion contracts to the new Thames Television/LWT model. [1] In 1983, he joined Thames Television's Thames News as Sports Editor and co . After Thames was acquired by FremantleMedia it was merged with another Fremantle company, Talkback, to form a new independent production company, Talkback Thames; consequently, Thames ceased to exist as a separate entity. Now featuring the 'triangle' logo in the booth, which had come in as part of the 21st birthday celebrations for Thames just with a large XXI in place of the 'Television' wording. Another musical genius has gone RIP Burt Bacharach. 1st January 2018 by The Showreel Team Leave a Comment. If you've been watching Pistol on Disney+, Danny Boyle's reimagining of the Sex Pistols' story via Steve Jones' book Lonely Boy, you might be wondering how much is real? A two-week technicians strike in the summer of 1975 shut down the whole of ITV with the technicians being bought off with a 35% pay rise. Thames was bullish after losing, since the company had made confidential contingency plans, which involved 1,000 redundancies and the closure of the Euston Road facility. Hill himself said "I didn't mind them sacking me; but I did expect a bit more of a pat on the back, after all I had been there for 20 years". [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. Bill Grundy. The auction method used to conduct the new franchise round was a significant change from previous rounds and was brought about by the Broadcasting Act 1990. The Times, Tuesday, 30 November 1982, Carlton chases Thames shares to 40p premium. See MoreSee Less, David Bowie's handwritten Jean Genie lyrics sold for 57,000, edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.htmlMore sad news 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'." The London weekday/weekend split schedule remained the same, although the weekend contract was extended to include Friday evenings, but was opened to new applicants. Philip was the continuity announcer who ushered in Thames Television's first show in 1968 - and its last one just a year ago, when Carlton took its place as from 1st January 1993. The show at its peak had 21 million viewers, while the last episode had nine million. A programme on Harold Lloyd (The Third Genius) followed in 1989. See MoreSee Less, The Nostalgia Central website has been a labour of love for me since 1998. The structure of the new company was also a problem. 17 December 1992. The air turned blue as Johnny Rotten and his pals effed and blinded while Bill goaded them to go further and further . In 1978, Thames secured a contract with Morecambe & Wise. Des Withey has worked for me on Radio Seagull for over two years. 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 first presenters were . Alford, Sally. reporter. 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. ThamesTelevision issued an apology, Grundy was suspended for two weeks, and theTodayprogramme was scrapped five months later. Instead, after an impressive application by a consortium led by David Frost and others, this market was awarded to what became London Weekend Television. Good Afternoon! The group started answering the phones and dishing out even more abuse. Additional episodes of network productions were screened to help clear the backlog, since no outside programmes were broadcast. 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