Timeline of Thames Television

This is a timeline of the history of Thames Television and its predecessor Associated-Rediffusion.

Associated Rediffusion
  • 1955
    • 22 September – At 7.15 pm, ITV goes on air for the first time when Associated-Rediffusion starts broadcasting on weekdays to the London area.
  • 1956
    • 6 January – The first edition of current affairs programme This Week is broadcast.
  • 1957 to 1963
    • No events.
  • 1964
    • 6 April – The name Associated-Rediffusion is dropped in favour of Rediffusion London, to reflect the cultural changes of the time, and output altered accordingly.[1]
  • 1965
    • No events.
  • 1966
    • No events.
  • 1967
    • October – The Independent Television Authority announces that there was no place for Rediffusion in the redrawn franchise pattern.[2] Also, ABC Television loses all its franchises along with the rights to take over the Midlands, held by ATV, or the London Weekend franchise, awarded to the London Television Consortium. ABPC, the parent company of ABC and BET, the parent company of Rediffusion, created Thames as a separate entity. Rediffusion's parent company, BET, takes a 49% stake in Thames, and was under-represented in the management of the new company – a state of affairs to which Rediffusion strongly objected. The ITA replied that either Thames or ABC take over. Rediffusion chose Thames.[3][4]
  • 1968
    • 29 July – Rediffusion London's last night on air.

Thames

1960s
  • 1968
  • 1969
    • 17 November – Thames begins broadcasting in colour.
    • 19 November – Thames revives This Is Your Life, five years after it disappeared from BBC screens.

1970s
  • 1970
    • Following the launch of colour broadcasts, Thames’ famous ident is given a makeover and the drawings are replaced by photographs. It was to be used for the next 19 years.[5]
  • 1971
    • No events.
  • 1972
    • 16 October – Following a law change which removed all restrictions on broadcasting hours, ITV is able to launch an afternoon service.
  • 1973
    • 31 October – The first of 26 episodes of The World at War is broadcast. It took four years to produce.
  • 1974
    • No events.
  • 1975
    • No events.
  • 1976
    • 1 December – Bill Grundy’s infamous interview with The Sex Pistols takes place on Thames’ teatime magazine show Today.
  • 1977
    • May – A strike occurs when production assistants at Thames refuse to operate new video equipment. Thames proceeded to sack all the technicians for breach of contract. The following month, both sides backed down over the issues, with all technicians returning to work.
    • 12 September – Today is replaced by a more conventional news magazine Thames at Six.[6]
  • 1978
    • 5 September – Thames launches a lunchtime regional news bulletin.
  • 1979
    • 6 August – A strike, initiated at Thames, spreads to the entire ITV network, apart from Channel, forcing ITV off air for ten weeks.
    • 25 September – This Week ends its first run. It is replaced for the next seven years by TV Eye.
    • Thames News at Six is renamed Thames News.

1980s
  • 1980
    • 28 April – A late night Thames News bulletin is launched. It had originally been planned to launch at the same time as the lunchtime bulletin but was delayed due to union problems.
  • 1981
    • No events.
  • 1982
    • 1 January –
      • Thames (and LWT) are no longer able to broadcast to north west Kent due to the Bluebell Hill transmitter near Maidstone being transferred to the new Television South, as part of the creation of the south and south east franchise.[7]
      • Thames loses 105 minutes of transmission time on Fridays when the handover to LWT is moved back from 7 pm to 5.15 pm.
    • 8 January – Due to the earlier Friday start, LWT becomes contractually responsible for providing a Friday London news service. Rather than launch its own news service, LWT pays Thames to provide a 15-minute insert into The Six O'Clock Show, LWT’s Friday teatime magazine. The bulletin is called Thames Weekend News.
  • 1983
    • 1 February – Following the launch of ITV’s breakfast television service, TV-am, Thames’ broadcast day now begins at 9:25 am.
  • 1984
    • 27 August – The first of two strikes over new shift patterns takes place.[8] It is resolved on 3 September.
    • 16 October – The Bill launches as a regular programme, just over a year after a one-off episode – Woodentop – was shown.
    • 17 October – Another strike begins over the same issue, and also over new technologies. By the 3rd day a management-operated schedule had been introduced.
    • 3 November – The strike finally ends, after 62 film editors agreed to the new conditions, while the ACTT agreed as well to start negotiations about the introductions of new technology. Additional episodes of network productions were screened to help clear the backlog.[9]
    • The Thames ident is computerised.[10]
  • 1985
    • 3 January – The last day of transmission using the 405-lines system.
    • January – Thames does a deal with the international distributors for US production company Lorimar to purchase the UK broadcasting rights for US drama Dallas, at that time transmitted on BBC1. This broke a gentlemen's agreement between the two sides not to poach each other's imported shows.
  • 1986
    • 11 September – After a seven year hiatus, This Week returns.
  • 1987
    • 1 June – Thames launches Thames Into the Night, broadcasting until around 4am. Consequently, Thames no longer broadcasts its end of day epilogue Night Thoughts.
    • 17 August – Thames begins 24-hour transmissions.
    • 7 September – Following the transfer of ITV Schools to Channel 4, ITV provides a full morning programme schedule, with advertising, for the first time. The new service includes regular five-minute national and regional news bulletins.
  • 1988
    • At the start of 1988, weekend contractor LWT launches its own regional news service, ending the agreement whereby Thames produced the Friday evening regional news insert into LWT’s Friday night magazine programme The Six O'Clock Show.
    • 8 April – Thames transmits the controversial documentary Death on the Rock as part of its This Week series.
  • 1989
    • July – To mark its 21st anniversary, the famous skyline ident is replaced with a new logo.[11]
    • 1 September – Thames adopts the new corporate ITV logo.[12]

1990s
  • 1990
    • 3 September – Thames launches what will be its final ident.[13]
  • 1991
    • April – Thames, in conjunction with LWT, launches a new overnight strand ITV Night Time.[14]
    • 16 October – Thames loses its ITV licence to Carlton Television due to it not being the highest bidder.[15]
  • 1992
    • Spring – To try to continue as a television broadcaster, Thames gets involved with a bid for the new Channel 5 licence. [16] The bid is unsuccessful when the Independent Television Commission rejected it on concerns about its business plan and investor backing.[17]
    • 1 November – Thames joins with the BBC to launch UK Gold. The channel shows programmes from the Thames and BBC archives.
    • 17 December – Ahead of the loss of its franchise, the final edition of the Thames Television-produced current affairs series This Week is broadcast.
    • 31 December – At 11:59 pm Thames stops broadcasting as after the chimes of Big Ben, the new licensee, Carlton Television takes over as franchise holder for London weekdays.
  • 1993
    • After losing its franchise, Thames continues to operate as a programme maker meaning that many of its popular shows continue to be seen. These include The Bill and This Is Your Life.
    • Summer – Thames is acquired by Pearson Television.[18]

See also

References
  1. TV Ark: Associated-Rediffusion
  2. Spencer Wills, John (19 December 1967). Statement to shareholders (Speech). Associated-Rediffusion AGM. Retrieved 2019-01-13 – via Transdiffusion's Rediffusion, London.
  3. TV Live: Thames Television
  4. TV Ark: Thames Television
  5. TV Live: Thames Idents
  6. TV Live: Thames News
  7. "Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) Full Freeview transmitter". ukfree.tv. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  8. Thames TV blackout goes on as unions meet. By Kenneth Gosling. The Times, Wednesday, 29 August 1984;
  9. TV film editors end strike. Barker, Dennis The Guardian (1959–2003); 3 November 1984
  10. Wiseman, Andrew; Buxton, Roddy (10 October 1997). "The Thames Logo Parade". 625.uk.com. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  11. TV Live: Thames Idents
  12. TV Live: Thames Idents
  13. TV Live: Thames Idents
  14. "TV Live – ITV Night Time". Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  15. ITV plc: History
  16. Melinda Wittstock "ITV franchise losers consider a joint bid for Channel 5", The Times, 22 October 1991
  17. Melinda Wittstock "Channel 5 bid fails on audience and income", The Times, 19 December 1992
  18. Last, Richard (9 Feb 1994). "Media: How Thames turned the tide: From failed franchisee to thriving 'indie' producer: there can be life after broadcasting death, as Richard Last witnessed". The Independent. Retrieved 11 Apr 2018.
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