Television & Radio 1981

THAMES TELEVISION
LONDON WEEKDAYS

Thames Television House,
306-316 Euston Road, LONDON NW1 3BB
Tel: 01-387 9494
International House,
149 Tottenham Court Road,
LONDON W1P 9LL
Tel: 01-388 5199
Teddington Studios, Teddington Lock,
TEDDINGTON, Middlesex, TW11 9NT
Tel: 01-977 3252
Sales Office: Norfolk House,
Smallbrook Queensway,
BIRMINGHAM B5 4LJ Tel: 021-643 9151

Directors. The Rt Hon Lord Barnetson (Chairman); Bryan Cowgill (Managing Director); Mrs Mary Baker; The Lord Brabourne; John T Davey; Ronald M Denny; H S L Dundas, CBE; J M Kuipers; Sir John Read; Nigel Ryan, CBE (Director of Programmes); Ian M Scott (Deputy Managing Director & Director of Finance); James F Shaw (Director of Sales & Marketing); Colin S Wills.

Executives. Ben Marr (Company Secretary and Director of Administration); Donald Cullimore (Public Relations Director); Richard Dunn (Production Resources Director); R G Godfrey (Engineering and Technical Director); Philip Jones (Director, Light Entertainment); John O’Keefe (Industrial Relations Director); Peter Pagnamenta (Development Director); Roy Addison (Chief Press and Public Relations Officer); Ronald Allison (Controller, Sports and OBs); F Atkinson (Technical Controller); Paul Cheffins (Controller, Sales Administration); John Frankau (Controller of Drama); John Hambley (Controller, Children’s Programmes, and Chief Executive Cosgrove Hall Productions); Mike Harvey (Controller, Publicity); Ian Howard (Controller of Contracts); Derek Hunt (Assistant Director of Finance); Tony Jones (Controller, Business Development Sales); Verity Lambert (Chief Executive, Euston Films Ltd); Max Lawson (Assistant Director of Finance); Geoffrey Lugg (Head of Programme Liaison); Pat Mahoney (Head of Purchased Programmes); Ian Martin (Controller, Features, Education and Religion); Malcolm Morris (Controller, Programme Administration); A C Parkinson (Controller, Administration); Eric E Parry (Controller, Programme Services); Tim Riordan (Controller, Planning and Presentation); Barrie Sales (Director of News and Current Affairs); Brian G Scott (Chief Engineer); Ken Smallwood (Head of Staff Relations); Derek Stevenson (Controller, Sales); Douglas Thornes (Controller, Sales Research and Development); Mike Wooler (Head of Documentaries); Jack Andrews (Controller, Programme Administration); William Goddard (Head of Presentation).

Thames Television International (for Programme Sales). Howard Thomas, CBE (Chairman); Muir Sutherland (Managing Director); Joe McCann (Controller Television Sales); Mike Phillips (Controller, Business Affairs).

Programmes. Thames Television’s area covers thirteen million people in and around London from Monday morning to 7p.m. on Friday. But the company’s fame reaches throughout the world. In 1980 Thames won an American Emmy for its drama series Edward and Mrs Simpson; the Press Jury Prize Award at the world’s top light entertainment festival in Montreux with Eric Sykes’ comedy The Plank; the Prix Italia (the company’s fifth overall, and its third for documentary) with Creggan, a documentary observation of life in the Roman Catholic district of Londonderry. In recent years, Thames has twice bought weeks on American TV stations – once in New York, once in Los Angeles – to showcase its productions to American viewers.

Comedy stars like Benny Hill and Kenny Everett, dramas like Edward and Mrs Simpson and Danger UXB, and documentaries like Hollywood have all helped to bring recognition of Thames’ name in the USA, notoriously the most difficult market for British TV, as well as in other countries; and all this international fame and success was achieved with programmes made specifically for British viewers.

Most of Thames’ programmes are made in the riverside studios at Teddington, while others come from the company’s headquarters at Euston. The outside broadcast units, from their base at Hanworth, near Teddington, cover many major events. Working from its own independent base at Euston is Euston Films, the fourth important element of Thames’ production structure. As well as pleasing viewers abroad, and winning major overseas awards, Thames has regularly won top British prizes – including awards in recent years from the Broadcasting Press Guild, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Royal Television Society. But the main aim remains to please British viewers.

DRAMA: Armchair Thriller; Danger UXB; Rumpole of the Bailey; Edward and Mrs Simpson; Minder; Macbeth; Love in a Cold Climate; Born and Bred; Fox; The Knowledge. CHILDREN’S: Rainbow; Fanfare for Young Musicians; Sooty; Paperplay; We’ll Tell You A Story; Just So Stories; Smith and Goody; The Squad; Free Time; White Light; The Pied Piper of Hamelin. LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT-COMEDY: The Kenny Everett Video Show; Robin’s Nest; George and Mildred; Shelley; The Plank; Rhubarb; Grundy; Cowboys; Just Liz; Jim Davidson; Tommy Cooper. VARIETY AND SPECIALS: Quincy’s Quest; The Janet Brown Show; This is Your Life; Morecambe and Wise; The Benny Hill Show; London Night Out; Bernie; Lingalongamax. PANEL SHOWS: Give us a Clue; Looks Familiar. CURRENT AFFAIRS: TV Eye; Thames News; Inside Business; Thames Report; Thames Debate. DOCUMENTARIES: Hollywood; Sport of Kings; Murphy’s Stroke; Only in America. SPORTS AND OUTSIDE BROADCASTS: Football; Racing; Snooker; Darts; Showjumping; Gymnastics; Swimming; Boxing. SPECIALS: The World Disco Dancing Championships; Wish You Were Here…?; Star Games; Star Gardens; Big Top Variety Show; Britain’s Strongest Man; Miss World. FEATURES: After Noon Plus; Money Go Round; Help!; Song and Dance; The Hands of Katherine Stott; Thames Arts; The Telethon; Swan Lake; Rudolf Nureyev. SCHOOLS: Seeing and Doing; Finding Out; Writer’s Workshop; About Books; The English Programme; The French Programme; The German Programme; Music Round; Botanic Man; History of the Future. ADULT EDUCATION: Our People; The English Garden; An Exceptional Child; The John Smith Show. RELIGION: Christmas Pie; 1980 The Cross; Journey’s End; Close; Christians Under Fire; Young Messiah; Cardinal Hume; The Guinea Pig Club.