The girls in Viewer Correspondence, Television House, do not only answer letters. They also provide the studio audiences for Thames productions and these totalled over 60,000 people last year. Audiences range in size from four to four thousand and in age, from four to eighty-four. Sometimes it even matters whether they are fat or thin, short or tall!

The most reliable audiences are those who hire coaches and these parties usually comprise two-thirds of the total number of people invited because the party organiser will endeavour to make sure the coach is full to cover hire costs. Of course, at Television House people can be “dragged in” off the street, willingly or unwillingly, to fill a studio but at Teddington the small number of passers-by would make this a long job and, anyway, such audiences cannot be expected to be the most suitable for the show.

With productions scheduled at Euston in November, June Chaplin and Carol Kyd decided that it would be a good idea to get to know the neighbours. During August they spent several profitable days calling on the Personnel Officers and Social Club Secretaries of large companies near Thames Television House. Receiving a friendly reception everywhere they found themselves answering many questions about Thames productions and future plans. They now have a long list of people eager to attend shows during the day, or early in the evening, the times when it is difficult to arrange for suitable coach parties to travel into Central London.

June and Carol also collected information which may interest those shortly to move to Euston. Thames Television House is situated between Great Portland Street and Warren Street Underground stations. There is a Post Office directly opposite the building and several banks have branches in the vicinity. Practically next door is a Wimpy Bar with a ladies’ hairdresser above and the pub just around the comer, ‘The Cock’, looks pleasant. Tesco’s supermarket in Goodge Street is only a 15 minute walk but most of the housewives working in the area shop in Camden High Street. This is a short ride on a No. 27 or 137 bus, a frequent service from right outside our front door.

And if you feel like a laugh one lunch hour, grab your beads, your favourite record, and visit ‘Cornucopia’ at the comer of Ridinghouse and Nassau Streets!

From left to right: Rosemary Harper, Christine Davies, Rosane Chapman, June Chaplin, Carol Kyd, Janice Benjamin and Francis Casemore.

About the author

June Roberts was the editor of the Thames Television house newspaper, Talk of THAMES

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