Television & Radio 1978

THAMES TELEVISION

London
Weekdays

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Thames Television Limited is the company which, under agreement with the Independent Broadcasting Authority, provides the television programmes in London on weekdays from Monday to 7 pm Friday.

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Thames Television House, 306-316 Euston Road, London NW1 3BB
Tel: 01-387 9494
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. Howard Thomas, CBE (Chairman); Bryan Cowgill (Managing Director); Mrs Mary Baker; John T Davey, FCA; D R W Dicks; H S L Dundas. DSO, DFC; Jeremy Isaacs (Director of Programmes); Sir John Read; Ian M Scott, CA (Director of Finance and General Manager, Teddington); James F Shaw (Director of Sales); T H Tilling; Colin S Wills, MA, FCA (Assistant Managing Director).

Executives. Ben E Marr, CA (Company Secretary); R G J Godfrey (Studios and Engineering Director); F J Atkinson (Controller, Studio Operations); Donald Cullimore (Controller, Public Relations); John Hambley (Controller, Advertising and Publications); R J Hughes (Sales Controller); Philip Jones (Controller of Light Entertainment); Verity Lambert (Controller of Drama); Geoffrey Lugg (Controller, Programme Planning and Liaison); Ian Martin (Controller of Features, Education and Religion); Malcolm Morris (Controller, Programme Department); John O’Keefe (Controller, Staff Relations); Eric E Parry (Controller, Programme Services); A C Parkinson (Controller, Administration); Grahame Turner (Controller of Outside Broadcasts); Sue Turner (Controller of Children’s Programmes); Peter Pagnamenta (Head of Current Affairs); Mike Wooller (Head of Documentaries); Max Lawson, FCA (Chief Accountant); Brian G Scott, C Eng, MIEE (Chief Engineer); Douglas Thornes (Research and Marketing Services Manager).

Thames Television International Limited (for programme sales) – Muir Sutherland (Managing Director).

Enquiries. Enquiries about artists and programmes should be addressed to Viewers’ Correspondence. Thames Television House. 306-316 Euston Road, London NW1 3BB.

Sales and Marketing. Thames operates a full marketing and merchandising service and offers special rates for local advertisers, holiday and travel advertisers, etc. Details are available from the Sales Controller.

Programmes. Thames Television’s area covers over 11 million people in and around London from Monday morning to 7.00 p.m. on Friday. But the company’s fame reaches throughout the world. In 1976 for instance, Thames achieved a double international honour by winning the prestigious Prix Italia for documentary with Beauty, Bonny, Daisy, Violet, Grace and Geoffrey Morton, and for drama, with The Naked Civil Servant. And in the same month, the company bought a week on WOR-TV, New York’s Channel 9, and showed New Yorkers nothing but Thames programmes – a project that captured that city’s imagination and resulted in the opening of important new markets for Thames programmes.

All this international fame was achieved with programmes made specifically for British viewers. Thames’ contract covers the whole range of television, and most of its drama, light entertainment and children’s programmes are made in the riverside studios at Teddington, while the documentary and current affairs programmes come from the Company’s headquarters at Euston. The outside broadcast units, from their base at Hanworth, near Teddington, cover many major events -from Royal occasions to sport, from beauty contests to motor exhibitions – as well as servicing productions that need video cameras on location.

Working from its own base at Hammersmith is Euston Films, the fourth important element of Thames’ production structure which uses locations to make successful film drama programmes like The Sweeney and Van der Valk. As well as pleasing viewers abroad, and winning major overseas awards, Thames has also regularly won the top British prizes – winning awards in recent years from the Broadcasting Press Guild, and from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Royal Television Society. But the main aim is still to please British viewers, and in terms of ratings, Thames Television programmes remain dominant.

DRAMA: Single plays – ITV Playhouse; The Sweeney; Special Branch; Van der Valk; Rock Follies; London Belongs to Me; The Norman Conquests; Hazell; Armchair Thriller; Rooms; Romance; The Naked Civil Servant; Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill; Shades of Greene; Bill Brand; Moody and Pegg; Public Eye; Six Days of Justice; Life and Death of Penelope. CHILDREN’S: Fanfare; Chorlton and the Wheelies; Jamie and the Magic Torch; Michael Bentine’s Potty Time; Mice and Mendelson. LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT – COMEDY: Man About the House; Robin’s Nest; George and Mildred; Get Some In; Bless This House; What’s On Next; The Fuzz; The Upchat Line; Odd Man Out; Spring and Autumn; The Howerd Confessions. VARIETY AND SPECIALS: This Is Your Life; Opportunity Knocks; The Benny Hill Show; Night Out at the London Casino; Wednesday at Eight; The Tommy Steele Show; The Tommy Cooper Show; Bring on the Girls; Bruce and More Girls; The Tom O’Connor Show. PANEL SHOWS: Whodunnit; Looks Familiar; Quick on the Draw; There Goes That Song Again, CURRENT AFFAIRS: This Week; Thames at 6; Tuesday Documentary; Mind Your Own Business; People and Politics. FEATURES: After Noon; London Scene; Mavis; Glad Day (A celebration of William Blake); Superman and the Bride; Our School and Hard Times. OUTSIDE BROADCASTS: Darts; Racing; Football; Drive-In (motoring magazine); Sportscene (weekly sports magazine programme); Specials (Royal events, Royal Command Performances, Drama and Film Awards, beauty contests, astrology, Pub Entertainer of the Year, circuses); Wish You Were Here…?; International Snooker; Kitchen Garden; A Town Called…. SCHOOLS: Seeing and Doing; Finding Out; Romeo and Juliet; It’s Life with David Bellamy; It’s More Life; Writer’s Workshop; The English Programme; French Studies; Music Round; The World Around Us. ADULT EDUCATION: Could Do Better? RELIGION: Close (late night religious programmes through the year); Christmas Services; Christmas Special; Lord of the Dance; The Fruits of the Tree; Not Just Sundays; Help!; Double Helping; The Story of Job; Get Out and Push; Matter of Morals; Faith in Place; Christmas Pie; St Nicolas Cantata; Drawing to an End.