ITV Telethon

[Philheybrookbay]

I remember all 3 Telethons but the one which stands out is 1990- it was a lovely Bank Holiday and as if to support, the Tour of Britain cycling race finished in Plymouth City Centre, so you had that event and the excitement around Derrys Cross and TSW.

TSWs presentation was very basic- blank studio with an enormous £ sign with the total across the middle. But it was my first time in a TV studio and I think I appeared on screen from the TSW garden as well!

[James Martin]

Yes, I remember 1990 being a roasting hot day - Mum was in the garden moaning there was no Corrie on. I couldn't believe how Michael Aspel was still going.

It's impossible to comprehend how much energy and fitness that sort of thing must take. I mean, I can't imagine Michael was rehearsing all day up to 19:30 - you'd surely need to sleep until as late as possible? One imagines he got to snooze during the pre-recs, particularly overnight.

[Ben]

There now follows a detailed descripition...

I used to have most of the TVS regional bits from Telethon '90. Basically around about every half hour or so there were regional opts which were essentially typical 90's telethon stuff - local celebrities, bands from the area and comedians you've never heard of mixed with silly charity attempts like the typical sitting in baked beans.

TVS being a dual region had two opts. One from Southampton and one from Maidstone. But they then had a joint bit from Brighton seafront with Matthew Kelly and the totaliser was also joint from a BT office elsewhere.

Also of note I never had much from overnight but I think the host of TVS' nighttime strand Late Night Late took over presenting and there were kids sleeping out under cardboard boxes for the night. The overnight stuff was all from Southampton.

In the morning during TVam airtime the breakbumper (usually the TVS logo) disappeared which leads me to believe either TVam still got its ad revenue or it was an agreement, in London I think TVam presenters like Timmy Mallet were in the studio and Micheal Aspell took a break for a while and was replaced by Gareth 'Gaz Top' Jones.

For the TVS opts they made use of every bit of their studios, receptions, car parks etc. They clearly put a huge amount of effort in to them.

The 1992 Telethon was different as it was more like various special films and programmes - alot more like modern day Children In Need and Comic Relief.

Meridian continued the Charitable Trust after TVS and they used to do a programme called Meridian Spotlight (I think) which was less Telethon but focused on a certain need - can't really remember what. They also ran other campaigns like getting the older generations online (Meridian Mouse). This became the Public Service Broadcasting Trust which is possibly still going and has run charity campaigns across ITV regional news.

[Markymark]

I remember the 88 Telethon, our company did an event in the local shopping centre to raise money for it. A producer from TVS visited us a few weeks beforehand to arrange branding and promotional material. We also shot the event, used wireless mics (which interfered with the TVs in the nearby TV rental shops :twisted: ) and gave TVS a Betacam tape of the highlights. Someone who lived in Southampton dropped it off at their studios that night.

I can't for the life of me remember what the actual event was, I was too busy organising the technical side of things. That's normal, I've been to Premiership football matches, and couldn't tell you the score, or the name of the opposing team hock:

[James Martin]

Did Central split their bits?

Also, how did Channel get their contributions onto the network? Furthermore, one assumes they would have had to share a number with TVS or some crude blanking of the TVS number straps would have been required?

[Steve in Pudsey]

[As you say London had its own bits presented mainly mainly by presenters only really known in London - Danny Baker, Emma Freud etc One was from the Connaught Rooms in Holborn which stuck in my head for some reason and it was only years later when I used to go into the pub opposite that I realised where it was. Hays Galleria was another location it came from.

That's interesting - I think we established in a previous thread at the old place that LWT did the network stuff and Thames produced the regional opts - despite it being the weekend. I would have thought Baker and co were more LWT faces than Thames.

[Markymark]

[As you say London had its own bits presented mainly mainly by presenters only really known in London - Danny Baker, Emma Freud etc One was from the Connaught Rooms in Holborn which stuck in my head for some reason and it was only years later when I used to go into the pub opposite that I realised where it was. Hays Galleria was another location it came from.

That's interesting - I think we established in a previous thread at the old place that LWT did the network stuff and Thames produced the regional opts - despite it being the weekend. I would have thought Baker and co were more LWT faces than Thames.

I suppose it could have been an extension of the '6 O'Clock Show' 'vibe', which in the (savvy type) public's mind was an ecumenical Thames/LWT joint effort ?

[Humphrey Hacker]

Gosh, parts of the 1992 Telethon really were phoned in weren't they, such as the film overnight? With four of the franchises on death row by that point I suppose it was inevitable. It's stated in Morning Glory that TV-AM had by that point gone into "What are you gonna do, revoke the franchise?" mode hence all they offered up was the cartoon strand (although as I've said before you've got to remember Ian Jones clearly didn't like TV-AM or specifically Bruce Gyngell.)

Can't say I noticed any particular nastiness from Jones in the book towards TV-AM.

[Robertclark125]

[As you say London had its own bits presented mainly mainly by presenters only really known in London - Danny Baker, Emma Freud etc One was from the Connaught Rooms in Holborn which stuck in my head for some reason and it was only years later when I used to go into the pub opposite that I realised where it was. Hays Galleria was another location it came from.

That's interesting - I think we established in a previous thread at the old place that LWT did the network stuff and Thames produced the regional opts - despite it being the weekend. I would have thought Baker and co were more LWT faces than Thames.

Certainly in 1992, Michael Aspel did say during regional round ups, "Let's see what's happening at London, as we join Judith Chalmers and Frank Bough at Thames".

In 1988, Scottish does their opt outs at the Glasgow Garden Festival, but I also think they had a studio set aside at Cowcaddens as well. Paul Coia did host some bits from the Garden Festival.

[Inspector Sands]

That's interesting - I think we established in a previous thread at the old place that LWT did the network stuff and Thames produced the regional opts - despite it being the weekend. I would have thought Baker and co were more LWT faces than Thames.

It might well have been that Thames did the regional segments, but it doesn't mean that those appearing on screen were all Thames faces. These were the days when there were London regional names, mostly unknown outside

Here's a trailer promoting the London Telethon coverage in 88, it's a mixture of Thames, LWT and LBC people. Emma Freud at the time presented Night Network for LWT*. I don't know who the woman with Danny Baker** is or 'Helena' who's with Michael Wilson, he presented The City Programme for Thames at the time***.

https://youtu.be/KWKY89LIzYQ


*later that year she had a daily radio show on BBC GLR.
** Who would have been coming to the end of his time on The 6 O Clock Show. He and Emma Freud had a shortlived consumer show on Thames around this time, and he started at GLR the year afterwards, and returned to LWT for 6 o Clock Live
*** Michael Wilson soon off to Sky and later was a launch presenter on LBCs replacement

[Markymark]

I wonder what the Telethon 'sustaining feed' was ? If there was one, or perhaps it was just the 'London' opt, a lá 'BBC' style operation ? (Not that the ITV network routinely had such a thing anyway of course)

[Inspector Sands]

TVS being a dual region had two opts. One from Southampton and one from Maidstone. But they then had a joint bit from Brighton seafront with Matthew Kelly and the totaliser was also joint from a BT office elsewhere.

I remember that we popped down to Brighton for a day out on the day the Telethon started and there was a massive TVS logo standing on the beach next to the pier and the OB being set up. Never saw it on air though as we lived in London


To make up for that weak anecdote here's Dennis Norden's bit from Telethon 90 showing Telethon outtakes, including the HTV sound issue:
https://youtu.be/Ohj0-SK12N4

[Steve in Pudsey]

I wonder what the Telethon 'sustaining feed' was ? If there was one, or perhaps it was just the 'London' opt, a lá 'BBC' style operation ? (Not that the ITV network routinely had such a thing anyway of course)

Other than TVS as a sustaining feed for Channel by default I can't imagine they would need one any more than they would for the 6pm regional news or any other regional programme?

[Robertclark125]

Here's the ending of the 1992 Telethon. I was actually pleased when it ended, as I was looking forward to the next programme, the game being Australia v New Zealand!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGyrWKUqwis

But in a serious note, you can't help but wonder if ITV would've attempted another Telethon, had the franchises stayed the same after the 1991 auction.

[Markymark]

I wonder what the Telethon 'sustaining feed' was ? If there was one, or perhaps it was just the 'London' opt, a lá 'BBC' style operation ? (Not that the ITV network routinely had such a thing anyway of course)

Other than TVS as a sustaining feed for Channel by default I can't imagine they would need one any more than they would for the 6pm regional news or any other regional programme?

Probably not, no. Depends how 'scheduled' the opt slots were, and how much notice was given, (so there might have been the risk of missing a slot) but no different to the ad beaks every 20 to 30 mins in a live show anyway