✎ Crushing your hopes at Christmas 

19 December 2016 tbs.pm/10562

Back in the days when ITV’s week was split between different companies in the main areas, how did they deal with Christmas and other such holidays?

The answer is: they carried on as normal.

If Christmas Day fell on a Saturday, ATV London and ABC North and Midlands presented your programmes. If it fell on a Wednesday, Rediffusion, ATV Midlands and Granada presented your programmes.

When the splits were abolished and Thames and LWT divided the week between them, it made no difference either. If Christmas Day fell on a weekday, Thames did it. If it fell on the weekend, LWT did it. And if it fell on a Friday, Thames did it until 7pm/5.15pm (1968-1981/1982-1992) and then LWT took over.

Just like normal.

“Ah but!”, people cry, “the weekend people did it in the weekday studio/under the weekday name. Or vice versa!”

Nope.

“Yeah, but,” they add, “the presentation was handed over to X company in Y region and they did it.”

Nope.

“And,” they quickly insert, “different arrangements applied at {{New Years|Easter|Bank Holiday Monday}}”.

Nope.

“BUT! Regionally, in the regions, different rules applies and sometimes Company X would…”

Nope.

Sorry.

It sounds great. But the world – and the ITV system – didn’t work like that.

Merry Christmas.

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You Say

1 response to this article

Greg Taylor 24 December 2022 at 8:26 pm

This is why when Morecambe and Wise moved to Thames only the first three Christmas Specials actually transmitted on christmas day.

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