Tonight’s Westward TV… in 1964 

4 October 2017 tbs.pm/13956

Look Westward tells us what was on Westward Television on Sunday 4 October 1964. Things worth noting include:

  • At the start of ITV, the minor companies found it quicker and easier to ‘affiliate’ with a major company for the supply of both network and optional programming. Instead of schlepping round from station to station, they could just buy the entire output of a larger company and save both time and money.
  • From today’s Westward schedule, it’s obvious who the south-western station station chose to ‘affiliate’ with on weekends: the output is almost entirely ABC productions, and what isn’t is being shown by ABC anyway.
  • The afternoon film – the bland 1944 RKO Radio Pictures spyflick Action in Arabia – is even credited as an ABC presentation, when items on film were generally given the local company’s imprint.
  • Westward do get their own output on air, with a 15 minute local news bulletin at 2.45pm aimed at farmers and country dwellers.
  • 4.50pm sees the now lost Hattie Jacques vehicle Miss Adventure. This was a fine 45-minute comedy series more in the mould of the Margaret Rutherford MGM Miss Marple films than Hattie’s now-famous roles in the Rank Carry On… series.
  • Westward’s second film of the day gives them a credit from presenting it. Alas it’s a 1947 Universal spaghetti noir, A Double Life. It’s a fine enough film, but a bit… hammy for 7.28pm on a Sunday while you’re waiting for the Palladium.
  • Enjoy Sylvia Syms and Jeremy Brett chewing the scenery in Armchair Theatre‘s ‘Something to Declare’ at 10.05pm – it’s your only chance. The recording is long since lost.
  • Westward are off air right about midnight (once the epilogue, look ahead to tomorrow, closedown and National Anthem have all played out), again following ABC’s pattern… although ABC had to be off by midnight (the ITV contracts fan from midnight to midnight: 12.01am is therefore officially ATV and Granada time). There was a little more flexibility for Westward as a 7-day company. However, Westward are straining at the daily limit for broadcasting anyway, even taking away the outside broadcasts and religion, so disappearing at midnight is their only choice.

External links

You Say

10 responses to this article

Arthur Nibble 4 October 2017 at 10:32 am

Very wonky typeface in the left hand column of that “Look Westward” cover, and what’s happened to the second “n” in Eamonn at the bottom?

Would it not have been more suitable to put the two farming programmes together instead of separating them with some basketball?

Rog Whittaker at this stage in his career, not Roger. He released six singles as Rog Whittaker on the Fontana label between 1962 and 1964 and changed his first name on record when he moved to the Columbia label.

Is this the first time during this run of TV listings that we’ve actually been shown the listing of acts in the Palladium show?

Jeremy Rogers 4 October 2017 at 2:01 pm

Look Westward typo alert. For Upper Hayward Sky Rings please read Upper Heyford Sky Kings.

Alan Keeling 4 October 2017 at 3:18 pm

The Robin Hood episode in the Sunday teatime slot is “Bride for an Outlaw”, episode 24 from the series’ final season (1958). The former Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Wheatley) is now replaced by the Deputy Sheriff, played by John Arnatt, and Nigel Davenport makes a guest appearance in this repeat.

Arthur Nibble 4 October 2017 at 4:51 pm

Only just noticed… a religious quiz at 6.35???

Mark Jeffries 4 October 2017 at 9:14 pm

And, it being an ATV production, one would assume Jerry Allen at the organ playing hymns for the contestants to identify.

David Rhodes 4 October 2017 at 11:10 pm

I thought the same as Arthur about the two farming programmes separated by basketball, but if the latter was being sent from ABC at 2.5, presumably Westward had to take it at that time or not at all, unless they had facilities to record it down the line and play it later – would those have existed in 1964? Also, American Basketball is surely stretching a point as a title!

The quiz at 6.35 is perhaps the forerunner to Keith Macklin’s Sunday Quiz from the early to mid 70s. About Religion appears to have been an umbrella title incorporating a range of programme types. More here: http://itv1963.retropia.co.uk/category/religion/ Presenter Derek Jewell is perhaps best known as presenter of Radio 3’s Sounds Interesting, an oddity which often featured rock LPs.

Note the appeal tucked away in the Godslot too – a frequent occurrence in the days before charities were allowed to pester us with tv advertising.

The Godshows weren’t fully networked, by the way. Anglia breaking away to do its own thing at 7.5 with In Our Time.

Finally, back to 1.38, and the Today programme’s Jack de Manio – famous for struggling with the studio clock – is your host for Citizenship. All recorded, so no pesky timechecks to deliver.

Jeremy Rogers 5 October 2017 at 10:41 am

“About Religion” was a flexible format programme by ATV that could be religious drama, documentary or discussion as well as a quiz. It alternated through most of the year with “The Sunday Break” from ABC, a similar feature miscellany. In this era there were generally 3 religious programmes totalling 70 minutes in the pattern as seen here: children, feature, music. “Voice of Melody” was produced by TWW as well as ATV.

Joanne Gray 5 October 2017 at 12:47 pm

Is the presenter of Farming Comment the same Stuart Seaton who presented Farming Outlook for Tyne Tees in the 70s and 80s?

Russ J Graham 5 October 2017 at 5:44 pm

Yes! He was president of the National Farmers’ Union, who to this day give awards to journalists – the Stuart Seaton Regional Newspaper of The Year and the like – in his name.

Paul Mason 7 October 2017 at 8:23 am

The 6.15 to 7.30 pm slot had to be devoted to religious output. Cue the radio pop pickers with Fluff Freeman on the Light Programme, later Radio 1 and 2 followed by the dreary Sing Something Simple.Ah the Sundays of my childhood.

Your comment

Enter it below

A member of the Transdiffusion Broadcasting System
Liverpool, Tuesday 19 March 2024