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Midlands Montage package - 1974

In the mid-1970s, ATV commissioned a package of jingles from Johnny Pearson, which included new daily start-up music and a new ident to replace Zoom 2. Here's part of that package. Also, buy our book now for November delivery: transdiffusion.org/atv-show-book/

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It's 1974 and the prospect of competition from the new BRMB looms, so ATV decides to refresh their look and sound. Out goes 'Sir Lew Grade March' and in comes Johnny Pearson's 'Midland Montage' (first

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Reposted by TRANSDIFFUSI⭕️N

The crowdfunder begins! Our massive ATV book can be yours in November for just £25! #ATVShowBook --> transdiffusion.org/atv-show-book/

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Jeremy Rogers @jezmrogers.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

That is a supremely good question, and one that BBC Radio 4 might like to consider now.

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The Light Programme schedule here would have been very much recognisable ten years earlier in the 1950s in outline if not exact details. Stable or stagnant?

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archivetvmusings @archivetvmusings.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

'The Mysterons', the first episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, was originally broadcast on this day in 1967. "Captain Scarlet is indestructible. You are not. Remember this. Do not try to imitate him."

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(Your periodic reminder that the name means "there's an emergency on ward 10" not "there are at least 10 emergency wards in this hospital" — The Grauniad has a habit of not grasping this and calling it "Emergency Ward: 10")

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You may note that 'Emergency — Ward 10' relaunches tonight. Previously much more like a soap opera, its new format is more like modern day 'Casualty', largely self-contained 55-minute episodes replacing the ongoing 25-minute stories it had done for the last 950 episodes.

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Radio Luxembourg is at the height of its powers at this time, as the off-shore stations are very hard to get clearly far inland — which by definition the Midlands is — and Radio 1 isn't on the horizon yet, so there's not much pop to be found for landlocked teens.

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The Midland Home Service region at this time is huge, going from the Welsh border to the Wash, so there's an opt-out on VHF only for news headlines for the very distinct East Anglia area at 6.10pm which these listings suggest is to be heard across the entire region.

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Evening programmes for today 60 years ago from the Shropshire Star. The amount of programme variations between ATV and Granada are huge — enough that it's almost redundant for the Star to list Granada's stuff "as ATV except…"

A page of TV and radio listings, in the order ATV, BBC-1, Granada (as ATV except) and BBC-2; radio is Midland Home Service, the Light Programme, the Third Network (Third Programme plus the "Radio Everything Else" sweepings on the frequency, as opposed to Network Three, which is everything else except the Third Programme) and Luxy. Last night's Tomorrow's World gets a capsule review; Bill Smith reviews tonight's documentary on inventors on BBC-1 at 9pm, the relaunch of Emergency: Ward 10, and Rediffusion's Hippodrome variety series made for export.

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Fixed! The PHP parser since version 8 came along has been a very delicate little flower. There was an @ in a link and it fell apart over the very thought of it.

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The crowdfunder begins! Our massive ATV book can be yours in November for just £25! #ATVShowBook --> transdiffusion.org/atv-show-book/

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A look at what was on TV and radio in the Midlands 70 years ago today, from the Birmingham Post and the Coventry Evening Telegraph. Sloppy compositing at the Telegraph: the 8.15 swimming is actually on the BBC, while This Week is being described using its slogan rather than its name.

Birmingham Post listings for the Light Programme, Midland Home Service, BBCtv, and ATV; regional variations for the London (properly, 'basic'), North, Wales and West Homes Service; and, as an afterthought, the Third Programme.

Coventry Evening Telegraph listings for the Midland Home Service and the Light and Third Programmes, BBCtv and ATV. The Toddlers Truce is still in effect: no TV between 6pm and 7pm so children will not be distracted from their bedtimes.

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Dr Jamiebear 🏳️‍🌈 @jamiebear.uk · 26/09/2026

The (scant) surviving footage suggests that Thorpe was close to, if not on par with, Kennedy and Day in having a talent for television. Likely better than, say, Foot and Driberg, who were also popular with early ITV discussion and current affairs output, and much above the bumptious Boothby.

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I mean, THIS ⬇️, from 3:39 if it doesn't go to it, is one of the most exciting things that ever happened ever in the history of everything, and I am unanimous in that.

youtu.be

Central presents... | 18 May 1983

YouTube video by Transdiffusion Broadcasting System

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We will be pushing this *hard* on social media. On here, we'll try to remember to tag each post advertising it with #ATVShowBook, so — after you've bought your copy, obviously 😜 — please feel free to mute that hashtag if the posts drive you insane. We won't mind, but Lew Grade's ghost may haunt you.

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CROWDFUNDER STARTS NEXT WEEK! 248-page softback book (21x28cm) featuring articles from ATV's 50s & 60s "Show Books", staff newsletters and publicity material. It charts the history of ATV and ITC 1955–81. £25 inc p&p worldwide. The crowdfunder will run for a month, with delivery before Christmas.

Front cover. From the final draft, which is why those of you with eyes like a rat will see elements of the background poking through into the foreground. That's not in the final version, it's a quirk of Adobe's InDesign software. Please form an orderly queue to complain about Adobe's software, as well *all* have complaints.

The index, so you can check if your favourite show or star is included. This page: 64,000 Question to Keith, Brian.

The index, so you can check if your favourite show or star is included. This page: Kelly, Barbara to Zoo Gang, The.

The back cover, because who doesn't like a huge shadowed eye, hey? Fools, that's who.

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