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Costa & Coop p68: Repeats on ITV3: Are there too many spoilers? (June 2016)

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WH
Whataday Founding member
Thames had one big factor against it - Thatcher, who never forgave them for making "Death on the Rock". Insiders at Thames said the 1991 franchise round arrangement was a vindictive way to make sure Thames would suffer and give Thatcher a victory against them for making that programme in 1988.


Yeah.. this is a bit of a myth along with the Granada/Coronation Street theory.

As has been discussed previously, the main route to winning a franchise was by working out what everyone else was bidding. A way to do this was to behave dynamically as a business, do a lot of networking, offer companies that were potential bidders things like production contracts, a stake in your business, or studio hire. Once you had an idea what you had to bid, you cut your cloth accordingly.

Thames did none of this and was pretty insular as a business, largely due to its indifferent owners.
TI
TIGHazard
Of course, Thatcher's favourite company, TV-am, ended up losing their franchise too.


And there's a clip on one of the videos where the owner of either TVS or TSW says "There's a sign in this studio complex which says "this building was opened by Margaret Thatcher". That sign will be now be coming down".
SW
Steve Williams
Phil Redmond has said that Granada Television had an air of pomposity and complacency with regard to the 1991 franchise round. They had a huge back catalogue of programming and local content, which they felt would ensure they would pass the quality threshold. North West TV didn't pass the threshold. I wonder why?

Phil Redmond from North West TV said that Yorkshire and Tyne Tees both won their franchises and pass their quality threshold in the 1991 auction. However these two companies backing him at North West TV didn't ensure they pass the quality threshold for the north west region made Phil Redmond smell a rat.


In Independent Television in Britain there's a long interview with George Russell from the ITC and he says the main reason why they failed the quality threshold was because they were planning to commission hundreds of hours of programmes from Mersey TV and it was felt unrealistic that what was still a relatively small company (which made Brookside and nothing else) would be able to do that. And while Yorkshire and Tyne Tees did pass the quality threshold, it was very marginal because of their huge bids so presumably the idea was that resources would be stretched to absolute breaking point.

Yeah.. this is a bit of a myth along with the Granada/Coronation Street theory.


Indeed, and in that book David Mellor says that if he had been making the decisions then he would have put Thames through on exceptional circumstances.
MA
Markymark
Of course, Thatcher's favourite company, TV-am, ended up losing their franchise too.


And there's a clip on one of the videos where the owner of either TVS or TSW says "There's a sign in this studio complex which says "this building was opened by Margaret Thatcher". That sign will be now be coming down".


It was TVS Vinters Park, although Thatcher had been an MP for two years when Derry's Cross opened Cool
IT
IndigoTucker
Is that the first time Tracy has admitted to deliberately killing Charlie? Or did she tell Deirdre ages ago?
JA
james-2001
Wasn't there that two hander years ago where she told Dierdre?
IT
IndigoTucker
I’m glad I didn’t dream that - although only vague recollections.
DJ
DJGM
Norris is back in Weatherfield . . .


Coronation Street's Norris returns engaged to very familiar face in shock twist

I thought he was still married to Mary since that Radio Weatherfield competition thing that involved Vic Reeves or did they have it annulled ... ?

10 days later

DA
davidhorman
Someone forgot to tidy up their notes when they did the subtitling for tonight's Corrie. When Rana said "I've booked a table at the Bistro tomorrow" she was subtitled with:

Quote:
___________________________ I've booked a table
Should bistro be capped?
JE
Jez Founding member
I see next Wednesday classic corrie is scheduled 1450-1600, five minutes longer than usual. Assume this is to show the Christmas Day 1991 episode which was slightly longer than usual and Part One and Part Two were either side of the Queens Speech. This was also the first time Corrie was shown twice on one day with the next episode at the usual time of 730pm that night. Now its unusual if two episodes dont air on Corrie days!
WH
Whataday Founding member
On a completely different subject, does anyone remember when they trialled "After EastEnders" when promoting Monday's second episode at the end of the first?
JE
Jez Founding member
I don't remember them ever doing that.

I have to say ive been a bit disappointed by this weeks Corrie. It has been very good the last few months by modern Corrie standards. But this week, the build up to next weeks "big" episodes has been disappointing IMO.

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