The ITN Nostalgia Thread

I haven't got much to add to the thread, apart from the original branding being an absolute triumph. Not sure if this is elsewhere on the internet but here's a breakdown caption I recorded from back in the day.



I can't remember the exact circumstances around it being shown but it may have been at the same time as these curious (and small) captures...

ITN as a brand was really trusted by the public, almost on an even keel of trust as with the BBC, possibly even more. Interesting that Harold Wilson of the Labour Party preferred ITN over the BBC, when he gave a special interview to ITN only on a train after the 1966 general election and he shunned the BBC.

ITN with News at Ten was just superb. My mum remembers fondly as a kid looking forward to watching the great Reggie Bosanquet at 10pm, rather than the very stilted and boring BBC Nine O'Clock News with Angela Rippon on BBC One.

ITN for my family used to be the first port of call for news, I grew up with the old 5.40pm News, with Nicholas Owen or Trevor McDonald at the helm, when ever I saw the 5.40 news, I knew supper time was close by.

Speaking of the News at 5.40 - did that have a pool of presenters to choose from? I know in 1987/88 the 5.45 had settled into being presented mostly by Alastair Stewart or Fiona Armstrong. And towards the end in 1991/92 it seemed to be presented the most by Fiona Armstrong or Carol Barnes. But in between I've seen examples presented by Nicholas Owen, Trevor McDonald and Sue Carpenter. Did it go through a period in about 1989-90 of being presented by various people?

Incidentally, this clip from TV Ark is great - Sandy Gall presenting the 5.40! Never realised he did it: https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=78287. You may be interested to know that the corridor where Salman Rushdie is in the headlines is the one that connects the basement of 200 Grays Inn Road with the basement of the adjoining building. ITN has various departments over there to this day.

The other question about the News at 5.40 - did it share its set with any other programmes like News at Ten/Channel 4 News did at the time?

Ah. The late, great Joan Thirkettle walking with Rushdie in that clip. Joan was an ITN stalwart.

That was an unusual day at ITN. It was close to either Christmas Day or New Years Day. Rather than generic ITN bulletins that often happened at that time of the year (similar to weekend news), the three bulletins on this particular day were properly branded (as can be seen with the 5:40 in that clip) and all were presented by Sandy Gall. He can also be found somewhere on YouTube anchoring the day’s properly branded News at Ten solo.

You are spot on Robert. Nobody else presented that bulletin, not even Burnett.

Towards its demise, or shall I say incarnation into the EEN - it was Carol, Sue and Nicholas.

I've always wondered what happened to Sue Carptenter and as to why she wasn't retained by ITN. Yes, I know she continued with Trans World Sport, but on air - a real puzzle. She was brilliant.

Yeah it was weird how Sue just vanished. I wonder when her last bulletin was? Must have been in 1992 as I don't remember seeing her after then. She later popped up on BBC World, of course: https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=109754

Yes, ITN in the 70s and 80s was unbeatable, it sparkled in comparison to the Beeb. The ITV companies also stood aside if ITN had to extend their programmes for any major events.

It felt to me that they started to lose their way in 1990 when they moved from Wells St to GIR

Perhaps she ended up living in Hammersmith with Richie Rich and Eddie? 😎

All the clues lead to that being on New Years Eve.
It's the trail for Central News which gives two leads. Mention of the New Years Honours List - that's ususally announced on New Years Eve. And a mention of the New Years Eve celebrations in Birmingham City Centre.

Yes. 200 Grays Inn Road will always been 'ITN' to me - even though they are only one of the many tennants in that building.

The bit about the brand is correct. I was on London with two of my managers at an external meeting last December - and the meeting was in Southwark, and we were travelling back to Euston for the Avanti rattler back to New Street.
Time was tight, so we caught a bus back upto Kings Cross, and walked the rest back, but I knew exactly where we were heading once over Southwark Bridge.

As we passed 200 GIR, I craned my neck over towards it (old habits and media buildings and all that) and one of my managers asked why I'd become all animated, and I said impulsivly "That's where ITN are".
Owhhs and ahhrs and questions about where are the studios were in the building (they are not media junkies like me) but I am the go to person for questions like that.

Thought had crossed my mind ,since if I'd said "Oh that's 200 Grays Inn Road former home of The Times and now ITV News" if it would have got the same level of interest back.
Doubt it.

Steve Rosenberg gloriously plays (mostly) ITN on the pianoforte:

"Good evening. Here is the news." Some of my favourite British TV news programme theme tunes. @BBCNews @BBCWorld @BBCRadio3 @itvnews @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/ExCaS06O3a

— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) May 17, 2020

I find it suprising they kept Non Stop for weekend & bank holiday bulletins until 1982, it must have sounded horribly dated well before then (though to be fair only a handful of bulletins would have been using it by then anyway).