SW
Here's a brilliant article by the great Gary Rodger about that Thames strike, which is fascinating - http://thames.today/carry-on-euston
As mentioned, Thames could only show Thames programmes, although that did include some scheduled programmes, which all the other regions had to show several weeks or months later. As you say, the only Thames programme that was networked during this period was TV Eye about Ethiopia, as it was considered of particular importance than it went out, after a request by several charities that they were relying on it to generate donations. The article points out, though, this involved making two copies of the programme, one for Thames to play out and another one for the rest of the network, so nobody had to break the strike to do it.
As for that industrial dispute up there, funnily enough I have seen elsewhere an clip of the Nine O'Clock News on BBC1 not being able to go out and replaced by a similar caption - which said that the next programme would be the drama Diana. That went out on Thursdays in January 1984, so I wonder if it's the same night as this dispute and it was some kind of action with the NUJ affecting both BBC News and TV Eye, though seemingly not ITN.
Yes that will presumably be the month long strike later in the year when management took over operations and there was no networking - Thames only broadcast what it had in its vaults, and the rest of the country had to fill the gaps left by a lack of Thames programmes
Here's a brilliant article by the great Gary Rodger about that Thames strike, which is fascinating - http://thames.today/carry-on-euston
As mentioned, Thames could only show Thames programmes, although that did include some scheduled programmes, which all the other regions had to show several weeks or months later. As you say, the only Thames programme that was networked during this period was TV Eye about Ethiopia, as it was considered of particular importance than it went out, after a request by several charities that they were relying on it to generate donations. The article points out, though, this involved making two copies of the programme, one for Thames to play out and another one for the rest of the network, so nobody had to break the strike to do it.
As for that industrial dispute up there, funnily enough I have seen elsewhere an clip of the Nine O'Clock News on BBC1 not being able to go out and replaced by a similar caption - which said that the next programme would be the drama Diana. That went out on Thursdays in January 1984, so I wonder if it's the same night as this dispute and it was some kind of action with the NUJ affecting both BBC News and TV Eye, though seemingly not ITN.