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The ITN Nostalgia Thread

ITN and ITV News Memories

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HC
Hatton Cross
Changing tack slightly, I wonder if we could discuss The Channel Four Daily?

It's always been one of those programmes shrouded in mystery - probably very few people watched it at the time and even fewer recorded it to VHS. As a result, there is very little in the way of footage online.

I know that it launched with Carol Barnes at the helm in 1989 and that it was effectively in segments linked together at ITN. I'd quite like to know more about the relaunch that happened in April 1990. It is alluded to on Wikipedia but there isn't much in the way of detail. Apart from dropping a few segments, how did it change exactly? Did the presenters change? Did it move to a more traditional, fluid breakfast news programme rather than random segments linked together. Was it still presented from ITN? And what happened to it in the years between 1990 and its demise in September 1992? Did it stay relatively stable in terms of production or were further changes made?

Would love to know more about it if anyone can remember.


It changed a lot. As one of the few regular viewers, the step change was jarring.
We'd gone from Carol Barnes in a cupboard at ITN, an unseen continuity announcer (usually Bill Bingham) at Channel Four, and a presenter at Business Daily (a quick 'hit' version of the half hourly live lunchtime financial programme) who were the only live content during the show. Everything else was either pre-recorded the day before transmission (arts slot Box Office and the consumer show Streewise) or special quick versions of Countdown and cartoon archive fillers.

Come the relaunch, pretty much everything that had been pre-records were now live from desks within the same studio - memory wants me to type the studio at the top of the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus - and instead of linked by Bill Bingham at Channel Four, was now linked in vision by the newsreader of that day.
Usually, it was Dermot Murgnerhan, who was already a known face on the previous incarnation of Channel Four Daily doing the Business Daily updates.
BA
bilky asko
Changing tack slightly, I wonder if we could discuss The Channel Four Daily?


I just went looking for some clips, and found some posted in a previous ITN nostalgia thread:
https://tvforum.uk/forums/post1002148#post-1002148


I re-read the whole of that thread, it did get strange at the end.
JW
JamesWorldNews
Susannah Simons, if I’m not mistaken. Who left business broadcasting and moved to Classic FM way back in the day.

I may be way off, but I seem to recall Sonia Ruseler presenting one day as a last minute sub for Dermot on C4 Daily. Or is my mind playing tricks on me?

And where is ITN’s Katie Ledger these days? (Google is my friend, I know). I’ll report back.
NE
Newsroom
I just loved the Channel Four Daily and especially the music. Worked perfectly for an early morning tv show.

Here's the full track, all 6 beautiful minutes of it.


I've also stumbled across a report by Glen Oglaza featured on an ITN Sunday Evening bulletin which promotes the launch of the Channel Four Daily.

Last edited by Newsroom on 19 May 2020 12:07pm
Stuart and itsrobert gave kudos
GE
thegeek Founding member
Changing tack slightly, I wonder if we could discuss The Channel Four Daily?


I just went looking for some clips, and found some posted in a previous ITN nostalgia thread:
https://tvforum.uk/forums/post1002148#post-1002148


I re-read the whole of that thread, it did get strange at the end.

Oh blimey, I hadn't read that far. Significantly more than Steve meant when he said it had taken an odd turn...
chevron, JamesWorldNews and bilky asko gave kudos
JK
JKDerry
The problem with The Channel 4 Daily was that it was a complete hodge podge of a breakfast show, never settling on what it was. It seemed to be various little bite size shows crammed in between news bulletins.

BBC Breakfast News at the time was dull as dish water, but at least you knew what you were getting (usually a half hour news bulletin recycled every half hour) but at least you knew what it was, and an alternative to the sofa driven drivel on TV-am and later GMTV.

The Channel 4 Daily never seemed settled.
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
It seemed to have quite a different studio by 1992 as seen in this clip

Stuart and LondonViewer gave kudos
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
And a 7 minute trailer for the Channel 4 Daily that aired the night before the first edition.

JW
JamesWorldNews
Thanks, Square Eyes. Dubai’s very own Shahnaz Pakravan and Liz Pike in that ending, if I’m not mistaken.
NE
Newsroom
It seemed to have quite a different studio by 1992 as seen in this clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ETL-Mat5I


Oh wow! Shanaz Pakravan! I was a huge fan of hers.
GE
thegeek Founding member
I'm fairly sure the end of the final edition was online once - with a full credit roll of everyone who'd ever worked on it. I didn't imagine that, did I?
IT
itsrobert Founding member
I'm fairly sure the end of the final edition was online once - with a full credit roll of everyone who'd ever worked on it. I didn't imagine that, did I?


It's right at the bottom of this page on TV Ark: https://www.tvark.org/?page=2227

So, this begs the question - that studio used towards the end wasn't at ITN? It was mentioned earlier that it was in a studio near Piccadilly. So did ITN only make the C4 Daily for a short time? I was under the impression they made it from start to finish. Did C4 Daily never make it to Grays Inn Road then?

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