It looks like they lit it with flashlights. That's dreadful and dreary - other regions like Wales and Channel don't look that bad!
SF
Selwyn Froggatt
I hate to say this, but these new sets don't look very good and they don't work. They're trying to recreate what Granada have got in the Orange Tower, but they've got a real view and a real newsroom. The old sets were much better!
In a way that shot with the completely black backdrop works better.
The old sets desperately needed replacing and though the execution of the backdrop could definately be better they're not too bad.
The issue with these sets will be how they can be updated in the long term - they got away with the former set as it wasn't a direct replica of the national set, so changes in lighting meant it still works certainly up until the end of the yellow era. I don't think it worked so much alongside the new national sets as they were so different - one based very much on straight lines, the other dominated by curves.
The other night half of Calendar came from the YTV garden, quite a nice looking area that they've gained since moving buildings. I bet many regions don't have the opportunity to broadcast from a garden. Granada and London being two I presume.
Shame Jon Mitchell is off this week, as during this major weather week we've had a rag bag of different weather presenters and no weather chat. When it's a whole week's holiday they should get the neighbouring region to do the whole week and do it properly including pre-recording a weather chat. I can live with random presenters when it's an odd day off.
I'm sure whoever has been on duty at Granada or Tyne Tees this week could have been able to do this.
Shame Jon Mitchell is off this week, as during this major weather week we've had a rag bag of different weather presenters and no weather chat. When it's a whole week's holiday they should get the neighbouring region to do the whole week and do it properly including pre-recording a weather chat. I can live with random presenters when it's an odd day off.
I'm sure whoever has been on duty at Granada or Tyne Tees this week could have been able to do this.
I'd put a bet on Granada having used the same London hub team as Calendar for most if not all this week, again.
For a week there's surely an argument to bring somebody in to cover? There must be ways of achieving that, maybe one of the national team or somebody available on a freelance basis? Or even employ a floating weather person in the north, Midlands and south who is there to cover in three or four regions where they have some local knowledge.
I guess it requires spending some money to do that, and ITV take a view that if a forecast gets on air there isn't a problem that needs fixing.
Duncan did do a two way with Amanda whatsit calling her 'our weather forecaster' the last night. But then it's not Jon 'no h in jon' Mitchell with his cheery banter!
Is having a national presenter or someone from another region do the forecast when the usual presenter isn't available something that is much more commonplace than before, or has it always passed me by previously? I'd always seen the ITV National Weather team to be very separate from the local presenters, but increasingly I'll see one of the national presenters doing a local weather forecast. The same, of course, goes for the BBC, with the weather hubs meaning fewer freelance forecasters, although on Look East Jim Bacon from Weatherquest still frequently pops up, as he has done for many years.
Is having a national presenter or someone from another region do the forecast when the usual presenter isn't available something that is much more commonplace than before, or has it always passed me by previously? I'd always seen the ITV National Weather team to be very separate from the local presenters, but increasingly I'll see one of the national presenters doing a local weather forecast. The same, of course, goes for the BBC, with the weather hubs meaning fewer freelance forecasters, although on Look East Jim Bacon from Weatherquest still frequently pops up, as he has done for many years.
I know Lucy and Alex cover for the regions on a regular basis, along with Amanda Houston who does National and Anglia, but I think Becky Mantin has covered on ITV London once.