GMTV (1993 - 2010)

After UTV lost the local GMTV News contract, the NI breakfast bulletins came from the Reuters/Sky News bureau in Fanum House... did it not... with Barbara McCann and Patrica Wilkinson presenting on alternate weeks. That lasted a couple of years! Not quite sure if the contract was with Reuters (as they already provided GMTV's national news AFAIK) or if it was with Barbara and Patricia who then used Reuters facilities.

No, you're right, it was the announcement of the Loyalist ceasefire in 1994.

Then I think in early 1995, UTV stopped doing the news during GMTV.

Ironically, two of the presenters of the GMTV "Belfast" service now work for UTV (Siobhan McGarry and Vicki Hawthorne).

It's a rather worthy opt really though isn't it? Why would GMTV be so annoyed?

They'd be annoyed because it's not up to UTV, GMTV own the airtime!

Good to see that Kate has a bit of a new look. Can't wait to see her back on the sofa tomorrow morning.
Courtesy of Garrawench
Kate Garraway

Congratulations to GMTV for having Penny Smith and John Stapleton present 'Today' on this most important of mornings. It would have been highly inappropriate to have anyone else try and cover the 7/7 anniversary today. As ever Penny and John showed that they are the true professionals at GMTV.

Yes, penny and john are the best people on that god damn channel. GMTV just dotn seem to be able to find the nice mix between news and daytime content, they used to do it well but it all seems to have gone pair shaped now. Anyone remember back in the day when during the summer hollidays they would broadcast from a villa in the med somwhere and be live each day, some times even going on to the beach.

Was that the "Fun in the sun" series, i remember that. Also 'Get up and Give' campaign - have they stopped doing that?

fun in the sun! thats the one. It was brilliant, with Anthea Turner if i remember rightly. They would be there the whole summer and have guests fly oufor interviews games , and then at the end of it all would i be correct in saying they gave it away?........I also remember them being on the beach with a giant stage with GMTV on it , how things are different now! And as for Get up and give, i can still remember the sting in my head now, na na na na na na na na na na etc lol. For get up and give week the programme came jointly from all over the place didnt it.

I can only remember small bits of Fun in the Sun - given my age, but i loved the 'Get Up and Give' , and if anyone has that music, sting for Get up and give please post it

I remember get up and give coming from the corry set one year. In 2000 it was done in the millennium dome but the last time I saw it was in 2002 and all they did was turn the set around.

You used to be able to watch a live webcam from the studios as well

Didn't 'Fun in the Sun' originally come from around the UK over the summer? I remember in later years it would be from a villa in Spain as mentioned, one year there was a half-hour spin-off on ITV in the afternoons though I think they changed the name for that.