I think the ITV Telethon is one of those things which is looked back upon fondly (probably overly fondly) and perhaps should be left in the past as I suspect it would be a relative disappointment nowadays. The only way I could see it working is if it was arranged as a last minute event in reaction to a recent disaster (probably something on the scale of the Tsunami - even the current Haiti situation I don't think would prompt such an event).
I find myself agreeing with Brekkie. Even a subscription telethon to launch a weapon to defend the planet against an imminent comet impact wouldn't save the ratings for ITV1!
I haven't seen the promise of anything special in the future. Soaps, daytime makeovers, blabbing women, tat, and semi-news. Not the best output, is it?
Indeed it was, I wasn't certain when the last one was, it might have been about 1999 or 2000, but I used to hate it. The only thing that carried on as normal on GMTV was the News, otherwise it was all Get Up and Give. But I think they gave it up for the same reasons as Telethon with the cash received going down along with the ratings.
Indeed it was, I wasn't certain when the last one was, it might have been about 1999 or 2000, but I used to hate it. The only thing that carried on as normal on GMTV was the News, otherwise it was all Get Up and Give. But I think they gave it up for the same reasons as Telethon with the cash received going down along with the ratings.
I have an old VHS tape featuring bits from a Get Up and Give and it's either from 2002 or 2003, presumably it ended around this time.
I remember about ten years ago when ITV had that whole Year of Promise thing, on one Bank Holiday they had A Day of Promise, which was basically a whole day of programmes on ITV asking viewers to phone up to pledge promises, although I do remember hearing at the time that some people got it confused with the Telethon and we're willing to make donations.
There was Trading Places day too, an attempt to raise money by getting sponsored to swap with someone else for the day (or something like that). The only lasting legacy of that is the occasionally repeated clip of Richard Madley in a dress
I'm sure even though most of the studio complexes have gone, there will be a small studio capable of holding a small crowd in, for the regional sections. And who says it has to be in a studio? I seem to recall for the Children in Need appeal last year, one BBC region broadcast from a ship!
One thing I rememebr about one of the Telethons, I think it was 1988, the technical problems getting to Cardiff. Afron Haines Davis was talking from HTV, but we couldn't hear him. Once communication was sorted, it was fine, until later on, when Bradley Walsh or some other comic made fun of it!
the last get up and give I saw was 2003. in 2000 they did it from the millennium dome and one year from the corry set (98/99?)
remember a funny live cock up. Eamon Holmes going to interview the Mallets outside their house and knocked on the door expecting them to answer and come outside. The actors then appeared coming round the corner from the shop which caused a few camera wobbles whilst they established where everybody was. apparently he thought they'd be inside the house (set) whereas the actors were just expecting to be interviewed in front of the house.
It's a very long time since BBC regions used their studios for CiN. Even the studio inserts I remember were only from the larger centres and then the main production studios rather than the news ones. I certainly remember big studio productions for CiN in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle (I think), Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast ... I cannot recall Elstree, Norwich, Nottingham or Southampton doing studio based CiN inserts but I might be wrong.
Mostly now regional CiN segments are OBs or occasionally just local "Where the Money Went" type films. The days of regional presenters providing an insert for the national programme are also gone - remember in CiN when they used to go around the country going from region to region - fascinating stuff and no doubt a technical nightmare using as many regional contribution circuits as possible I expect. These days CiN has two or three OBs across the UK, but they provide the crew and the directors. The region with an OB in it's patch often send their presenter to do the regional opts and the network crew are often happy to direct them and allow the region to use their uplink and cameras and so-on.
It would still be possible to do a round-robin look at what's happening around the regions, though I dare say to avoid the technical calamities that so plagued CiN in the 80s and 90s, they wouldn't want to reintroduce it. Shame really, I always thought it was quite charming to see regional presenters do their bit for the network.
What would be extremely difficult now thanks to digital distribution and satellite delays would be the madcap regionally co-ordinated song and dance routines ... anyone who's seen the three Proms in the Parks concerts attempt to join in with the bugle call bit before the Fantasia on British Sea Songs on the Last Night will know just how shoddy it would probably look...
:-(
A former member
I hope the BBC regions your on about are English?
Glasgow uses it Whole building and studio 1/2/3 for CiN, even that pulper lobby . I believe Belfast does the same
The days of regional presenters providing an insert for the national programme are also gone - remember in CiN when they used to go around the country going from region to region - fascinating stuff and no doubt a technical nightmare using as many regional contribution circuits as possible I expect.
Of course back then it was something they were very used to doing, as they did it regularly for Nationwide.
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It would still be possible to do a round-robin look at what's happening around the regions, though I dare say to avoid the technical calamities that so plagued CiN in the 80s and 90s, they wouldn't want to reintroduce it.
They did it a few years ago on one of the Sport Relief related programmes on a Saturday morning, with John Inverdale anchoring and throwing to the regions. I guess it's a lot easier these days now that the OB contributions are satellite based, they can be picked up in London directly without the regional gallery/comms centre and contribution circuits coming into play.
