Networked ITV - 1990s and before...

The only time it was used on an ident. They wouldn't be allowed to do that now, mind you they might not have been officially allowed to then

They did indeed, the programmes were broadcast from Euston Road. The coverage of the 1988 Olympics featured through the night coverage on Channel Four with Elton Welsby and Barry Norman, then breakfasts on Channel Four with Nick Owen and Alison Holloway (C4 didn't have a regular breakfast show at that point). ITV then took over and showed daytime coverage with Dickie Davies and Hazel Irvine and then highlights at teatime with Nick Owen and Alison Holloway again.

The problems with the 1984 Olympics began at TVam, who were going to show live coverage and highlights - apparently with Telly Savalas commentating - but their unions wouldn't agree to the terms so they pulled out and the entire network coverage collapsed. Clive Jones, the editor of TVam, resigned in protest.

For what it's worth, ITV showed the Olympics in 1972 - though only with highlights shows at 5pm and 10pm - didn't in 1976, did in 1980 (including primetime shows with the Beeb generally didn't do because of the boycott), didn't in 1984 and then did in 1988. And never again.

Yes, before the boycott ( The US and some UK athletes pulled out in protest at the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan) both BBC and ITV were planning to present the 1980 games from Moscow itself. The Beeb still went ahead with that, with I think Frank Bough, and Des Lynham there. ITV scaled back with Dickie Davies at LWT providing the main pres, and Fred Dinenage on site in the studio in Moscow.

I think it was the first time that BBC regional news was shifted to BBC 2 ? Here in BBC Southland there were no end of technical problems. BBC 1 and 2 would often vanish for 10 seconds or so at at time, while presumably the opt out chain was manually re-patched at South Western House.

Yes, Frank and Des presented on the Beeb, although Frank had a very unhappy time, at the end of one programme he had a complete mental block and forgot how to say goodbye ("there's my music... er, time I went") and on another occasion Des was asked to get to the studio in a suit quickly as there'd been a row and Frank had gone, but he came back in time for the programme. Des did the highlights, during Newsnight of all programmes, and got a lot of kudos for refusing to read out a story they'd been given about the Russians cheating because he thought it was rubbish. And it was rubbish.

I don't know about the regional news, as far as I can remember coverage started around 4pm every day, went off at 5.40 for the news and regional news and then came back after six until about eight o'clock, and that was about it. One day the coverage didn't start until 5.20 so it had only just started when it went off for the news. And the Opening Ceremony wasn't shown in full but interspersed with Open golf and racing.

BBC One was "the Olympic channel" for the 1984 Summer Olympics, and they went so far as to do a special version of their ident featuring the Olympic rings, with the globe inside the middle ring of the top row.

What kind of facilities did the small ITV regions (Border, Ulster,Grampian, Channel have)? I have seen the old Border center in Carlisle and the still used Ulster studios on Google maps, they both look bigger than i thought they would be.
Would contractors like Grampian and Border have been able to produce studio drama if they could sell to the network or did they only have a single small studio for their regional news output.
Did the station's have their own outside broadcast units for sporting events etc or would they use units from the bigger ITV stations?
Are the old Grampian studios in Aberdeen till standing? Any links to images of Grampian and Channel studios would be appreciated.

Grampian's studios at Queens Cross were demolished c 2003. There are now flats on the site.

In general, the smaller ITV companies tended to have facilites in excess of those they actually needed. The IBA more or less required it.

Grampian had two proper studios - one for North Tonight and Crossfire, the other for just about everything else. (Obviously there was the continuity studio as well.)

I can't think of any attempt by Grampian or Border to do drama. Grampian's strengths were always in factual programmes and education although their local entertainment was very popular. It was hard enough for middle ranking companies like STV and Anglia to get programmes networked far less Grampian and Border. The smaller companies really did have to develop niches to get material screened nationally.

I am more than positive that Border actually made a few children's one-off drama's for the Dramarama strand!

Yes there made three: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramarama_%28TV_series%29

Also Borders made " Krankies Television" around 1991, Fan'dabi'dozi,

and Crush- a-grape!

The Stu Francies ITV version of Crackerjack!

Don't forget Border also produced Mr & Mrs and Look Who's Talking (both being Derek Batey vehicles) for the network. Interestingly, Border was one of the last ITV contractors to go over to colour production, and this meant that some editions of Mr & Mrs in the early seventies were made at Tyne Tees' studios in Newcastle while the Harraby studios were equipped for colour.

I think Border also borrowed the Tyne Tees colour OB truck, and used it to produce some editions of Mr&Mrs in their Carlisle studio ?