Oh! The Irony

On Saturday 22^nd February 2020. ITV’s flagship Saturday Night Shiny Floor Show, “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night TakeAway” came from Television Centre Studio 1, for so many years the studio used for the BBC’s flagship Saturday Night Shiny Floor Shows …

Of course, the Television Centre studies are not “…fit for purpose…” are they?

It was even announced as “…Live from the Television Centre…”

Dave Mundy

I just happened to catch the opening titles of “Lorraine” on ITV, at 0900, and was sickened to see that they announced that it was coming live from ‘TELEVISION CENTRE’!! with an overhead drone shot zooming into the central circle! Bloody cheek!

And to add insult to injury ..

Yes, this is private “how to get there” map, and yes, “ITV Studios” do have an office in Television Centre, but even so …

What a difference to the scene 60 odd years ago

John Henshall

Sixty years ago this year our beloved TC opened.

On 29 June 1960 the first ‘live’ broadcast from TC3, First Night, took place. Fascinating to watch, sixty years on.

Here are a couple of screen-grabs from a telerecording of that show, compèred by David Nixon, with people you might recognise.

I believe it is Bernard Fox on the front of the Mole crane, chatting up the dancer? But who are those swinging and tracking?

And I think that’s John Farr on the pedestal. Any thoughts?