Thames Continuity & Adverts | Thames News | ITV Franchise Awards | 16th October 1991

[@jcampton1]

*“And we'll be back again tomorrow because, despite our own television drama, it's business as usual”* Well said Andrew Gardner representing all at Thames News who held their heads high right through til the very end.

[@grahampearson5670]

Andrew took early retirement when Thames Television ceased transmission. Sad to report that he passed away in 1999 at the age of 66.

[@richardbutler4488]

Such a warm close, considering it must have been a really difficult program to but together that night, and team must have been demoralised from then on. Pity Thames withered away over time! Wonder how it would have played out if they held onto the franchise, quality of programming would surely have been better for rest of the network. Imagine they would have probably have outputted some exciting programs and might very well have snapped up other regional companies. Certainly itv would be in a different place today, if they survived as an regional franchise holder somewhere.

[@JasonC1782]

Full credit to the way that Thames News reported on the outcome in such a professionally balanced way despite being the major losing company.

[@pak8606]

16th October 1991 was a sad day for ITV. 31st December 1992 was probably the saddest day of all.

[@rajnirvan3336]

Saddest day in tv history when Thames lost franchise. This also brings back memories of switching between both Australian soaps every afternoon

[@andrewclarke8723]

Thames Television one for the finest broadcasters and producers ever! Terrible decision that ITV has never recovered from. Carlton could never match Thames and that was proved right. Carlton and ITV even tried to ensure Thames could not have its archive repeated for 10years! Outrageous ! The names Thames lives in to this day.

[@jaydeeman2008]

I had the pleasure of meeting the TN team and Andrew Gardner in the studios at Euston Road. Great broadcaster. Sad that we lost him so early

[@markofsaltburn]

There’s not enough Andrew Gardner on KZbin

[@jacksugden8190]

Not surprised as he died in 1999

[@simonjohnstone6671]

Almost 30 years ago this happened, interestingly Greg Dyke who was at LWT at the time went on to become director general of the BBC

[@briansergeant]

October 16 1991. The day ITV changed forever. At least LWT survived until the inevitable. My region was one of 3 who came through that day unopposed.

[@omegaman6494]

Wonder how LWT execs felt about Thames disappearing

[@paulhayes5724]

@@omegaman6494 Dyke does talk about it quite a bit in the ITV 50th series and in his book.

[@AlexanderEdoh2013]

A sad day for ITV.

[@johnking5174]

@@omegaman6494 LWT had a terrible relationship with Thames from 1968 to 1991. LWT hated Thames, as they always felt Thames wanted a seven day week franchise, and wanted LWT to fail so they could swoop in and take over. Thames always placed a terrible programme on a Friday night before LWT took over at 7pm, which is why in 1982 the LWT start time changed to 5.15pm. Thames also enraged LWT by lowering their advertising rates, enticing companies to advertise on Thames and not on LWT who in their early years had a poor schedule and severe financial problems. All of this led to a toxic relationship between both companies, meaning they never cross promoted their shows. However from October 1991 all that ended. LWT had won, and they called it quits, a truce. They became more warmer and friendly to each other. LWT may have been treated badly by Thames, but they did not agree with the franchise auction decision.

[@adamstamps3568]

they mention quality of programmes from the new companies that we havent seen yet

[@rtc9063]

Carlton were reprimanded many times but it just showed how weak the ITC were that didn’t revoke that licence

[@rtc9063]

Greg Dyke - we knew the competition wasn’t very strong and wouldn’t get through the quality threshold and yet how many millions of pounds reward did he pick up that time £4million and how many more millions when he hadn’t planned for a hostile takeover from Granada and walked out? He certainly did well in that 1991 franchise fiasco

[@rtc9063]

Was Nigel Walmesley talking out of his a***. Can you remember any programmes they made. It was only for the fact Thames were supplying all their shows to ITV that there were any programmes going into London and the network.

[@Scatscar1985]

The Australian Television Network was actually what the Seven Network originally called itself... and now they're back with Seven again....

[@DisneyStudioNetwork]

Now Seven’s production arm marketed as either Seven Beyond or Seven Studios

[@carlingblacklabel2864]

Imagine being told you'll eventually get fired then having to report it on TV.

[@gavinmartin5151]

well Kathy Taylor from tv-am was on maternity leave when tv-am lost to sunrise aka GMTV, so i don't know who told kathy she will be out of a job in december 1992

[@thepowerman1000]

I remember this well and even think I recorded it on tape. At the time I was 13 and the whole business fascinated me. I recall Andrew's closing words clearly. Also, not only is he now dead, but on the trail at the start so is Jeremy Beadle and Des O'Connor.

[@lbyrne74]

Fascinating video. Thanks for posting. The news anchor is the image of Frank Bough. The lady who said that the television broadcasting act in 1990 was single most destructive act in the history of broadcasting was correct.

[@AlexanderEdoh2013]

and regional ITV would never recover from this...

[@omegaman6494]

The beginning of the end of proper ITV. I was only 5 when they made the announcement.

[@MrThecarebear]

The beginning of the end of proper ITV was 1st January 1988 as far as I am concerned.

[@madmurdock100]

@@MrThecarebear your view is not valid

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Thank you Neil

[@PerryCJamesUK]

When I was a wee nipper I knew the tunes to all the different region indents and I'd make up words to them. Everything is so homogenous these days.

[@AmaanStorm]

Uh, that Home & Away theme tune was the best! Particularly the last flourish of the theme where the date shows.

[@jacksugden8190]

Remember this like it was yesterday 30 years on from 1992, plus Home and Away, the news has changed, no COVID then, interesting how our circumstances have changed in all those years, nice to to have seen the late Andrew Gardner again, remember him at ITN.

[@peterwilliamskelhorn6675]

+Jack Sugden I'm too young to remember the franchise war. It's nice to not hear about Covid all the time.

[@jacksugden8190]

@@peterwilliamskelhorn6675 I wish I was younger then, as might have been better opportunities, now 66 on and a Old Aged Pensioner.

[@chrisrowe7503]

Luckily most of the presenters from TVAM switched to GMTV. Even Mike Morris got his own Sunday spot. I think Carlton took on a lot of Thames staff as well. The one who is still laughing even now is Lorraine Kelly.

[@gavinmartin5151]

Lorraine Kelly has being with breakfast tv since 1984 , so she has outlive everybody that work on breakfask tv at itv . i guess she is still in touch with Kathy Taylor from tv-am , Lorraine Kelly sent Kathy a pre-recorded video message in may 2021 wishing her well because Kathy was retiring from QVC . they are good friends and they did share a dressing room at tv-am. and Carlton did take on thames tv announcer mark lipscomb by the way. no idea about the rest of the thames tv staff

[@robertcomer2767]

What the hell was in that Carlton application to get them through the quality threshold because I don't remember anything of quality between 1993 & 2002.

[@TheImatube]

A sad time, then we had more to come. 😢

[@AntarcticaTelevision]

The Day of Reckoning.

[@JamesRodwell-dc3jb]

1:47 Paramedic Josh Griffiths from Casualty 🚑

[@johnking5174]

Thames Television spent their final 14 months on air with dignity, keeping their regional obligations and going out in a blaze of glory! Over at TV-am, they rotted off air, with their MD Bruce Gyngell choosing to go on a mega cost cutting agenda for 1992, closing TV-am news and handing news output to Sky News. TV-am just rotted off air during 1992 with no dignity at all.

[@wmbrown6]

Looks like Link 110 cameras at 9:52.

[@TheCocoAnarchy93]

For the advert for The Time The Place, is that Brian Wilde (Porridge & Last Of The Summer Wine) doing the V/O?

[@rtc9063]

Were any of those ITV executives up to the job back then that didn’t look to America and see how cable and satellite tv was becoming a three to three networks. Nobody could pay those amounts bid within by 1995 and having to go to the ITC to get reductions. So there was never ever need for Thames to lose its franchise because Carlton bid over because they didn’t have studios or staff and even with that non overhead couldn’t pay the £43million

[@Redsleather]

I wonder if Liz Pike was sitting there wishing she’d stayed at Central News, alongside Bob Warman, still in a job?

[@robertcomer2767]

Why was that licence not revoked and readvertised?

[@rtcp2020]

Sad, but it was a canon event

[@343Floridamain]

i f**king hate this auction

[@soavesw1884]

So sad Thames lost their franchise. Thames News was far superior to the sensationalist and tabloidy London Tonight with Alistair Stewart. Loved it when BBC's KYTV parodied Carlton's idents 😂

[@guypalmer7961]

So sad watching this knowing that Thames Television would be informed that their broadcasting licence would not be renewed after losing to Carlton Television in the 1991 ITV franchise battle. Of course, Thames would continue as an independent production company of programmes for other channels as well as ITV after their closure at the end of Deember 31st 1992, which was the expiry date for their broadcasting licence as an ITV broadcaster.

[@thejobinterviewcoach9901]

Carlton failed miserably

[@Redsleather]

Network programming was awful, yes, but regionally London Tonight in its early years was far superior to Thames News. Carlton were also more experimental with their local London offerings, Thames always seemed a national broadcaster who had the inconvenience of a local audience

[@AntarcticaTelevision]

​@@Redsleather +10 on Thames being more a "nationally-minded" ITV company that struggled to understand its region.

[@noka79]

Home and away 🤢🤮