Tonight’s Granada TV… in 1963 

20 December 2014 tbs.pm/5482

From the TVTimes for Friday 20 December 1963 comes this run down of what you could be watching on Granada. Things worth noting:

• Scene at 6.30, Granada’s regional news programme that always started at 6.35pm, is promoted as remarkably heavyweight, incorporating Police File (copied from ATV’s Police Five) and jointly presented by Gay Byrne who would go on to have a stellar career at RTE
• Five O’Clock Club was fully networked but presented by continuity announcers at Associated-Rediffusion – not that people outside of London knew that! Today’s presenters are Howard Williams and Muriel Young. Both were also Radio Luxembourg presenters
• Money With Menaces is one of a series of networked one-off plays made by Anglia. At the time, Anglia didn’t have networking facilities – there was no GPO return cable from Norwich to London – so this was run off from London by A-R
• Ready Steady Go! at 10.40pm with Keith Fordyce: the weekend starts here! Rediffusion’s Rollo Gamble was personally responsible for the first big break for many now famous groups and singers
• 11.25pm to 11.55pm brings another edition of Scene at 6.30 under the title Late Scene, Granada impressing the ITA – and the Pilkington Committee – by having two editions a day of their regional news programme

With thanks to Jessica Fielding