Programme preview for Wales and West 

10 June 2019 tbs.pm/69067

from the South Wales Argus in August 1961

By
Bryan Michie
programme controller
TWW

A NEW Sunday afternoon programme, “Call Oxbridge 2000”; another series of the popular “Probation Officer” dramas on Monday nights; a new “Double Your Money” series on Thursdays – and for South Wales’ countless Western fans, the return of “Maverick” and “Cheyenne.”

These are just a few of the programmes T.W.W. are presenting for your entertainment this autumn and winter.

New programmes from T.W.W.’s Cardiff and Bristol studios include “Personal Scrapbook,” in which people who have led exceptional lives talk frankly about their eventful careers; “Treasure Chest,” the programme on which over 5,000 T.W.W. viewers want to show their treasures and antiques; and “Flat Spin,” a domestic comedy series.

These are further evidence of our endeavour to provide entertainment for everyone. We know that we cannot please all all people all of the time, but we hope that we can please most of them most of the time.

And this is, I think, further evidence of the variety of the programmes which will be screened during the evenings ahead — established comedy shows with such stars as Dickie Henderson, Michael Medwin and Arthur Haynes; unrivalled drama series — the Fleet Street saga “Deadline Midnight,” Television Playhouse and Armchair Theatre are examples — and absorbing weekly series such as “Family Solicitor,” and the new exciting South American adventures, “Top Secret.”

Not forgetting the tops in light entertainment—with the ever-popular Sunday Night at the London Palladium as a Sunday night “must.”

The first-ever picture of T.W.W.’s team of announcers together! Operational duties have until now always prevented them assembling for a picture. They are (left to right): Guy Thomas, David Powell, Christine Godwin, Bruce Lewis, Maureen Staffer and Alan Taylor.

‘Oxbridge 2000’

“CALL OXBRIDGE 2000” will be an extension of the formula that has made “Emergency—Ward 10” Britain’s longest-running television programme.

The new series starts on Sunday, September 24, at 3.15 p.m. on the entire ITV network and follows the work and domestic lives of a general practitioner, his assistant and family. Each pro gramme will be a self-contained story lasting 45 minutes.

In “Emergency—Ward 10″ Dr John Rennie (Richard Thorp), who leaves Oxbridge General Hospital to help his uncle, Dr. Richard Graham (Noel Howlett), in general practice on the outskirts of Oxbridge. In “Call Oxbridge 2000” Rennie will become, part of the Graham household – made up of the doctor, his wife Peggy (Elizabeth Allan), their daughter Alison (Jennifer Kennedy), a psychiatric social worker, medical student son Steve (Scot Finch),
and their pet cat, Horace.

From time to time the stories of “Call Oxbridge 2000” will call for some of the “regulars” from “Emergency—Ward 10” to appear in the programme.

The corps of professional medical advisers who have worked so closely with the writers, producers and artists during the five years of “Emergency—Ward 10” will again be available to make the new series authentic in detail and in the use of medical equipment and latest techniques.

Rex Kirkin [sic – it’s Firkin], producer of “Emergency—Ward 10” for two years and of the current “Deadline Midnight” series is to produce the new series.

“Emergency—Ward 10” will continue on Tuesday and Friday night.

FRANK COUSINS, stormy petrel of the trade union world; newspaper magnate Roy Thomson; bearded Jimmy Hill, “the footballer’s champion;” millionaire property owner Walter Flack — these are some of the colourful personalities T.W.W. viewers will be able to meet in future “Personal Scrapbook” programmes.

This series began on Monday with an interview with Jim Laker. the former Test cricketer.


‘Our House’

Bernard Bresslaw, Hattie Jacques, Charles Hawtrey and Hylda Baker are four of the stars in a hilarious new series of “Our House” comedies.

These programmes, which proved extremely popular last year, will be screened on TWW fortnightly, alternating with the “Jo Stafforod Show.” [sic – it’s Stafford].

SPORT continues to play a lively role in T.W.W.;s autumn and winter fare. Danny Blanchflower, Sportsman off the Year, returned by popular request to introduce a new “Sports Preview” series on Thursday nights. This series has got off to a typically vigorous start, featuring nine sports in the first edition and eight sports in the second!

The T.W.W. roller-cycling championship of South Wales and the West is one of the “Sports Preview” highlights with top riders reaching speeds of over sixty miles per hour. Without doubt this is the fastest sport ever to be featured in a television studio.

Another “first” for T.W.W., already providing unrivalled local television sports coverage each Thursday night.

As always, “Sports Preview’s” roving film units will be providing graphic film of a host of sports. New and intriguing developments in the sporting world will receive intensive coverage and there will be exclusive interviews with sportsmen, local and national, who are in the news.

One of the most watched sports on ITV is wrestling. The thousands of viewers who follow the gyrations of international wrestlers in “Let’s Go” on Saturday afternoons will be delighted to know that ITV outside broadcast cameras will be at the ringside for an exciting new series this autumn.

A PROGRAMME with a tremendous following is T.W.W.’s magazine series “Here Today.”

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.15 p.m., a steadily growing army of viewers keep a regular date with topical interviews, special regional features and relaxing music.

Variety is the hallmark of “Here Today’s” popularity and an even wider range of interesting subjects is promised for the autumn and winter.

A MORE serious but no less entertaining note is struck by T.W.W.’s weekly current affairs programme “In the News.” Each Friday night at 10.30 “In the News” will continue to probe for the stories behind the headlines.

The resultant disclosures are often disturbing and controversial, but always thought-provoking. “In the News” is high on the list of T.W.W. programmes which attract a regular and lively correspondence from viewers.

‘Treasure Chest’

T.W.W is to present a new a series of “Treasure Chest” programmes in the autumn.

If any viewer has an antique or object of interest which they would like to show on the programme, they should write now to:

Treasure Chest, T.W.W. Ltd., Pontcanna Studios, Cardiff.

Possessors of suitable items will be visited in due course by a member of the “Treasure Chest” team. It is, therefore, important when writing in not only to give a full description of the object, but also to indicate the most convenient days and times for visiting during the next few months, plus telephone number, if any.

Part of the programme will consist of a studio auction where items can be put up for sale, at the owner’s request.

Viewers wishing to attend the auction in the T.W.W. Cardiff studios as potential bidders are invited to apply for tickets. Please mark the envelope Ticket Department.

Thousands have already written to T.W.W. offering family heirlooms for display in front of the cameras. They range from the enthusiastic viewer who is willing to dismantle a clock tower to show the clock face in the studio to the housewife who found a Chinese pheasant in bronze bricked up in a cottage wall.

EACH Tuesday night in “Movie Magazine,” Bruce Lewis will be bringing you up to date with the stars, their latest films and what is going on in the film world.

Since “Movie Magazine” started over 100 film personalities have appeared in the programme. You will be meeting many more stars and glamorous personalities in future editions.

For YFC’s

Two new T.W.W. Welsh language afternoon series – one an all-Wales quiz among Young Farmers’ Clubs and the other a new panel game for married couples with £50 prizes to be won — are among other autumn offerings.

The programmes mentioned are just a sample of the entertainment T.W.W. will be providing in the months ahead.

Happy viewing!
With thanks to Richard Wyn Jones

You Say

1 response to this article

John Crews 6 March 2023 at 4:54 pm

My mother, Eileen Crews, was the very first member of the public to be interviewed on Treasure Chest, in The Bristol Studios, in 1961. She was showing a Napoleonic prisoner of war bone boat.
The following week, it was my turn to be interviewed. I was showing a matched pair of naval duelling pistols.

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