A Carlton New Year01/01/1993 - 00.00
Carlton's very first programme was a big, live bash (or was it mostly an as-live pre-record?) to launch the New Year and the new franchise. Perhaps the first minute was live, with Chris Tarrant standing above Trafalguar Square, but I find it hard to believe that he was live in the studio with Take That, Paul McCartney and Boney M!
Ask Ken2002
A live, regional debate from 19/09/2002, hosted by Alastair Stewart, in which Mayor Ken Livingstone answered questions from an audience of Londoners. Topics ranged from controversial traffic congestion charges to the risk of infection by meningitis carried in pigeon droppings. A lively show, with a very witty title sequence, reminiscent of the Lost Consonants cartoon...
Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island1999
A six-part TV rendition of Bill Bryson's top-selling book, produced by Richard Lightbody. The anglophile US author travelled across the British Isles, meeting notable citizens and celebrities on the way. He often stopped to praise or patronise architecture, street furniture and the oh-so-very English way of life. If one enjoys Bryson, it is quite a good series.
Celebrity2000
Andi Peters and Penny Smith presented 65 editions of this ITV network showbiz digest, every week day from October to Christmas 2000. It went out live at 5.05pm, from MTV's studios in Camden, and was repeated the following lunchtime. The titles and music are hideous, and the show was tepid. Still, if you enjoy watching the stars of Coronation Street going on holiday, this would have been right up your street...
A Day In The Life: The Royal Albert Hall1993
This was an early commission from Wilcox Bulmer Productions, for Carlton's Community Programmes Unit. Each week Desmond Wilcox offered viewers 'fly on the wall' exposés of important London institutions. Those with acute hearing will recognise a 90s rendition of his old 1960s/70s theme, Man Alive by Tony Hatch.
Find Your Family2001
Mary Nightingale hosted this show in summer 2001, in which researchers tracked down viewers' missing loved ones and phoned people to tell them they have celebrity relatives. Judy Finnigan fronted the pilot in 2000, but her move from ITV to Channel Four precluded her from hosting the series. The S Club 7 tune Never Had A Dream Come True was suggested for the theme in jest, but the commissioning editor liked it so much he insisted on its use.
First Edition2000
A regional current affairs series, First Edition tackled such esoteric subjects as the problems caused by pigeon feeding in Trafalguar Square, the difficulties faced by the designers of the 'wobbly' Millennium footbridge at Bankside, and the usage of Botox virus within London's cosmetic surgeries.
Jerry Springer on Sunday1999
The concept of US host Springer presenting a British chat show with guests like Glenda Jackson and Robbie Coltrane was still novel back in November 1999.
Kirsty's Home Videos2000
By 2003, the clip show Kirsty's Home Videos had reached its fifth series on Sky One and was among the most popular shows on the channel after The Simpsons. It launched in 2000, hosted by Sky Sports anchor Kirsty Gallacher. Her minimalist style had improved greatly since show one, but some critics said her popularity owed more to her tight leather pants than her presenting skills. (Clip: Series 2 Prog 1: 2001).