On The Road To The Islands1993 When they began broadcasting, Westcountry screened several documentary series in the Tuesday evening slot known as "Westcountry Showcase". The second of these series was On The Road To The Islands, an exploration of the region's islands presented by Jack Pizzey.
Birthday People1993
Despite impassioned pleas by Gus fans, Westcountry ditched Mr Honeybun in favour of "Birthday People". A number of formats were tried; originally the birthday cards were read out by Peter Griffin, Emma Hallit and in this case, Tris Payne. Here you can see the second title sequence, from late 1993.
Brief Encounters1993 and 1994
Ruth Langsford was TSW's resident funnygirl, and with the advent of Westcountry she got her own series. Ruth travelled the region reporting on unusual clubs and pastimes, in a show featuring talking seagulls and Ian Stirling!
The second run lacked that sparkle. No further series were made but a spin-off, Ruth Meets The Entertainers, was shown in 1995.
Little River Journeys1995 Jack Pizzey returns with a journey around the waterways of the South West. This series - and On The Road To The Islands - were networked by Channel 4.
The LADS1996 A rare network commission for Westcountry, in the form of this lively men's magazine. "The Lads" were joined by "The Babes" in search of fast cars, bodybuilding and more.
Richard Digance: For One Night Only1997 and 1998
The Cockney funnyman did a series of shows for Westcountry in which he visited towns across the region. Sadly, most of the time he talked to local characters; what we really wanted was an hour of his funny songs. In his second series, Richard visited St Just, Looe and even Dartmoor Prison! There was also an off-beat cookery slot, "Dining With Digance".
Bendell At Bedtime2004
A nice little series which saw Ron Bendell travel the Westcountry's hostelries for topical debate about current events, especially those affecting the region. There was usually a satirical song to close the programme, of the sort that made Richard Digance famous on "Pebble Mill At One". Bendell at Bedtime is unlilkely to return, due to ever-more savage cuts in regional programmes.