The Silent Valley1960s Jan Leeming is best known to viewers as a BBC newsreader but she began her career as a producer at Westward Television. One of her early achievements was The Silent Valley, an examination of an area in Cornwall which once boasted a thriving port but since all but disappeared.
The Loss of the SS Schiller1960s As Ian Stirling explains in his commentary, The Loss Of The SS Schiller was another award-winner for Westward TV despite having been shot on a budget of £1250. The drama-documentary had no cast.
Walking Westward1976
It was the simplest idea - and one of Westward's fondest remembered programmes. Walking Westward followed Clive Gunnell as he walked the length of the South West coastline, chatting to local characters on the way. On his journey Clive amassed a collection of walking sticks, which soon became his trademark and before long he gained a large collection of them thanks to viewers sending them in.
Our clip is taken from "40 Years of ITV" broadcast in 2001. Also available is an MP3 of the theme music, "Old World Charm" by Johnny Pearson.
Gus Honeybun's Birthdays1981
Gus Honeybun in his 1981 incarnation. Here are two complete slots featuring Ian Stirling.
20 Years Of Westward1981 Westward said goodbye with Roger Shaw inviting back former employees, many of whom were now national stars, to share their memories of WTV.
Drake's Venture28.12.1980
A rare but memorable Network offering from Westward, with John Thaw in the role as the region's most famous explorer. An impressive cast in this one-off movie also included Paul Darrow (Blake's 7) and Charlotte Cornwell, as well as Michael Turner (Crossroads).But Drake's Venture carried with it a bitter irony. During its broadcast on 28 December 1980, Westward learned its ITV franchise would not be renewed and to make matters worse, a newsflash confirming the fact was shown during one of the ad breaks. In hindsight, you could say Westward saw their fate coming and scheduled the film deliberately in a last-ditch attempt to sway the IBA...(!) Our clip is sourced from a US broadcast, and is therefore devoid of the Westward ident at the start.
