Jump to content

Associated-Rediffusion

From Alfawiki
Associated-Rediffusion
Company typeJoint venture
IndustryTelevision broadcasting
Founded1955-09-22
FounderBritish Electric Traction (BET), Broadcast Relay Services Ltd. (Rediffusion), Associated Newspapers
Defunct1968-07-29
FateFranchise lost; merged into Thames Television
SuccessorThames Television
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Area served
London and adjacent counties (weekdays)
Key people
Thomas Brownrigg (manager from 1955)
ProductsTelevision programmes and broadcasting
OwnerBritish Electric Traction (BET) (majority after Associated Newspapers divested)

Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, served as the British ITV franchise holder responsible for London and adjacent counties on weekdays from 22 September 1955 until 29 July 1968. It was the inaugural franchisee appointed by the Independent Television Authority and stood as one of the "Big Four" companies producing the majority of ITV network content during that era.

Upon losing its franchise in 1968, it combined forces with another franchisee to create Thames Television, which continued to hold the London weekday franchise for an additional 24 years.

Formation

Associated-Rediffusion Television emerged as a joint venture involving British Electric Traction (BET), its subsidiary Broadcast Relay Services Ltd. (operating under the Rediffusion name), and Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail. In the early days of ITV, Associated Newspapers divested most of its shares to BET and Rediffusion due to initial financial setbacks but maintained stakes in other ITV franchises such as Southern Television, Westcountry Television, and Independent Television News.

Thomas Brownrigg, who managed the company from 1955, envisioned a commercial television channel modeled after the BBC Television Service but incorporating advertising. The station was known for its heraldic-style on-screen clock, affectionately dubbed "Mitch" after chief announcer Leslie Mitchell, who delivered the first announcements for both Associated-Rediffusion and BBC TV.

The company operated out of the former Wembley Film Studio located at Wembley Park. Broadcasting commenced on 22 September 1955, with actress Marjie Lawrence delivering the inaugural words. That same evening, BBC aired a dramatic episode of The Archers to retain its audience. Britain's first female newsreader, Barbara Mandell, appeared on the station’s first full day of transmission. Two days later, ATV began weekend broadcasting in London.

Associated-Rediffusion sought to establish ITV as a credible broadcaster by balancing mainstream entertainment such as game shows with high-quality programming designed to attract substantial audiences both locally and nationally as ITV’s reach expanded.

During 1957–58, Boris Ford led schools broadcasting and commissioned Benjamin Britten’s church opera Noye's Fludde. Although Ford was dismissed before production commenced, Associated-Rediffusion maintained its collaboration with Britten, notably producing a well-received televised version of his opera The Turn of the Screw in 1959.

In 1960, Associated-Rediffusion enhanced its Wembley Park studios with new facilities that garnered international recognition. Throughout the 1960s, these studios produced popular ITV shows including The Rat Catchers, Blackmail, At Last, The 1948 Show, and The Frost Report. The Beatles made several appearances at these studios during this period.

Rebranding and loss of franchise

In 1964, the company shortened its name to Rediffusion Television and adopted the on-screen brand "Rediffusion London," reflecting the dynamic spirit of Swinging London in the 1960s. However, this branding lasted only briefly. In October 1967, the Independent Television Authority (ITA) announced that Rediffusion would lose its franchise under a restructured ITV network plan. Concurrently, ABC Weekend TV was stripped of all its franchises, including Midlands and London weekend slots. To preserve ABC's operations, the ITA proposed forming a new entity—Thames Television—through a partnership between ABC and Rediffusion. Contrary to popular belief, this was not a merger or "forced marriage" but rather a new company jointly established by ABC’s parent ABPC and Rediffusion’s parent BET. Thames combined ABC’s Teddington Studios with Rediffusion’s Television House facilities.

BET acquired a 49% shareholding in Thames but had limited representation in management—a situation opposed by Rediffusion. The ITA mandated Thames accept the contract or face ABC taking full control. Ultimately, Rediffusion agreed to Thames’ formation and ended broadcasting at 12:26 am on 29 July 1968. Staff from Wembley’s Fountain Studios transferred to London Weekend Television; employees at Television House moved to Thames; while some managerial personnel relocated to Yorkshire Television in Leeds.

Following Thames’ establishment, much of Rediffusion’s programme archive was lost or destroyed. Remaining material is preserved by the BFI National Archive located in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Most intellectual property rights are held by Archbuild Limited except for certain musical works such as Ready Steady Go!, previously owned by Dave Clark International and now controlled by BMG Rights Management. Some programmes have resurfaced; notably, five compilations of At Last the 1948 Show were discovered in Swedish broadcaster SVT’s archives during the late 1980s. In 2020, the British Film Institute released a fully restored box set featuring all surviving episodes alongside reconstructed content from this series.

Revival

During the 1990s, British journalist Victor Lewis-Smith acquired the rights to the "Associated-Rediffusion Television" name along with the Adastral trademark for use by his production company. Among the notable projects produced were:

  • TV Offal, a satirical series showcasing archival television clips, hosted by Lewis-Smith himself
  • Ads Infinitum, a two-series retrospective examining classic television advertisements
  • An Omnibus documentary titled "Dudley Moore: After The Laughter," which explored Moore's musical interests and his struggle with progressive supranuclear palsy; this was his last television interview and earned a BAFTA Television Award in 2001
  • A one-time revival special of Dee Time
  • Documentaries fronted by actor Keith Allen
  • 21st Century Bach, an extended series featuring brief organ performances of J.S. Bach compositions by John Scott Whiteley
  • Alchemists of Sound, a documentary focused on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
  • The Undiscovered Tony Hancock, a 2018 documentary produced for Sky Arts

Reditune and Rediffusion Music

The music divisions known as Rediffusion Music, Reditune Rediffusion, Reditune Music, and Rediffusion Thorsen (Germany) were sold to AEI Music Network based in Seattle in 1996. AEI was subsequently purchased by DMX Music in 2000, which itself was acquired by Mood Media in 2005. Currently, Mood Media holds ownership of these brands and operates them under the umbrella of the MOOD: brand. The company continues to use former trade names including Rediffusion Reditune, Rediffusion Music, AEI Rediffusion Music, AEI Music, and DMX Music.

Studios

The administrative center and transmission facilities for Rediffusion were located at Television House on Kingsway, London. The majority of programming was produced at Wembley Studios situated in Wembley Park, north-west London. Additionally, a smaller basement studio known as Studio 9 within Television House was occasionally utilized for current affairs programming and served as the early home for Ready Steady Go!

Originally called Adastral House when it served as the Air Ministry headquarters, Television House inspired the design of A-R's emblem—the 16-point Adastral Star—which was prominently displayed during broadcasts. The station’s archives were kept at Television House, while film storage took place in vaults at Wembley Studios.

Following the loss of its broadcasting franchise, Rediffusion leased its Wembley studios to the newly formed London Weekend Television under an ITA directive commencing 6 May 1968 for a minimum period of three years; LWT vacated the premises by late summer 1972.

The Wembley studios site experienced several changes in ownership and naming over time—including London Weekend Television (Wembley), Lee International Studios (Wembley), Limehouse Television (Wembley), and Fountain Television—before ceasing operations in 2018. The facility was then repurposed as a theatre ahead of redevelopment plans slated to begin in 2019.

Television House functioned as Thames Television’s headquarters until their studios on Euston Road opened in 1970, after which the building was sold.

Presentation

At its inception as Associated-Rediffusion, on-air presentation featured a straightforward animated ident displaying the station’s name alongside a rotating star known as the Adastral. This was accompanied by a five-note electronic fanfare that spelled out 'A-R' in Morse code. The ident was paired with a heraldic coat of arms clock nicknamed 'Mitch' after Leslie Mitchell, Head of Presentation.

In 1964, the station rebranded its on-screen identity to Rediffusion London, adopting a black and grey visual motif featuring the spinning star alongside a stripe rendered in sans serif typeface. The original fanfare was replaced by a new seven-note theme, and a simplified clock displaying 24-hour time with a central adastral emblem was introduced. The initial timepiece 'Mitch' was donated to the Science Museum and is currently housed at the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Throughout its thirteen years broadcasting, Rediffusion employed several notable continuity announcers, including Redvers Kyle and Muriel Young.

Programmes

Both Associated-Rediffusion and Rediffusion were responsible for producing or commissioning a range of significant television programmes.

The majority of existing archival material is preserved by Archbuild, although the full scope of their holdings has not been definitively verified.

See also

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Associated-Rediffusion&oldid=91892"