PRODUCTION REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

Well there seems to have been a lull over the summer since we interviewed Debbie Shore back in August. That doesn't however mean that the team haven't been working away, behind the scenes, on various aspects of the production. We have been doing plenty, but on their own these bits and pieces may not have been worth including here in the blog.....



One thing we have been doing is arranging to interview more people, who you will recognise, for the programme as well as looking to produce more exclusive material for your enjoyment. We are still looking to hear from anyone who worked at ATV Centre between 1969 ad 1997 who can offer us any information or help in making this programme for the fans of ATV and Central in the Midlands.



In trying to make this programme interesting to the audience, we have been looking to generate as much original material as we possibly can, it is intended that this will be both interesting and entertaining for you all. Recently some of our team were granted access to one of the top floors of the Alpha Tower to photograph the studio buildings from an un paralleled vantage point. We would like to thank Steve Evans at Dandara (the company responsible for the "V Building" project on behalf of Miller Developments) for allowing us into their suite of offices to get this wonderful view which you will, of course, be able to see in the final programme along with a few more .....




So the nights are drawing in, but rest assured, we are still working away at this, and will keep you informed as we go along. It is a project that we are all working on in our spare time, so please bear with us, One thing we can promise though, you will enjoy it, we promise..... !

Writing about the History

Where do you start in telling the story of one of the most iconic places in British television history? Reading other peoples works, looking in the history pages of the books in the library, talking to people who know different bits of things, and then compiling it into some sort of order, I suppose that's how to start.... There has been a lot written over the years about the history of ITV in the midlands, and about ATV, one thing we don't want to do is simply copy what other people have already written.

To that end we will use the available works and documents to supplement what we already know about the move from black and white beginnings at Aston, to the new purpose built studios on Bridge Street. The plan is to complement the words that we create with some interesting visuals which won't be the 'standard' clips that have been used in similar programmes. We aim to bring to the screen a story which will, for the first time, be told by those involved in it, using exclusive footage from various sources, and supplement that with archive material if we can.

Back to the story then, and it has been an interesting voyage of discovery for me, looking into the history of not only ATV in the midlands, but of the site in Birmingham used to build the ATV Centre. It continues to throw up more surprises, the further you look into it.... The books I have looked at contain a wealth of interesting pictures, but we are looking for more original pictures where possible, which will show the site before, during and after construction, and if possible moving film footage too... We are constantly trying to add to the story of how the place which brought us some of the finest programmes in the 70's and 80's came into being, so if you can help get in touch....