A fitting tribute. I did work experience at Central presentation & promotions dept in July 1993. They knew full well that their game was way ahead of anyone else on the network. They also had strong (unrepeatable) opinions about Carlton's presentation - not knowing what six months' time would bring... :(
If those early ITV people would have seen stuff like Love Island, I would imagine them, with their heads in their hands sighing and saying "What's happened to our company?" I despair for today's youth!
ATV was so much of my childhood and you’re right, it’s impossible to watch Zoom 2 once. I have the logo with my initials tattooed on my arm. Thank you for the bonus Wings Crossroads theme.
Zoom 2 and the Cake. We were truly spoiled in the Midlands to have 2 of the greatest sets of idents the British public have ever seen. Maybe that’s why we had to endure the bastardisation of Cameron’s Carlton Crapola as some sort of karmic balance. Some of the best stuff ITV ever broadcast came out of the Midlands region. Auf Wiedersehen Independent television , gone but never forgotten. Thanks also to Matthew Harris and Bob the Fish Productions team. Your work has scratched an itch that has been out of my reach for a long time, if that makes any sense. much love to you all and the U.K. ident community. ✌️
Anthony Hobson I have been a fool. Edited and corrected. I will now hang my head in shame and listen to Pages from Ceefax music at a distorted level as penance for my cretinous cock up 😞
Central gave us Blockbusters. I won't hear ill of them. That show ended just early enough in my life so that I couldn't work out why hexagons were a shape I was drawn to. Then I got older and remembered why. Not being well up on UK geography in those days, I didn't think of Central as a region, more of a company, one with a lovely rainbow logo, mind. ATV means nothing to me from a nostalgic perspective, because I hadn't heard of them until the internet came into our house, though thanks to Thunderbirds repeats on BBC 2, I had heard of ITC and its own logo.
Same here, regarding ATV. When I was a kid, I thought it was just a production company of some sort. In fact, thinking of it now, except for Tyne Tees, Scottish, Yorkshire and my region (Granada), as a child, I thought they all were production companies. Lol.
Yes. The ATV "In Colour" (zoom 2) ident was by far the classiest television ident. Closely followed by LWT and the more modest HTV blue and white mock-up
My home and native land (no, not Canada!!). With all respect to Central, which did a fantastic job broadcasting in the Midlands before Carlton came in and screwed it all up, I still refer to it as ATVLand. Sadly, the old ATV studios are no more, making way for a bank, of all things. ITV in the Midlands effectively run operations from a non-descript building in Gas Street in Birmingham - ignominy of ignominies, they're not even sole tenants. Oh, how I wished Granada took over Central...
I was only 5 and a Thames viewer when ATV left but it was almost as bad a mistake as the axing of Thames and I still think ATV was the best ident of all (and I still love Crossroads!)
ATV programs were the first British TV shows seen by most Statesiders(if they didn't see THE AVENGERS first), but we only got those shows that were intended for the US in the first place, so the guest stars on the variety shows were mostly Yanks.
Talking Pictures TV have recently started showing the early surviving B&W episodes of the Edward Woodward drama Callan, complete with the 'looming yonic' version of the ABC ident.
The only good show to come out of Carlton, imo, is 99-1. Also, if you add another 9 to it, you get 999-1 which is the ratio of bad programming to good produced by Carlton.
As a child I associated all the pre programme logos with regions except for ATV. I thought ITV bought syndicated programmes from ATV. In the same way they would from Spelling, Stephen J. Cannell, Columbia etc...
Just an interesting little bit of info. In the 2000’s when I was living in Germany BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) were using the ATV jingle on their radio station. I’m not sure if they purchased it somehow.
That morning start up on 1 January 1982 - and that shit logo came up! What did we the viewers get from this new company - the same programmes, the same presenters, the same continuity announcers - the only difference no more international productions courtesy of ITC
As with most idents from the 70's, (and even a few in the 80's), hearing the jingles that go along with them instantly connects with the programmes they prefaced. Being a kid in the 70's, ATV was always associated with Pipkins, as much as Thames with Rainbow, Hickory House with Granada, (although they never had a jingle to go with it), and even Yorkshire Television with Mr. Tr.... Rising Damp. There's many others, of course, that cover all the other regions that depend on how old you were and what shows were shown regularly at the time on network ITV. Central and their ident/jingle were instantly linked to Auf Wiedersehen, Pet; Blockbusters and Starfleet. Like all the ITV regions, they had their own character, which was unduly executed in the 90's to become homogenised into just another mediocre channel name with a number after it.
Very clever that, the notes of the scale A B C (would be a minor triad in musical terms). Auntie also did it with B B C occasionally inserted into their test card musical sequences. The idea obviously came from Richard Wagner here (the inventor of the musical motif, or leitmotif).
Thames will always be my favourite franchise, simply because most of the programs had it (Benny Hill, Kenny Everett, George And Mildred, Danger Mouse, Rainbow etc....) but ATV is probably a close second, and being around pre-1968 has the 'prestige' of 60's international television to go with it, plus early colour productions (The surviving Colour London Palladium Show from 1966 is amazing to see).
I am really enjoying this UA-cam channel. I remember the Central cake from when I was young. I've seen the ABC and ATV idents on many a re-run. It's a good job that that clause of the 1954 Act expired after 10 years. I very much doubt that the utter *bleep* that ITV churns out today would qualify as "high quality".
The ATV jingle has been later used by BFBS radio in Germany. I don’t know if they still do but they did in the late 90’s through to the early 2000’s when I lived over there.
We were so spoiled in the Midlands with our brilliant, slick and rebellious ATV. Strangely enough we also had a commercial radio station (ILR) called Beacon Radio which wasn't too dissimilar to ATV in brilliance, slickness and rebellious. Beacon Radio was managed by an American guy who was having none of the IBA restrictions and promptly told to go or the station would lose its franchise, though ATV had to transform into Central to satisfy the regulators. Beacon Radio had to transform too, but after the management were dismissed.
I cannot argue with anything you say although no mention of BRMBs legend that is Tony Butler. Still with us at 88! Also the dulcet tones of Hugh Johns commentating on local soccer teams. I believe that Chris Tarrant started on ATV Today as a Reporter. One programme that sticks in the mind was after Monday's teatime news called 'What's on Next'. Hardly mentioned now & yet many started on it including Jim Davidson. However the news was very biased to Brum for coverage between Gloucester & Stoke!
I used to say - in comparing the two; "Central had the guts to kill Crossroads and bury it. Carlton brought it back. Says it all really." Severn Sound radio did a kind of hook up with Central in the eighties. I had a Severn Sound jumper with both theirs and Central's logo.
9:41 - Tom Edwards would always be associated with Thames Television with me. Annoyingly always promoting the following morning TV-am's "Good Morning Great Britain" at closedown every night he was on.
The ABC cinema chain became apart of the cannon film group owned by Golan and Globus until the companies demise in the late 80's and the cinema chain got aquisioned by MGM until filing chapter 5 bancruptcy and sadly the chain got demolished . and the rest is history
@@applemask They are from TV Ark. But I can't find those idents until I found them in this video. Can't download all videos on TV Ark, besides all of the 1996 Carlton idents and others on the 2003 site.
Just thinking; why didn't more companies do what Central did with the generic looks? Just use it in conjunction with their own idents. I mean companies like Anglia and Yorkshire should've done so (Yorkshire especially cos liquid gold is beautiful and dropped far too early!)
@@d2dar459 Doubt it. Central amended the generic idents within a month of them starting in September 1989. The Broadcasti g Act wasn't around until 1990 and Central didn't know they had won until late 1991. They amended them because their presentation department was the best in the country and knew how to impress the audience.
The midlands is a cesspit as a whole, mostly because of Birmingham, Kidderminster and Dudley BUT we do have great TV! (Not the regional news. That mostly focuses on Birmingham and Coventry. Whilst the rest of us are forgotten and left to rot. Unless something catches on fire, you won't see us on the telly!)
When you look at the start of TVS and their clock and the logo. Meanwhile in Birmingham, half arse half made stills that weren't even finished. And this was the biggest second franchise.
Oh, the curse of perfect pitch! That could just be variation in film speed. I've heard versions of the 1970s Southern ident (recorded in A minor) where it sounds more like B flat minor.
The Independent Broadcasting Authority - All their pomp and thinking they knew best. What was the point of any of this. ATV was always better and Central never came anywhere near close.
A fitting tribute. I did work experience at Central presentation & promotions dept in July 1993. They knew full well that their game was way ahead of anyone else on the network. They also had strong (unrepeatable) opinions about Carlton's presentation - not knowing what six months' time would bring... :(
If those early ITV people would have seen stuff like Love Island, I would imagine them, with their heads in their hands sighing and saying "What's happened to our company?" I despair for today's youth!
ATV was so much of my childhood and you’re right, it’s impossible to watch Zoom 2 once. I have the logo with my initials tattooed on my arm. Thank you for the bonus Wings Crossroads theme.
Zoom 2 and the Cake. We were truly spoiled in the Midlands to have 2 of the greatest sets of idents the British public have ever seen. Maybe that’s why we had to endure the bastardisation of Cameron’s Carlton Crapola as some sort of karmic balance. Some of the best stuff ITV ever broadcast came out of the Midlands region. Auf Wiedersehen Independent television , gone but never forgotten. Thanks also to Matthew Harris and Bob the Fish Productions team. Your work has scratched an itch that has been out of my reach for a long time, if that makes any sense. much love to you all and the U.K. ident community. ✌️
"Zoom 2".
Anthony Hobson I have been a fool. Edited and corrected. I will now hang my head in shame and listen to Pages from Ceefax music at a distorted level as penance for my cretinous cock up 😞
Central gave us Blockbusters. I won't hear ill of them. That show ended just early enough in my life so that I couldn't work out why hexagons were a shape I was drawn to. Then I got older and remembered why.
Not being well up on UK geography in those days, I didn't think of Central as a region, more of a company, one with a lovely rainbow logo, mind.
ATV means nothing to me from a nostalgic perspective, because I hadn't heard of them until the internet came into our house, though thanks to Thunderbirds repeats on BBC 2, I had heard of ITC and its own logo.
Same here, regarding ATV. When I was a kid, I thought it was just a production company of some sort. In fact, thinking of it now, except for Tyne Tees, Scottish, Yorkshire and my region (Granada), as a child, I thought they all were production companies. Lol.
Yes. The ATV "In Colour" (zoom 2) ident was by far the classiest television ident. Closely followed by LWT and the more modest HTV blue and white mock-up
That atv and central jingle always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy . It’s the sound of many happy hours of my lush childhood.
My home and native land (no, not Canada!!). With all respect to Central, which did a fantastic job broadcasting in the Midlands before Carlton came in and screwed it all up, I still refer to it as ATVLand. Sadly, the old ATV studios are no more, making way for a bank, of all things. ITV in the Midlands effectively run operations from a non-descript building in Gas Street in Birmingham - ignominy of ignominies, they're not even sole tenants. Oh, how I wished Granada took over Central...
Thank you there of course. The ATV Zoom 2 ident of old-yes it is definitely ITV's best ident ever in my views so too! Well done too.
I was only 5 and a Thames viewer when ATV left but it was almost as bad a mistake as the axing of Thames and I still think ATV was the best ident of all (and I still love Crossroads!)
ATV programs were the first British TV shows seen by most Statesiders(if they didn't see THE AVENGERS first), but we only got those shows that were intended for the US in the first place, so the guest stars on the variety shows were mostly Yanks.
The central cake ident was awesome.
Friday nights, 1969
ATV- you murdered every line
Talking Pictures TV have recently started showing the early surviving B&W episodes of the Edward Woodward drama Callan, complete with the 'looming yonic' version of the ABC ident.
True Entertainment are showing series 2 of The Avengers with the ABC logo at the start too.
Central was also the heart and soul of CITV!
Loved Zoom 2. Every weekday before crossroads. 🥰
So did I too!
And the likes of Family Fortunes, Pipkins and The Muppet Show
Central Also worked with Ragdoll Productions as The Networker for Shows like Tots TV And Rosie and Jim
The only good show to come out of Carlton, imo, is 99-1. Also, if you add another 9 to it, you get 999-1 which is the ratio of bad programming to good produced by Carlton.
It's worth noting that Central continued to use zoom 2 for programs it inherited from ATV
Yes, with the logo
Central Presents
As a child I associated all the pre programme logos with regions except for ATV. I thought ITV bought syndicated programmes from ATV.
In the same way they would from Spelling, Stephen J. Cannell, Columbia etc...
I always get goosebumps watching ATV zoom 2.
Just an interesting little bit of info. In the 2000’s when I was living in Germany BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) were using the ATV jingle on their radio station. I’m not sure if they purchased it somehow.
It was a disaster when Charlton took over central. Central tv were a great friendly channel making great programmes.
Thank you so much-very interesting indeed!
Zoom 2 was a scary ident to me. Forget the Yorkshire Television ident Atv was the one that used to come and get me at bed time.
You and me both.
I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you for putting it together. Going to watch the other ones now that aren’t my region
I grew up with ATV and was gutted when it became Central. Was even more gutted when Central became Carlton.
That morning start up on 1 January 1982 - and that shit logo came up! What did we the viewers get from this new company - the same programmes, the same presenters, the same continuity announcers - the only difference no more international productions courtesy of ITC
As with most idents from the 70's, (and even a few in the 80's), hearing the jingles that go along with them instantly connects with the programmes they prefaced. Being a kid in the 70's, ATV was always associated with Pipkins, as much as Thames with Rainbow, Hickory House with Granada, (although they never had a jingle to go with it), and even Yorkshire Television with Mr. Tr.... Rising Damp. There's many others, of course, that cover all the other regions that depend on how old you were and what shows were shown regularly at the time on network ITV. Central and their ident/jingle were instantly linked to Auf Wiedersehen, Pet; Blockbusters and Starfleet. Like all the ITV regions, they had their own character, which was unduly executed in the 90's to become homogenised into just another mediocre channel name with a number after it.
Very clever that, the notes of the scale A B C (would be a minor triad in musical terms). Auntie also did it with B B C occasionally inserted into their test card musical sequences. The idea obviously came from Richard Wagner here (the inventor of the musical motif, or leitmotif).
Thames will always be my favourite franchise, simply because most of the programs had it (Benny Hill, Kenny Everett, George And Mildred, Danger Mouse, Rainbow etc....) but ATV is probably a close second, and being around pre-1968 has the 'prestige' of 60's international television to go with it, plus early colour productions (The surviving Colour London Palladium Show from 1966 is amazing to see).
Another class documentary. Many thanks.
The first Central ident resembled a split mint imperial from Selafield.
I am really enjoying this UA-cam channel.
I remember the Central cake from when I was young. I've seen the ABC and ATV idents on many a re-run.
It's a good job that that clause of the 1954 Act expired after 10 years. I very much doubt that the utter *bleep* that ITV churns out today would qualify as "high quality".
The ATV jingle has been later used by BFBS radio in Germany. I don’t know if they still do but they did in the late 90’s through to the early 2000’s when I lived over there.
We were so spoiled in the Midlands with our brilliant, slick and rebellious ATV. Strangely enough we also had a commercial radio station (ILR) called Beacon Radio which wasn't too dissimilar to ATV in brilliance, slickness and rebellious. Beacon Radio was managed by an American guy who was having none of the IBA restrictions and promptly told to go or the station would lose its franchise, though ATV had to transform into Central to satisfy the regulators. Beacon Radio had to transform too, but after the management were dismissed.
I cannot argue with anything you say although no mention of BRMBs legend that is Tony Butler. Still with us at 88!
Also the dulcet tones of Hugh Johns commentating on local soccer teams. I believe that Chris Tarrant started on ATV Today as a Reporter.
One programme that sticks in the mind was after Monday's teatime news called 'What's on Next'. Hardly mentioned now & yet many started on it including Jim Davidson.
However the news was very biased to Brum for coverage between Gloucester & Stoke!
Tiswas was the greatest! Sally James in a leather jacket. Bob Carolgees. Pure talent. Lol
I used to say - in comparing the two; "Central had the guts to kill Crossroads and bury it.
Carlton brought it back.
Says it all really."
Severn Sound radio did a kind of hook up with Central in the eighties. I had a Severn Sound jumper with both theirs and Central's logo.
Elstree Studios live on as part of Holby City Hospital and Albert Square.
Wow, in the 90s they really had their cake and at it, too.
The Cake was the best ever ident ❤
ATV also brought us Bullseye, albeit during its final year before Central took over and aired the show for the next 13 years.
Family Fortunes as well
ATV should never be forgiven for Bullseye!
23:44-25:26 - Definitely my favorite part. Central had some of the most creative idents. And then, BOOM!! The Broadcasting Act ruins it.
have to say I don't remember ever seeing Central use the generic idents in 1989
Interesting and well researched.The regional map at start however should have included Oxon and large chunks of Bucks,Wilts and Gloucestershire.
When the Membury transmitter opened the ATV region stretched far further south than what you could call the midlands.
10:43 just what evil and twisted mind put that thing into the graphics for a kids’ show??
"That thing" is the Phantom Flan Flinger from Tiswas!
Zoom 2 is the best tv ident ever made
9:41 - Tom Edwards would always be associated with Thames Television with me. Annoyingly always promoting the following morning TV-am's "Good Morning Great Britain" at closedown every night he was on.
Yeah, I argee with your statements, Mr. Harris. Thanks. Also... #Shantae4Smash!!
PERCUSSION! it's not just for rythmn anymore
How nice of Timothy Spall to do the narration. 😅
And to think, without lew grade and ATV , we wouldn’t have the Muppet show
Lew Grade was an Ukranian.I'm from Ukraine too.
@Group JW Productions no shit. In fact Lew's town is occupied by orcs rn
Слава Україні! My thoughts go out to your beautiful country of Ukraine from the United Kingdom.
🌻
Does anyone know the name of the song during the credits
You're A Star by Carl Wayne (Theme From New Faces)
The ABC cinema chain became apart of the cannon film group owned by Golan and Globus until the companies
demise in the late 80's and the cinema chain got aquisioned by MGM until filing chapter 5 bancruptcy and sadly
the chain got demolished . and the rest is history
Wow. I didnt know it was even possible to manufacture that much red tape. Lol.
The Cake As Anything
How did you find those lost 1998 Central idents? If you got them, upload the idents.
TV-Ark, I think.
@@applemask They are from TV Ark. But I can't find those idents until I found them in this video. Can't download all videos on TV Ark, besides all of the 1996 Carlton idents and others on the 2003 site.
You know, a lot of those 'cake' idents were cool. But a few were just a little too inspired by the Channel 4 flying blocks, don't you think?
Just thinking; why didn't more companies do what Central did with the generic looks? Just use it in conjunction with their own idents. I mean companies like Anglia and Yorkshire should've done so (Yorkshire especially cos liquid gold is beautiful and dropped far too early!)
Im guessing after winning their franchise for mere pocket money, Central were among the only ones who could afford to.
@@d2dar459 Doubt it. Central amended the generic idents within a month of them starting in September 1989. The Broadcasti g Act wasn't around until 1990 and Central didn't know they had won until late 1991. They amended them because their presentation department was the best in the country and knew how to impress the audience.
What a great video. I would welcome that cake back tomorrow if poss.
Thanks. Although as a Conservative councillor I'd advise you to quit while you're ahead with my videos.
Fill in the blank: The Cake as __________
the Central logo
A Carlton logo 😂
Rainbow frosted broken biscuit
Then atv returned in 2015 for itv 60th
What's the name of the song in the credits
ua-cam.com/video/bYAOU5f5qTQ/v-deo.html
Wasn’t there an older version of this?
Yes. I remade it. This is superior, trust me.
Are you having cake?
Are you going to put square peg up on here?
I know this may be a pointless reply 2 years on, but if u dont already know, 'Square Peg' is now on youtube. 👍🏽
@@d2dar459 just waiting for Kid are alright
@@timgoodwin4424
Yep.
25:36 HOW DARE YOU TAKE THE CAKE!!!
What's that i said about Golden Ages?
The midlands is a cesspit as a whole, mostly because of Birmingham, Kidderminster and Dudley BUT we do have great TV!
(Not the regional news. That mostly focuses on Birmingham and Coventry. Whilst the rest of us are forgotten and left to rot. Unless something catches on fire, you won't see us on the telly!)
11:45 - THAT'S THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES! Those multicoloured eyes and that brass SCREAMING in your ear like banshees!
BLOODY TERRIFYING!!!
What?
For me this isn't the stuff of nightmares.
I was VERY unsettled by this logo as a child. Love it now, though.
Where’s Thunderbirds?
Tracy Island
When you look at the start of TVS and their clock and the logo. Meanwhile in Birmingham, half arse half made stills that weren't even finished. And this was the biggest second franchise.
Am I the only one who hears ohhhh he’s dead in 0:11
Yes it does sound like that😂
I hear, "Ohhhh it's there". Neither of us right probably 🙄
Nope. Not me. The actual line is "Always There"
That was pretty much every other ITV station when Carlton and Granada merged
Three words: Pride moon cake
I don’t eat cakes 🍰
2:18
Wait What!?
??
@@johnking5174 lol
@@lulugamer8082 Explain
@@johnking5174 i was watching it and i knew Bob said "Wait What?
@@lulugamer8082 OK
ATV, Associated Tele Vision? What in the world is ATV?
??
The best TV ident ever.
7:23 and then some eejit transposed it up a semitone
Oh, the curse of perfect pitch!
That could just be variation in film speed. I've heard versions of the 1970s Southern ident (recorded in A minor) where it sounds more like B flat minor.
@@MakerfieldConsort same
I think your microphone was made in the same period.
Central......The start of the rot
The Independent Broadcasting Authority - All their pomp and thinking they knew best. What was the point of any of this. ATV was always better and Central never came anywhere near close.