Boggen's Advent Calender (11th, 12 and 13th Day) - When Fifteen goes into One: ITV Promotions and Trailers at Christmas - Part One

A couple of days ago, I looked at how promotions were used to promote different channels at Christmas time. But with the BBC it is easy to promote themselves because they are one Corporation as compared what ITV was, a series of individual companies all wanting to do their own thing. 

For so many years, the likes of Rediffusion London, Granada, ABC, TVS, Central etc, they would adapt their own look over the festive period. These efforts were a proportion to the companies they represented i.e. Granada's being homely, Rediffusion's being classy and TVS' being entertaining.

However with ITV wanting to serve a more united look over Christmas, how would the individual companies come together to give a unified look. In response to the BBC's lavish trailers of the 1970's, the independent channel had to come up with a way of doing this as well. The structure within ITV meant there were five major companies at its head after the 1967 franchise round, those being Thames Television, London Weekend, Granada, Yorkshire and ATV. With the more minor franchises supplying programmes for the Christmas schedule, but the big five companies were the ones tasked with coming up with the look for the festive period. 

Every year the responsibility fell one on of the companies to come up with that year's look for Christmas. Taking for example, 1982 with Christmas Eve and Day falling on Friday and Saturday respectively, that LWT took on that year's campaign running from the 20th of December to the 28th. So it was natural that London Weekend would use one of their own personalities to voice over the promotions, with Michael Aspel both a face from Give Us a Clue but also LWT's Six O'Clock show doing the duties. The actual launch trailer was broadcast on the 7th of December after the programme Russian Roulette. 

The trails themselves were played out on the fifth of December after the film 'Fort Ti' and before that evening's showing of The Professions, both of these being teaser trailers. However on the 9th of December, the first proper trailers were played out after an edition of 'Only When I Laugh' and also 'Falcon Crest', the first of these two concentrating on the entertainment to be seen on ITV over Christmas and the second showing the big shows and films the commercial channel had that year. 

In the line-up for that year's entertainment was Mike Yarwood, This is Your Life and The Morecambe and Wise Show from Phillip Jones' Light Entertainment depart at Thames. For game shows 3-2-1 from Yorkshire and Punchlines with Lennie Bennett from LWT, as well as two of LWT's main shows for Christmas night being Game for a Laugh in its second series and also Chas and Dave's Christmas Knees Up which is being re-shown by Channel Five again this year. Among the other highlights, the network premiere of Roger Moore as James Bond in Moonraker, Disney's The Black Hole, fun with Bruce Forsyth in Play Your Cards Right and Secombe at Christmas with Harry Secombe bringing a musical flavour to proceedings. 

An example of the 1982 ITV Christmas promotion

"There maybe trouble ahead..."

"Greetings to you too..."

However it has been an ambition of mine to learn who actually made the ITV Christmas Promotions/Trailers pre the united ITV era, so I will be looking into them more deeper soon.

Boggen's Advent Calender (Day Eight) - Sticking Out Like a Sore Thumb

Day Eight and it already feels like the big day is rushing towards us like a go-kart with no breaks and string steering. So in all this chaos, how as a television channel do you get across that you've got a raft of special programming coming up soon. Sure its easy enough as everyone's got a electronic programme guide on whatever they are watch the television on and funny enough a television set as well.

Though there were days when a copy of the Radio or TV Times would suffice to know what was coming up over the festive holidays, in loads of talk about people wanting to see what this year's BBC 1 Christmas ident will be even eighteen days away from Xmas Eve when we used to get it, but now its an excuse to get one over each and every channel. Let's go back to the days of less chaos and bad planning to see how Auntie BBC and Uncle ITV used to persuade us to sit down and open a tin of Quality Street and or Cadbury's Roses but never Celebrations as they weren't around then. I've gone all Stuart Maconie here, next you'll had a load of seventies celebrities poking their noses in too with their familiar faces as well.

1987 and a storm has blown over, finally they have prized Nicholas Witchell away from the Broom Cupboard so the normal continuiry announcers can add a bit of tinsel to the BBC 1 Globe. Yes, what better way to cheer everyone up with a lively Christmas ident...

"Marple-lous..."

Ah... yes.. Bits of paper paper flying around, shall I tell them or shall you? So five years after TSW and Channel Four got there with flying idents, the BBC for Christmas does something which is rather uninteresting and doesn't do much. At least Michael Grade had a three piece cracker, but enter John Birt so everything's classy but had the fun sucked out of it. The programmes are good, but surely they could had a Father Christmas walk across the ident or something or re-hired one of those animated bits of holly from 1986? 

Oh well, lets try the other side and Children's ITV to liven this up a bit. Yes, its voice of Channel Four Gary Terzza and Debbie Shore as well. They've got right into the spirit of Christmas with their tree and Debbie's natty Christmas jumper as well. Though always get that plug in for the TV Times there, as you might make another sale for the bumper Xmas edition as usual. 

Throw in the films, a bit of Disney and also anything ITV has found from somewhere and there you have what is enough to keep the Children amused, but how about something for all the family? Going back to this day in 1983 with the voice which launched a thousand clips, Brian Nissen on duty for TVS announcing Shelley with Hywell Bennett but Haskins from The Sweeney as well for full comic effect before some Americana involving Heather Locklear as per usual during the 80's. Any excuse to get her in clothing not becoming of family viewing, though in Hotel. Me neither, however at 50 seconds in comes the reason why I am including this. Its one of the first sightings of ITV's 1983 Christmas Promo package.

ITV's 1983 Christmas Promo

We'll be coming back to the wherefores and whys about ITV's Christmas Promos in a few days time however here's a sneak peek at what's to come from the commercial channel...