Associated Television
ATV was a regional ITV franchise-holder operating from 1955.
The company broadcast in London at weekends until 1968 (when LWT took over), and on weekdays in the Midlands from 1956 to 68, then all week until New Year's Eve 1981.
In 1981, after a number of controversies regarding its regional programming, the company was divided, rearranged and reborn as Central Independent Television on 1st January 1982.
However, in 1994, Central was bought by Carlton (who had held a share of the company since the early 1980s), which merged with Granada in 2004 to become ITV plc.
Notable archive productions
| Medium | Production | Broadcaster | Genre | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV |  |
Shine On Harvey Moon | ITV | Comedy Drama | Comedy drama written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, about a World War II veteran rebuilding his life in post-war London. |
| TV |  |
The Other 'Arf | ITV | Sitcom | Cockney model, Lorraine Watts indulges in an on off relationship with upper class Conservative M.P., Charles Latimer. |
| TV | Spooner's Patch | ITV | Sitcom | Sitcom following day-to-day life in a Metropolitan Police station under the manic supervision of Inspector Spooner. | |
| TV | Young At Heart | ITV | Sitcom | ||
| TV |  |
A Sharp Intake Of Breath | ITV | Sitcom | David Jason stars as Peter Barnes, an average man forever struggling against red tape and bureaucracy. |
| TV |  |
The Muppet Show | ITV | Sitcom | Part sitcom, part sketch show, part variety; The Muppet Show features the Muppets performing their weekly variety show, with glimpses backstage. |
| TV |  |
Celebrity Squares | ITV | Panel Show | |
| TV |  |
The Worker | ITV | Sitcom | Charlie Drake is The Worker, a man who has had 980 jobs in 20 years - most of them for one day! He is unemployable but that doesn't stop him trying. |
| TV |  |
The Squirrels | ITV | Sitcom | Office politics can be a dirty business and, in the world of accounts at International TV Rentals, back-stabbing has become part of the daily routine. |
| TV |  |
A Little Bit Of Wisdom | ITV | Sitcom | A series of incidents and accidents launch Norman Wisdom on a succession of remarkable adventures in his last starring role on TV. |
| TV |  |
My Good Woman | ITV | Sitcom | Clive Gibbons believes his life is falling apart but his wife, Sylvia, is the champion do-gooder of the parish and does not share his views. If only he could persuade her that charity begins at home.. |
| TV |  |
Sunday Night At The London Palladium | ITV | Variety | Landmark, genre-defining variety series from the London Palladium, featuring the biggest names in British and international entertainment. |
| TV | The Des O'Connor Show | ITV | Stand-Up | ||
| TV | Girls About Town | ITV | Sitcom | After seven years each of marriage, two thirty-something women of contrasting outlooks decide that it's high time their husbands took more notice of them. | |
| TV |  |
George And The Dragon | ITV | Sitcom | Sid James stars as chauffeur George, constantly warring against formidable housekeeper Gabrielle Dragon (Peggy Mount) in the home of Colonel Maynard. |
| TV |  |
The Morecambe And Wise Show | ITV | Sketch Show | The first successful television format for Morecambe & Wise, a familiar mixture of sketch and stand-up broadcast from 1961 by ATV. |
| TV |  |
Mrs. Thursday | ITV | Comedy Drama | Comedy drama starring Kathleen Harrison as Alice Thursday, a Cockney cleaning lady who inherits £10 million and a multinational business empire. |
| TV |  |
The Arthur Haynes Show | ITV | Sketch Show | Largely forgotten but hugely popular, long-running sketch show starring Arthur Haynes with support from Nicholas Parsons and scripts by Johnny Speight. |
| TV |  |
The Larkins | ITV | Sitcom | Early ATV sitcom starring David Kossoff and Peggy Mount as Alf and Ada Larkins, living in disorder with their son, daughter, and her American husband. |
| TV | The Benny Hill Show | ITV | Sketch Show | Series of ATV sketch specials broadcast between 1957 and 1960, starring and written by Benny Hill. | |
| TV |  |
Joan And Leslie | ITV | Sitcom | Domestic sitcom starring real-life husband and wife Leslie Randall and Joan Reynolds. |
Premium Tools & Content
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Comedy title launches
| Year | Medium | Genre | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | TV | Sitcom | Till Death.... |
| 1980 | TV | Sketch Show | Bernie Clifton On Stage |
| 1980 | TV | Sitcom | The Other 'Arf |
| 1980 | TV | Sitcom | Young At Heart |
| 1979 | TV | Sitcom | Spooner's Patch |
| 1978 | TV | Sitcom | A Soft Touch |
| 1977 | TV | Sitcom | A Sharp Intake Of Breath |
| 1976 | TV | Sitcom | Big Boy Now! |
| 1976 | TV | Sitcom | Cilla's World Of Comedy |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | Carry On Laughing |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | Cilla's Comedy Six |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | Down The 'Gate |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | For Richer For Poorer |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | Honey |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | Milk-O |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | The Truth About Verity |
| 1975 | TV | Sitcom | What A Turn Up |
| 1974 | TV | Sitcom | A Little Bit Of Wisdom |
| 1974 | TV | Sketch Show | Max |
| 1974 | TV | Sitcom | The Squirrels |
| 1973 | TV | Sitcom | Nobody Is Norman Wisdom |
| 1973 | TV | Sitcom | She'll Have To Go |
| 1973 | TV | Sitcom | Up The Workers |
| 1973 | TV | Comedy | What A Carry On! |
| 1972 | TV | Sitcom | My Good Woman |
| 1972 | TV | Stand-Up | Shut That Door! |
| 1971 | TV | Sitcom | Alexander The Greatest |
| 1971 | TV | Sitcom | Lollipop Loves Mr. Mole |
| 1971 | TV | Sitcom | You're Only Young Twice |
| 1970 | TV | Sitcom | From A Bird's Eye View |
| 1969 | TV | Sitcom | Girls About Town |
| 1969 | TV | Sitcom | John Browne's Body |
| 1969 | TV | Sitcom | The Best Things In Life |
| 1969 | TV | Stand-Up | The Frankie Howerd Show |
| 1967 | TV | Sitcom | My Man Joe |
| 1967 | TV | Sitcom | Sam And Janet |
| 1967 | TV | Sketch Show | The Benny Hill Show |
| 1967 | TV | Sitcom | Who Is Sylvia? |
| 1966 | TV | Sitcom | George And The Dragon |
| 1965 | TV | Sitcom | Porterhouse - Private Eye |
| 1965 | TV | Sitcom | The Worker |
| 1964 | TV | Sitcom | Fire Crackers |
| 1962 | TV | Sketch Show | Two Of A Kind |
| 1960 | TV | Sitcom | The Strange World Of Gurney Slade |
| 1958 | TV | Sketch Show | Cooper's Capers |
| 1958 | TV | Stand-Up | The Frankie Howerd Show |
| 1958 | TV | Sitcom | The Larkins |
| 1957 | TV | Sketch Show | The Howerd Crowd |
| 1957 | TV | Stand-Up | The Tommy Cooper Hour |
| 1955 | TV | Sitcom | Joan And Leslie |
| 1955 | TV | Sketch Show | The Harry Secombe Show |