, later '''Rediffusion, London''', was the
British ITV contractor for
London , on weekdays between
1954 (transmissions started on
September 22 ,
1955 ) and
July 29 ,
1968 . Its headquarters were at
Television House in
Kingsway ,
London .
The company was originally a partnership between
British Electric Traction (BET) and its subsidiary
Broadcast Relay Services (trading as Rediffusion Limited) and
Associated Newspapers , owners of the ''
Daily Mail ''. In the aftermath of the fearful financial losses that the new ITV system made in its initial years, Associated Newspapers sold the majority of their share to BET and Rediffusion, although the company did not drop the word "Associated" from their name until 1964. Associated Newspapers later owned a stake of
Southern Television .
Captain
Thomas Brownrigg RN (Retired), the general manager of Associated-Rediffusion from 1955, had a very clear idea of what his new commercial television station was to be like - the
BBC Television Service, with advertisements. To this end, the station had a heraldic-style on-air clock, referred to as "Mitch" by staff (after chief station announcer
Leslie Mitchell , who had not only made the first announcement when A-R went on the air in 1955, but had done the same when the BBC TV service started in
1936 ).
The strategy allayed any fears that the new commercial TV service would be aimed at the bottom of the market. Associated-Rediffusion made ITV respectable. A-R certainly introduced popular game shows, but can also take credit for providing a raft of quality programming across all genres and for gaining a massive audience both in its own London area and, as the ITV network grew, for programmes shown across the country.
The company was based at
Television House , Kingsway, London, which previously had been known as
Adastral House when it was the headquarters of the Air Ministry - this gave its name to A-R's logo, the 16-point ''Adastral Star'', which appeared not only at the start and end of each commercial break but also between each advertisement. (The motto of the Royal Air Force is "per ardua, ad astra" - "through adversity to the stars".) There was also an electrical rentals chain related to Associated Rediffusion called ''Rediffusion'' that was once common on high streets which was bought by
Granada Rentals in
1984 and had featured the Adastral Star on shop signs and marketing.
The writer
James Thurber once claimed that "Associated-Rediffusion" sounded more like a rare neurological disorder than a television company.
In
1964 the directors had a change of heart, pensioning off Captain Brownrigg to the south coast and a directorship of the ''
TV Times '', and rebranding the station as "Rediffusion, London", with a very hip
1960s style, the face of swinging London in the shiny prosperous new Britain. However, the new Rediffusion did not survive for long - in
1967 the
Independent Television Authority announced that there was no place for Rediffusion in the redrawn franchise pattern. The parent company,
BET , took a 49% stake in the successor company,
Thames Television , which was formed by Rediffusion and
ABC Television. Most of the staff went to work for
London Weekend Television and some to the new
Yorkshire Television .
Programmes produced by Associated-Rediffusion and Rediffusion, London included ''
Double Your Money '', ''
Take Your Pick '', ''
Ready, Steady, Go! '', ''
Do Not Adjust Your Set '', ''
This Week '', ''Crane'', ''Riviera Police'', ''No Hiding Place'', ''Top Secret'', ''Five O'Clock Club'', and ''
At Last The 1948 Show ''.
Redvers Kyle was among the company's announcers throughout its 13 years on the air, and
Muriel Young was among its original announcing team.
In the
1990s , the name "Associated-Rediffusion Television" and the adastral trademark were acquired by the British journalist
Victor Lewis-Smith , and are now used by his own production company. Productions have included:
BET and Rediffusion Limited had strong links with the former British colonies. These included holding the concessions for wired and over-the-air radio and television stations. A subsidiary company, Overseas Rediffusion, operated these stations and also sold advertising time and programming for them. Stations included the radio station Rediffusion Barbados
{Link without Title} , Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the wired television service
Rediffusion Television in
Hong Kong , the latter now known as
Asia Television .
Company names:
- Associated-Rediffusion Television Limited ( 1954 - 1964 )
- Rediffusion Television Limited ( 1964 - 1968 )
On-air names:
- Associated-Rediffusion (1955-1964)
- Rediffusion London (1964-1968)
Initials used:
- AR-TV (1955-1964)
- A-R (1955-1964)
