A power house of the ITV network, ATV was one of the big five that provided
content for Independent television from 1955.
Responsible for great shows like, ‘The Golden Shot, Celebrity Squares, Tiswas, Spitting Image, Bullseye and of course the much lamented Soap ‘Crossroads’.
This 2 Disc set chronicles the inception and operation of ‘the most advanced colour TV studio of its time’ the ATV centre in Broad Street Birmingham.
Told by the people who worked there.
Candid contributions from Producer/ Director Peter Harris, very amusing anecdotes from comedian Jim Bowen and a fascinating insight into the day to day operation of the news and  presentation departments from Bob Warman. If you’re a Tiswas fan, you will want to hear the reminiscences of  Chris Tarrant. Equally fans of Crossroads will enjoy Jane Rossington’s tales from the set of that famous motel. This is a complete history of Associated Television, also cataloguing the wealth of local and minority programmes produced for the midlands region.

The story is told in five parts entitled, ‘An Exciting new facility’, ‘The Dawn of Colour’
‘The Colour Heyday’ ‘A New Era’ and ‘The End of an Era’ ( Total Running Time 245 Minutes)
We are taken back to the beginnings of the company in Aston when they shared facilities with ABC Television under the banner of Alpha Television, then the migration to the new prestigious broadcasting complex, the end of ATV and finally the start of Central television and beyond.
This is a comprehensive story of a treasured era in British Television. Narrated and produced by Lee Bannister.  Without a doubt this has been a labour of love,  well crafted, rich in facts and archive content, this is a must have for any TV buff or aficionado.

Distributed by the Media Archive of Central England (MACE) and available from