Grampian TV's first presence in Dundee was in October 1965 when they opened up their premises next door to the Angus Hotel in the Marketgait. They remained there until the mid/late 70's and then they moved to a grander location at Albany House in Broughty Ferry.
When at Albany, they became the first Independent TV studio in Britain to change from film to video, that was around 1978/79.
Here's 2 ads...
The top one is from the late 70's and the one below it is from the mid 80's and has the 2 main presenters - Ron Thompson & Alan Saunders - it also includes some of their colleagues who worked behind the scenes.
Grampian TV's name ended when it came under the general banner of STV just a few years ago.
Click on the images to view the large versions.
Ron Thomson was a good pal of my dad's. A really nice man but he sadly died a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteHenry McCubbin, I believe, left Grampian TV to become either an MP or an MEP.
Can anyone remember the name of the guy who did the sign-off at night (in the days when the telly went off at midnight). He always wore a velvet jacket, a frilly shirt and a fruitbat-style bow tie. He always ended by saying "have a ginger-peachy evening". He might have had a bit of a lisp.
Remember Jimmy Spankie!
ReplyDeleteand the legend that was/is Frank Gilfeather!
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, my brother was extremely disappointed when Frank Gilfeather visited his primary school, because he didn't have a big head......he was actually expecting Frank Sidebottom!!
ReplyDeleteMy sister once wrote and asked STV’s Steve Hamilton out on a date…. He politely refused…. If he ever came around Craigie we would have kicked his silky-toned arse for that!!!
ReplyDeleteJimmy Spankie gave a talk to my class at college - brilliant guy. We learnt more from him in an hour than we did in a week with the lecturers
ReplyDeleteA typical advert you'd see on Grampian back in the black & white 60's, was for McKellar Watts, a Scottish meat company who made sausages, pies etc.
ReplyDeleteI can remember their tv ad jingle which was sung in a very broad Scottish accent and it went - "MCKELLAR WAAAAAAAAAATTS, FOR MEATINESS"
.....nevermind about the dudes, what about the delightful Selina Scott?
ReplyDeleteKennedy Thomson was link man for Grampian for ions
ReplyDeleteMy Mum and Dad live just behind the old Grampian studios in Broughty Ferry. I think Jimmy Marr bought the property and used to have unpleasantly loud parties quite regularly.
ReplyDeleteLove the site by the way!