Manx Television

### Broadcast area

Isle of Man (Signal may overspill into miniscule parts of the North West, Border, and Northern Ireland)

### Picture format

1080i, 576i 16:9

**Manx Television** is an Isle of Man-based television channel and the UKBC franchisee for said Isle. It is a fully independent media company in the vein of STV Group plc. It is also one of the leading members of UKBC Media Limited. When it was part of the ITV network, it launched in May 1959.

It launched with the rest of the UKBC network on 17 September 2021, and gained its licence in March of 2019, following an announcement that they would mostly swap ITV for UKBC. Manx handed over to the UKBC feed after a special Manx Report at Six programme and the ITV Evening News.

It is currently the only known UKBC franchise to have once been an ITV franchise at some point in time, and will happily and clearly let it known that it was once a part of ITV.

## Notable Network Productions

Manx Television is known as one of the "Big Four" UKBC franchises, as they've produced a massive amount of programmes for the UKBC network and beyond.

* **UKBC Eye** - The UKBC's infamous hard-hitting, internationally-leaning current affairs investigative journalism programme in the vein of World In Action and The Cook Report.
* **UKBC Telethon** - A continuously broadcasted 27-hour (less or more) charity telethon usually broadcasted throughout Bank Holidays and regular holidays. It picks up the revived Text Santa name during the Christmas season in mid-to-late December. The main bulk of the programme is streamed live at Studio 2 of the Douglas Television Centre with regional cut-ins offered to other UKBC franchises across the British Isles to chime in to their own needs. Sponsored by LG, but may vary according to region (i.e. Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Channel Islands, etc.).
* **3-2-1** - A revival of the wildly popular Yorkshire Television game/quiz/variety show. Sponsored by Mecca Bingo.
* **Blockbusters** - Revival of a quiz show involving a hexagonal board.
* **Password** - Revival of a panel game show based on a US game show of the same name. Had a habit of jumping around channels like ITV (ATV), BBC, Channel 4, and back over to ITV (UTV).
* **Crosswits** - Revival of a Tyne Tees-produced crossword puzzle-based game show.
* **Chain Letters** - Revival of another Tyne Tees-produced game show involving changing letters in words to make new words, hence winning cash prices.
* **Punchlines** - Revival of an LWT-produced comedy panel memory quiz show.
* **The Golden Shot** - Revival of a long-running ATV Midlands-produced game show where contestants could win big by competing in a (blindfolded) crossbow archery match, based on the legend of William Tell (and a German game show).
* **Mr. & Mrs.** - Revival of an iconic husband and wife quiz game that hopped around up to four ITV franchises and a celeb-based revival.
* **Rivergate** - The UKBC's prized, big-name soap opera. Although (currently) produced by DragonCymruWales, it is attributed to Manx Television, Plc. Features incredibly dramatic and heart-wrenching storylines that give fellow (rival) soaps like Emmerdale, EastEnders, and Hollyoaks pause. Sponsored by Vauxhall Motors of Stellantis N.V.
* **Frontline** - British version of an Australian comedy show lampooning and satirising current affairs programmes and reporting. By sheer chance of being on the same network, it also parodies UKBC current affairs stalwarts: UKBC Eye, 60 Minutes, The Lowdown, and The Real Story.
* **TV Offal** - Manx Studios & Associated-Rediffusion co-production. A revival of the short-lived satirical comedy sketch/archive series previously on Channel 4. Manx Television's Russell Jones carries the torch of the late Victor Lewis-Smith to rip modern British telly a structurally superfluous new behind. The programme where criminally bad telly goes to burn. This programme airs on UKBC Two on late Friday nights.
* **Gear Knobs** - The UKBC's motoring magazine and "factual" comedy programme. Made as an answer to Top Gear on BBC and Fifth Gear on Quest/Discovery+. Co-produced with NWTV on location at a repurposed RAF Calveley near Nantwich, Chesire.
* **Isle of Man TT coverage** - Live coverage of the annual, extremely dangerous motorcycling event often titled as "The Greatest Show on Earth." Co-Produced by Greenlight TV (independent Manx-based company) and Silver Star Sports (division of Manx Studios). Coverage is sponsored by Monster Energy.
* **The Interceptors** - An action detective show that also serves as a send-up nostalgia trip to police dramas of the '70s and '80s. Produced by Bristol-based firm Bottlecap. By the very nature of this programme, it airs on UKBC 3 with talks on moving it to the main channel.
* **The Isle of Man with Russ Jones** - A travel documentary touring the stunning scenery, the rich history, and the local peoples of the Isle of Man. Produced by Manx Holidays.tv, an offshoot of the larger Manx Studios Group. Airs on early Sunday evenings opting out from the main London-based schedule. Depends on if the main network schedule is willing to show it to the rest of British screens.
* **What's on Manx** - A weekly entertainment, magazine-style programme in partnership with Isle of Man Film and Isle of Media. The programme talks about movies, music and chat about your favourite TV programmes in the Isle of Man. This programme opts out of the network schedule on early Friday evenings. Produced by Manx Studios Independent Productions under the Manx Report label.
* **Manx Eye** - A news and current affairs programme in the vein of STV's Scotland Tonight. Covers the main issues in depth that matter to the Isle of Man that the Manx Report bulletins missed. Airs four times a week immediately following a Manx Report late bulletin. May offset the Maitlis political programme by 20 minutes. Produced by Manx Studios Current Affairs.
* **TMZ on (UK)TV** - An officially licensed British version of Fox's 22-minutes-long (plus adverts) entertainment journalism programme TMZ on TV reconfigured for British teenagers/young adults' tastes. This programme airs on UKBC2 every half-hour weeknight at 18.30 (6.30 PM).
* **CFI** - (abbreviated from **Club of the Funny and Inventive**) A British reworking of a long-running Soviet/Russian uber-competitive comedic talent show franchise called KVN (КВН). Generally follows the same rules and everything else straight to the letter, albeit translated to English. Runs for 60-180 minutes. Produced and screened semi-live by Encore, Manx Studios' big, flashy entertainment branch, in the Adelphi Theatre. Sponsored by Coca-Cola. Competes against ITV's Britain's Got Talent.
* **What? Where? When? - The Million Dollar Mind Game** - Another reworking of a popular, long-running Russian quiz show involving viewer-submitted logic-based questions and a £1,000,000 prize pool.

### **C-UKBC productions**

Manx held a firm grip on the overwhelming majority of programmes produced for C-UKBC, so viewers will see the distinctive aurora of the 2021 Manx Studios logo stamped at the end of their programmes there.

* **Tiswas** - Revival of the anarchic and wildly popular Saturday morning children's television series originally produced by ATV Midlands/Central Independent Television. Replaced by NWTV's This Is Saturday on the same timeslot outside of late Spring/Summer.
* **Rainbow** - Revival of the educational preschool children's television programme originally produced by Thames. It is the only Manx Television produced programme to appear on C-UKBC's Playbox block.
* **Runaround** - Revival of a children's game show programme. Originally produced by Southern Independent Television.
* **Art Attack** - Third revival of the arts & crafts-centered television programme. Hopped through both CITV and Disney Junior.
* **Bad Influence!** - Revival of the Yorkshire-produced "factual" television programme. It looks at the medium of video games and computer technology.
* **Razzmatazz** - Revival of the Tyne Tees-produced music-based television programme.
* **The Lowdown** - Revival of the CBBC programme. A current affairs investigative journalism documentary programme. The children's version of UKBC Eye, 60 Minutes, and The Real Story, all condensed for a younger audience. The typical, iconic hard-hitting nature of its kind for a predominatly Manx Studios-led UKBC News & Current Affairs production is still ever-present, albeit more subtle and dialed way back in its delivery of subject matter covered.
* **Dramarama** - Children's anthology series that feature dramas with science fiction, supernatural, and occaisonally satirical themes. It can be produced by multiple UKBC franchises, however Manx Television mostly has the final say in the finished product.
* **You Can't Do That on Television!** - British revival of a Canadian sketch comedy series that popularised the iconic green Nickelodeon slime.
* **Wide Awake Club** - Revival of the TV-AM television series. The hallmark programme of the C-UKBC Breakfast block.
* **Clapperboard** - Revival of the Granada-produced children's television programme covering the cinema.