World In Action World In Action by • TV Shows - 1960s , TV Shows - 1970s , TV Shows - 1980s , TV Shows - 1990s , Variety 1 9 6 3 - 1 9 9 8 (UK) Granada TV's hard-hitting current affairs series World in Action was first transmitted in 1963 and has set a consistently high standard in investigative journalism. The first edition, in January, highlighted the atomic arms race and showed Khrushchev and Kennedy in conflict. Later in the year, World in Action ran into trouble over an exposé of the appalling living conditions of black people in South Africa and Angola. The ambassadors of those countries protested, and the ruling body of Independent Television, the ITA, decided that the programme was not impartial and decreed that the authority should vet future editions. The first producer was Australian Tim Hewat who, on arriving in Switzerland to film a story about a typhoid outbreak at the height of the winter tourist season, so incensed the normally mild-mannered locals with the prospect of adverse publicity that they pelted him with rocks.

World in Action continued to upset those in high places, particularly with programmes about Northern Ireland. Even a 1964 edition about the poor facilities available to British athletes training for the Tokyo Olympics was banned; and when a film on defence spending was vetoed in the 60s, part of it was broadcast instead on the rival Panorama , to the acute embarrassment of the ITA. Probably the most famous product of The World In Action is the 7 Up series of documentaries with Michael Apted monitoring a dozen school children every seven years; 7 Up in 1963, 14 Up in 1970, 21 Up in 1977, 28 Up in 1984, 35 Up in 1991 and 42 Up in 1998. Creator World in Action (TV Series 1963–1998) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A documentary series focusing on current affairs.

Stars: a list of 373 titles created 11 Sep 2011 a list of 549 titles created 29 Mar 2013 a list of 29 titles created 18 Apr 2013 a list of 215 titles created 24 May 2013 a list of 864 titles created 07 Dec 2014 Title: World in Action (1963–1998) 6.3/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 4 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards » Photos Add Image Add an image Do you have any images for this title? 7 Plus Seven (TV Movie 1970) Documentary | Biography Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children after a seven-year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the ...

See full summary » Director: Michael Apted 56 Up (TV Movie 2012) Documentary Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years. Directors: Michael Apted, Paul Almond Stars: Michael Apted, Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a seven-year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the ... See full summary » Director: Michael Apted 42 Up (TV Movie 1998) Documentary | Biography Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years. Director: Michael Apted 49 Up (TV Movie 2005) Documentary | Biography In 1964, to explore the adage "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," World in Action filmed seven-year-olds. Every seven years, Michael Apted visits them.

At 49, ... See full summary » Directors: Michael Apted, Paul Almond Stars: Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett, Symon Basterfield Seven Up! (TV Short 1964) Documentary | Short | Biography A group of seven-year-old British children from widely ranging backgrounds are interviewed about a range of subjects. Director Michael Apted plans to reinterview them at seven-year ... See full summary » Director: Paul Almond 35 Up (TV Movie 1991) Documentary | Biography Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last ... See full summary » Director: Michael Apted 28 Up (TV Movie 1984) Documentary | Biography Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last ... See full summary » Director: Michael Apted The existence of the anti-Iraq coalition was threatened when Saddam targetted Israel.

In order to keep Israel out of the war, and the coalition together the Scuds had to be stopped. SAS ... See full summary » Director: Paul Greengrass Stephen Lawrence was a black London teenager attacked by white racists. His mother Doreen and father Neville fought to have the events properly investigated, culminating in a judicial ... See full summary » Director: Paul Greengrass Did You Know? Trivia While making a profile of the model Jean Shrimpton , the team ask a local crew to get shots of an event Jean was attending in the USA. The shots were to take up a couple minutes or so of the half hour programme. The local crew apparently got a bit carried away and sent back World in Action over 11 hours of film. See more » Connections Slow burners that affected change 14 July 2012 | by grunsel (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews A comedian once said he had cured his friend's manic depression by stopping him watch World in Action. For there on a Monday night sandwiched between a soap opera and a jolly sitcom was our conscience, a reminder that things were not quite right in the world and somebody might be suffering.

Most TV shows have a routine compilation edition at the end of the year and one of World in Action's was modestly sub titled 'Sorry,nothing doing' as if to say their years output had made no difference,but this was not so, a World in Action film lingered in the mind and did affect change. Its film on lorry drivers probably pushed through the Tachograph?,its films on mental health definitely helped sweep away the old style mental institutions and the reason furniture today has a 'flame proof' label was probably due to its eye opening film of an armchair catching fire. In today's mass media,issues blow up and shine bright for a couple of weeks and then are forgotten, but in the days when TV was 'the' window on the world a World in Action issue was a slow burner that you would not forget and did eventually make difference. 2 of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes About: World in Action About: World in Action An Entity of Type : television show , from Named Graph : , within Data Space : dbpedia.org World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998.

Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often unorthodox, some said left-wing, approach. Property abstract World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often unorthodox, some said left-wing, approach. Cabinet ministers fell victim to its probings. Numerous innocent victims of the British criminal justice system, including the Birmingham Six, were released from jail. Honouring the programme in its fiftieth anniversary awards, the Political Studies Association, said: "World in Action thrived on unveiling corruption and highlighting underhand dealings.

World in Action came to be seen as hard-hitting investigative journalism at its best." A melodramatic post-trial encounter in 1967 between Mick Jagger and senior British establishment figures, in which rock star and retinue were wafted by helicopter onto the lawn of a stately home, was engineered by then World in Action researcher and future BBC Director General, John Birt. He decades later described it as "one of the iconic moments of the Sixties." World in Action was sold around the world. It won numerous awards. The long-running intermittent Seven Up! series of TV films, which in due course spanned decades, was first broadcast from 1964 as part of World in Action. In its heyday World in Action drew audiences of up to 23 million in Britain alone, equivalent to almost half the population. Margaret Thatcher was said to have told the BBC Director General, Sir Iain Trethowan, soon after she became Conservative Party leader that she considered World in Action to consist of "just a lot of Trotskyists." Its removal after 35 years was seen by some as part of a general dumbing-down of British television, and of ITV in particular.

One commercial TV regulatory official characterised in private the Tonight programme which replaced it as merely "fluffy." Others saw World in Action's eventual disappearance as the inevitable consequence of rising commercial pressures. Announcing a £250,000 fund for an investigative journalism training scheme, Channel Four said in November 2011 that there had been a decline in the pool of investigative journalism since "the demise of training grounds such as World in Action". (en) WORLD IN ACTION | A TELEVISION HEAVEN REVIEW WORLD IN ACTION (1963) One of the most important programmes to come out of the 1960s, World in Action had a universal reputation as the major investigative current affairs series on television. Reaching 23 million UK viewers at its peak (almost half the population), its campaigning style of journalism often swayed public opinion, uncovered corruption and probed underhanded dealings. Nobody was ignored by its scrutinising eye. Cabinet ministers were questioned, so was the British criminal justice system, Defence budgets were scrutinised and illegal business practices were questioned.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher described the people who made the series as "just a lot of Trotskyists", and its eventual demise from our screens was seen as indivicative of the 'dumbing-down' of British television. World in Action was the brainchild of an Australian television producer and journalist; Tim Hewat. Described as the "maverick genius of Granada television's current affairs in its formative years" and "one of the true greats of the medium", Hewatt, a former sub-editor of the Daily Express newspaper, had wanted to create a show that would put his kind of news story on air each week in contrast to the BBC's Panorama, which he saw as generally towing the line of Westminster, Hewat wanted to take a more abrasive approach.

What his bosses at Granada television agreed to was a fortnightly programme called Searchlight, which was, according to former Granada chairman Sir Denis Forman, "...better than the ponderous Panorama and the aimless This Week" while concluding however that Searchlight was "not a distinguished show." The team of Hewat, Jeremy Isaacs and Mike Wooller picked up stories that illustrated "muddle, sloppiness and failure in odd corners of society: dirty food, crooked sport, slovenly British Rail, deficient child welfare and unlawful gambling." According to Forman only once did they touch a nerve "...a reaction which came to be accepted as a sign we had done something worthwhile." There were 27 episodes of Searchlight between March 1959 and June 1960. Whereas Searchlight had been ten minutes of film and fifteen minutes of debate, World in Action was to be all on film with no presenter in vision. The prose style was to be that of the Daily Express while the content was to be modelled on 'Mirrorscope', a serious four-page fold-in which the Daily Mirror ran over several years and was much admired by Granada's bosses.

According to Denis Forman "World in Action had a resonance that was new to television. For two decades the BBC had spoken with the voice of the broadsheets, more particularly with the voice of The Times, a voice which patronised and so alienated the people of the working world who, if they read a newspaper at all, read the Mirror, the (Daily) Sketch, or the Express. To be addressed as equals in tones they did not resent and in language which was their language was a welcome change." Within a few weeks World in Action had double the ratings of Panorama. Over the next three-and-a-half decades World in Action bought to the attention of the nation some landmark investigations including the Poulson Affair, corruption in the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad, the exposure of the shadowy and violent far-right group Combat 18, investigations into L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology and, most notably, a long campaign which resulted in the release from prison of the Birmingham Six, six Irishmen falsely accused of planting Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs in Birmingham pubs.

The series was rarely away from the courts and the threat of legal action and it was often at loggerheads with the both the ITA and then the IBA, the official regulators of the Independent Television channels. Forman describes the programme's relationship with the ITA between the years of 1966 and 1969 as no less than "trench warfare." Reporters who worked on the programme were threatened with imprisonment and such was the case of Susan O'Keeffe an Irish journalist who investigated scandals within the Irish meat industry in two films in 1991. The investigation centred on the Goodman International group – involving tax fraud, misappropriation of beef and Larry Goodman's dealings with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, leading to the setting up of a Tribunal of Inquiry, known as the Beef Tribunal, which found that much of her criticism of the industry was substantiated. The Tribunal, though, demanded that she name her informants, and when she refused to do so, she was charged by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The case became a cause célèbre in Ireland, and in January 1995 she faced trial for contempt of court but was cleared of the charge.

She was honoured in the 1994 Freedom of Information Awards for her stand. In its last few years, World in Action was involved in two high-profile libel cases. It won the first against the former Conservative Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken, who called a televised press conference three hours before the transmission of a World in Action film, Jonathan of Arabia, demanding that allegations about his dealings with leading Saudis be withdrawn. Aitken was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjuring himself in the libel case. However the programme lost the second libel case against the high street chain Marks & Spencer. World in Action employed many leading journalists, among them John Pilger, Michael Parkinson, and Gordon Burns and producers and directors included Michael Apted, later to direct Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, as well as the Up Series documentaries (the earliest programmes were part of the WIA series), and Mike Hodges, who went on to direct Get Carter and Flash Gordon.

Paul Greengrass, director of the feature films United 93, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum and of the drama-documentaries Bloody Sunday and The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, cut his directing teeth on World in Action. Editors of the programme were Tim Hewat, Derek Granger, Alex Valentine, David Plowright, Jeremy Wallington, Leslie Woodhead, John Birt, Gus Macdonald, David Boulton, Brian Lapping, Ray Fitzwalter, Allan Segal, Stuart Prebble, Nick Hayes, Dianne Nelmes, Charles Tremayne, Steve Boulton and Jeff Anderson. According to America's Museum of Broadcast Communications World in Action "stands as one of the finest achievements of public service television in Britain." World In Action was sold around the world and won numerous awards, but with the 1990s' de-regulation of commercial television, it became a focus in the debate on the future of public service broadcasting in the commercial sector. Despite its populist reputation it was cancelled in 1998, a move widely interpreted as ending ITV's commitment to serious journalism.

Paul Greengrass, now a feature filmmaker who worked on World in Action said "You were expected to be a maverick there, and what they taught me never left me. It's about observing and listening to the world. Looking back, I have a sense of wonder that such a place existed." Channel Four said in November 2011 that there had been a decline in the pool of investigative journalism since "the demise of training grounds such as World in Action." Review: : Marc Saul 2012 TVARK | Granada Television | Programmes S-Z Current Affairs from Granada in 1959. Very dramatic! Set of 6 Music show from 1972, featuring established and local bands. Shades of Darkness - The Demon Lover 1980s An anthology series of short stories produced at great expense by June Wyndham Davies in 1984. Alas, it did not rate with the ITV controllers who put it in the death drama slot of Friday 21.00. The episode The Demon Lover was transmitted during World Cup 86 and has a very famous cast including the likes of Hugh Grant.

Shampoo Sherlock Holmes - The Sign of Four 1986 TV film by Granada to makr the centenary of the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes. So It Goes 1976 So It Goes was presented by the late Tony Wilson from 1976-1977. A Rock and pop music programme shown in the Granada and ATV regions. It also featured Clive James who would interview guests in the studio. The programme was famous for showcasing Punk Rock and gave The Sex Pistols their first ever tv appearance. So It Goes 1977 The very last show of season 2 (and indeed the programme as a whole) sees Ian Dury perform a recital in tribute to Charlie Mingus (american Jazz bassist, composer and activist against racism, who died that year), Steel Pulse perform 'Makka Spliff (The Colly Man)' and 'Klu Klux Klan' at the Elizabethan Ballroom, Belle Vue, Manchester and The Clash perform 'Capital Radio' at the same venue.

After a few quick questions, Ian Dury recites the 'Bus Driver's Prayer' and The Clash play out, performing ï¿½Janie Jonesï¿½ at the Elizabethan Ballroom once more (end credits roll before the end of the performance). Iggy Pop's expletive filled performance in show 4 in october '77 lead to the demise of the show. ï¿½The set was recreated for the film about Anthony H Wilson, "24 Hour Party People". Soapstar Superchef 2007 Spin off daytime series from the successful talent show Soapstar Superstar. In the programmes popular soap stars attempt to recreate the signature dishes of the country's leading chefs Soccer Night 2003 Soccer Night is ITV's regional football programme. The titles feature the same graphics across the regions although the pictures within them and the sets vary. Granada Soccer Night 2007 Soccer Night is renamed back to 'Granada Soccer Night' presented by Matt Smith Stand Up Late night stand up comedy series Stars In Their Eyes 1990 A rather nice sequence where people's inner talents are shown as their shadows Stars In Their Eyes Celebrity Special ?

Surgical Spirit 1981 Produced by Humphrey Barclay Productions for Granada. The hospital shots are from The Lister Hospital in Stevenage. Teach Yourself Gibberish 1982 Skits, sketches and various wackiness for kids, starring ubiquitous (in Manchester, anyway) parody band ALBERTO Y LOS TRIOS PARANOIAS. (which features a certain Jimmy Hibbert who was a voice in many, if not all, Cosgrove Hall animations) Television 1985 a series looking at television Thank You Telethon Richard and Judy say thanks for ITV's first telethon from '88 This Is Your Right Regional consumer affairs programme This Morning 1988 This Morning - with Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. Live from the Albert Dock in Liverpool, 90 minutes of entertainment and information from the husband and wife team. Didn't he used to present Granada Reports? This clip is the first edition This Morning 1989 This Morning from 1989 complete with a new arangement of the theme and a new set of titles. Right clip - This Morning goes to Disneyland for a week. This Morning Another trip to Liverpool for This Morning in 1995.

A sad moment for the Albert Dock in Liverpool. After 8 years This Morning hoisted their anchor and moved down river to the South Bank in London. This Morning 2002 A special set of short titles for This Morning's Golden Jubilee Special on 4th June 2002 with guest presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamon Holmes. Tickle On The Tum 1984 Set in a shop in the sleepy hamlet of "Tickle" on the River "Tum" (ingenious don't you think?). Folk singer Ralph McTell would play guitar and sing songs, and would be visited by a different tradesmand every week, for example a Postman or Milkman (played by Kenny Lynch) or a handyman (played by Tim Healy), and they would tell stories and sing songs. ï¿½Classic stuff! Tonight Trevor McDonald anchors Tonight the new weekly current affairs show from Granada. Tonight 2006 Revamped titles lead us into another edition of the current affairs show, later to be hosted seperatly by Mary Nightingale and Mark Austin.

Travelling Man University Challenge 1983 This show with the most unusually named presenter in the world, pitches posh boys and girls against even posher boys and girls to show which students have actually been working and not down the pub! It was beautifully parodied in the 80's with the not so posh Scumbags college courtesy of The Young Ones. Today it is still going strong presented by the not so unusually named Jeremy Paxman. University Challenge 2006 Jeremy Paxman with the show from 2006. Watching 1993 Watching was a comedy which ran for 5 series 1987 - 1993. Starring Emma Wray, Paul Brown and Liza Tarbuck Waterman & Wilson Pete Waterman and Tony Wilson with a local music programme What the Papers Say 1984 What The Papers Say is a ten minute irreverant review of stories covered by the press for the week. It's one of Granada's longest running programmes made since 1956. The first programme in the series aired on Granada TV and was presented by Brian Inglis, deputy editor of The Spectator.

In 1982 it switched from ITV to the newly formed Channel 4 and later in 1989 to BBC Two. This switch was historic, as it was the first programnme to be produced by an ITV company for the BBC. What The Papers Say 1993 & 1994 In 1993 this new title sequence for What The Paper Say probably looked quite good.. now with an urban beats sound track and new voice over it could still be used to encourage us all to go green and recycle.... What The Papers Say Another title sequence using chrome lettering Wilson's World of Pop 1980 Tony Wilson presents a selection of pop music and interviews, featuring: Hazel O'Connor, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Elvis Costello, Tygers of Pan Tang at Manchester Polytechnic, Gibson Brothers and Pete Townsend. Wood and Walters 1982 Comedy sketch show starring Julie Walters and Victoria Wood but written entirely by Wood. The show was short-lived, with one pilot in 1981 and a series of six shows in 1982.

World In Action - Seven Up 1981 World In Action 1965 So that's how you make an edition of World In Action! From 1963 a very dramatic theme for Granada's long running current affairs programme. World In Action A beautifully produced sequence. Nice use of takeover techniques for such an early sequence World In Action World In Action 1985 The famous W.I.A. theme and title sequence from the 1980's including holding slide. Granada often introduced their own productions with holding slides World In Action World In Action titles from 1988 World In Action 1995 World In Action titles from 1995. The theme tune is called 'Jam for the World in Action' by Jonathon Weston. World In Action 1998 A very colourfull set of titles to World In Action here! Perhaps not quite fitting with the majority of subjects in the series, however im sure it was designed around the story of Swizzle's Sweet Factory introducing a new line of jelly tots!

The XYY Man 1977 The XYY Man began life as a series of novels by Kenneth Royce, featuring the character of William (or Willie) 'Spider' Scott, a one-time cat-burglar who leaves prison aiming to go straight but finds his talents still to be very much in demand by both the criminal underworld and the British secret service. Scott has an extra "y" chromosome that supposedly gives him a criminal predisposition - although he tries to go straight, he is genetically incapable of doing so. Young Krypton 1988 Hosted by Ross King, Granada produced a spin off chidrens version of The Krypton Factor for CITV You've Been Framed! Clip show featuring amusing footage sent in by viewers. Originally hosted by Jeremy Beadle and latterly by Lisa Riley. Various sets of titles here from 1990 to 2001. You've Been Framed! Lisa Riley has fun with some cgi video cassettes in this cute sequence You've Been Framed The opening and closing credits to You've Been Framed from 2003 presented by Jonathan Wilkes Official Website This page has been written and presented by Hayden Walker.

The information presented on this page has been researched by me on behalf of TV ARK and is offered in good faith, correct to the best of my knowledge. If any factual errors have appeared here inadvertently, then I would be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to offer corrections. All opinions expressed are my own and no offence is intended. Should they be a cause of concern or distress to any readers, please inform me immediately so that I can remove or amend them accordingly. The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television - British Programming BRITISH PROGRAMMING There are a few points to note about British television programming. The first is that is not uncommon for certain programmes--particularly, but not solely, light entertainment ones--to change production base and transmission channel. The second is that all programmes not listed here as BBC productions have been produced either by one of the ITV companies or an independent commercial TV production company. The third is that production information about U.S. shows and those from other countries, which air in the United Kingdom, are not indicated in this history. The BBC provided the world's first public high-definition regular domestic television service from 3:00 P.M. on 2 November 1936.

After the initial introductory speeches the first programme began with a cinema newsreel and an international variety show involving British, American and Chinese performers. After closing down at 4:00 P.M. the service resumed for another hour at 9:00 P.M. when a short documentary, a magazine programme were screened and the newsreel was repeated. In the three years until the closedown of British television on 1 September 1939 (due to the announcement of Britain entering World War II) a complete range of television programmes had been transmitted on this fledgling service. These included newsreels, documentaries, dramas, magazine shows, light entertainment and children's programmes. Drama productions were almost solely theatrical productions of classics and on 28 March 1938 Cecil Madden established the principle of Sunday night offering TV drama with the transmission of Pirandello's Henry IV. From the very earliest days an outside broadcast unit was utilized. Thus the coronation of King George VI was covered in 1937, with a viewing audience of more than 10,000 people.

The unit also covered other public occasions such as the Lord Mayor's Show, the Armistice Day Service, and a range of sporting events such as tennis and the FA Cup Final (association football). Undoubtedly the most popular offering was the twice-weekly one hour magazine programme of topical and general interest Picture Page which ran from 1936-39 and then returned in 1946 for a further 300 editions which ran until 1954. The immediate post-war years saw the continuation of Picture Page and the continued presentation of outside broadcasts particularly of events such as the Victory Parade (8 June 1946) and royal and sporting events such as tennis and test cricket. The largest such coverage of this period was the televising of the XIVth Olympiad held in London in 1948. Many plays were transmitted--including some written especially for TV--although very few films and filmed newsreels were broadcast due to the industry fearing the competition. The few that were shown were recognised film classics such as D. W.

Griffiths' The Birth of a Nation (1915), Josef von Sternberg's Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel 1930), Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938) and Marcel Carne's Les enfants du paradis (1945). The introduction of a ballroom dancing competition programme entitled Come Dancing, began I 1949 and is still running. The early 1950s saw a rapid expansion of TV set ownership, with the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II often cited as one of the driving causes. More than 2 million licenses were registered in 1953 (representing approximately 20% of all households). Licenses rose to over 10 million by the end of the decade. The coronation was broadcast for seven hours; it is estimated that 20 million people in the United Kingdom saw it before it was shipped for screenings in Europe, North America and across the Commonwealth. In the 1950s the BBC's monopoly of TV broadcasting ended.

The government ushered in television funded through the sale of advertising revenue at the end of July 1954, with transmissions starting on 22 September 1955. Commercial TV transformed the safe, traditional and cosy world depicted in many programmes produced by the BBC. The early part of the 1950s saw the production of the United Kingdom's longest running police series Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955-76) which was created by Ted Willis, one of the world's most prolific creator of television series. The Good Old Days, an Edwardian style variety show, ran from 1953 to 1983. What's My Line? (BBC, 1951-62, 1973-74; Thames, 1984-90) could be characterised as a quiz show but belongs to a typically British Radio and TV genre which continues to this day. This genre is best described as a parlour game show played by guest celebrities.

Other examples include Face the Music (BBC 1967-84), A Question of Sport (BBC, 1970- ), Celebrity Squares (ATV/Central, 1975-79; 1993- ), Call My Bluff (BBC 1965-88), Give Us A Clue (Thames 1979-91). Commercial television introduced new ideas and many new areas of programming. British television drama, for instance, was transformed by Armchair Theatre (ABC, 1956-69, Thames, 1970-74) which was an umbrella title for a series which provided opportunities for new writing talent particularly under the producership of the Canadian Sidney Newman. A new type of more North American-style entertainment was also produced, such as the variety show-- Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV, 1955-67, 1973-74), and game shows such as Double Your Money (A-R, 1955-68) and Take Your Pick (A-R 1955-68).

One example of the BBC buying an American format was the BBC's This Is Your Life (BBC, 1955-64) but Thames took it over from 1969 to the present day. A very popular production was the science fiction/horror serial The Quatermas Experiment (BBC, 1953) from which there have been a number of spin-offs. It was the half-hour filmed period action series which became the most popular drama. These included The Adventures of Robin Hood (ABC/Sapphire/ITP, 1955-59), The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (Sapphire, 1956-57), The Adventures of William Tell (ITC-NTA, 1958-59), The Count of Monte Cristo (Vision Productions, 1958), Ivanhoe (Sydney Box Prods.-Screen Gems/ITC, 1958). In comedy the first edition of The Benny Hill Show was produced by the BBC in 1955. The BBC continued to produce it, with a one year gap in 1967, until 1968.

Thames (ITV) took it over in 1969 and ran it for the next 20 years. Hancock's Half Hour (1956-60) showcased the talents of Britain's best loved radio comic, Tony Hancock, and Alfie Bass and Bill Fraser, the two main characters of the situation comedy The Army Game (Granada, 1957-61). The American shows The Phil Silvers Show and I Love Lucy were very popular. In the 1950s, ITV established the practice of buying in American shows to supplement its own production. The most popular purchases were traditionally American genres: westerns such as Gunsmoke/Gun Law, Wagon Train, Cheyenne, The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, or fast moving police series such as Highway Patrol and Dragnet. Gradually British TV began to imitate such police series and the first of these was No Hiding Place (A-R, 1959-67). The Alfred Hitchcock series were also popular (Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour).

In the area of light entertainment The Black and White Minstrel Show (BBC 1958-78) ran for 20 years until eventually the offensiveness of white performers "blacking up" was finally acknowledged. Opportunity Knocks! (A-R, 1956; ABC, 1964-67; Thames, 1968-78) was a talent show a genre which has continued in many guises since. Popular Music shows began with Six-Five Special (BBC, 1957-58) and was followed by Oh Boy! (ABC, 1958-59), Juke Box Jury (BBC, 1959-67; 1979; 1989-90), Thank Your Lucky Stars (ABC, 1958-59). The notorious Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956 and the United Kingdom has broadcast it from 1957 to the present day.

The first twice weekly soap opera was set in a hospital (Emergency Ward 10, ATV, 1957-65) which was soon to be followed by the popular American import Dr Kildare. Current affairs began to develop as a key area of television broadcasting in the 1950s with the introduction of an early evening five-nights-a-week programme Tonight (BBC, 1957-65). General arts programmes were launched with Monitor (BBC, 1958-65). Surprisingly, the 1950s also saw the introduction of a number of programmes that still ran 40 years later. These include Grandstand (BBC, 1958- ) the longest running live sports series on TV; The Sky at Night (BBC, 1957- ) which is an astronomy programme presented by Patrick Moore; and the range of programmes with many titles fronted by Alan Whicker which offer his idiosyncratic travelogues of the world. The children's programme Blue Peter (BBC) also enjoyed surprising longevity running from 1958 until the present day.

On 21 April 1964 the BBC launched its second channel--BBC2. To the annoyance of the commercial TV companies (who were not to be allocated their second channel--Channel 4--for nearly two decades) the BBC could schedule some of its more specialist programming to this "minority" channel and therefore compete more directly with ITV with popular programming on BBC1. To further restrict the commercial companies in August 1965 the ITA instructed that from 8:00-8:55 P.M. Monday to Friday no more than two out of five programmes could be from the U.S. and no more than three could be crime or western series. This was followed by the rule whereby only 14% of output could be originated in the U.S. with a further 2% allowed from the Commonwealth and 1.5% from Europe. These proportions were not to be changed until the development of cable and satellite in the 1980s, and still pertain to broadcast television. The largest national audience in British broadcasting history to date watched the final of the World Cup 1966 in which England beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembly.

It is estimated that over 33 million people watched the final. On 2 December 1967 colour TV was officially introduced on BBC2. It is generally considered that the 1960s saw some of the most innovative and imaginative programming in the history of broadcasting in Britain. In the field of drama the BBC introduced The Wednesday Play (BBC, 1964-70) which, like Armchair Theatre was similarly innovative and commissioned a number of controversial and subsequently famous plays. These included Jeremy Sandford's Cathy Come Home (1966), Nell Dunn's Up the Junction (1965) and Dennis Potter's Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton (1965). Peter Watkins' made Culloden (1964) about an important battle in Scottish history and The War Game (1966) about the devastating results of nuclear war was made but not transmitted for 25 years because it was considered too distressing. On the popular TV drama series front one of the most enduringly popular shows was the espionage series The Avengers (ABC, 1961-69).

Popular too was the BBC's production of the French novelist George Simenon's Maigret (BBC, 1960-63) and the medical series set in rural Scotland Dr Finlay's Casebook (BBC, 1962-71) which STV began as a new series in 1993. The BBC also introduced a new form of gritty realism with the creation of Z Cars (BBC, 1962-78), a police show, which was supported with the spin-off Softly, Softly (BBC, 1966-70). Another highly successful espionage series was Danger Man (ATV/ITC, 1960-61; 1964-67) starring Patrick McGoohan. As a result of this success McGoohan was allowed to produce the enigmatic The Prisoner (Everyman/ATV, 1967-68) which, although only 17 episodes long, became one of the great cult series.

Roger Moore starred in two "mid-Atlantic" thrillers, The Saint (ATV, 1962-69), which was followed unsuccessfully in the 1970s by The Persuaders! (Tribune/ITC, 1971-72) in which he starred with Tony Curtis. BBC's most successful series Doctor Who (1963-89), a science fiction programme about a Time Lord who travels through time, was designed for children but developed a cult status enjoyed by a huge and faithful adult audience. This was also the decade in which some major soap operas were created. In 1960 Granada TV launched Coronation Street, a representation of daily life in a Northern working class community, in the North West but it was soon to be networked across the country. It still remains at the top of the audience ratings after over 35 years and transmissions have been increased from twice to four times a week. In 1964 ATV introduced the highly popular Crossroads, a soap set in a Midlands motel, which ran for 24 years.

Until 1985 when the BBC introduced the highly successful EastEnders the BBC did not fare well with its soaps. Two were experimented with: Compact (1962-65) was set in the offices of a magazine, and The Newcomers (1965-69) presented the story of a London family that moved to a country town. In the 1960s Comedy Playhouse (BBC, 1961-74) was created. This was a premiere comedy showcase in which pilots were written by writers such as Alan Simpson and Ray Galton. A number of the pilots went on to become some of the best loved comedy series on British TV. They included Steptoe and Son (BBC, 1962-65; 1970; 1972, 1974) and Till Death Us Do Part (BBC, 1966-68; 1972; 1974-75 which later became In Sickness and in Health BBC 1985- ).

In the 1960s there was a rise of satirical shows such as That Was The Week That Was (BBC, 1962-63) and Not Only - But Also... (BBC, 1965-66; 1970), innovative shows such as Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969-70; 1972-73), and the enduring favourite Dad's Army (BBC, 1968-77)--a sitcom about a partially geriatric Home Guard in the early days of the World War II. A number of Gerry Anderson's puppet productions were also produced: Supercar (ATV/AP/ITC, 1961-62) Fireball XL5 (AP/ATV/ITC, 1962-63); Stingray (AP/ATV/ITC, 1964-65), Thunderbirds (ATV/AP/ITC, 1965-66) and Captain Scarlett and The Mysterons (ITC/Century 21 TV Prod, 1967-68).

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise grew in popularity to the level of national institution. Their show, under different titles ran from 1961 to 1983, regularly changing channel. In the pop music field Thank Your Lucky Stars (ABC, 1961-66), Ready, Steady Go! (A-R, 1963-66), and the BBC's Top of the Pops was launched in 1964 and continued through the 1990s. In the non-fiction fields a number of notable series were broadcast. In 1967 the BBC initiated David Attenborough's long-running The World About Us (BBC, 1967-86) a natural history series which resulted in the creation of the BBC's Natural History Unit at their Bristol studios. There was also Sir Kenneth Clark's renowned Civilization (BBC 1969) charted the history of western culture from the collapse of Greece and Rome to the 20th Century. A number of series were initiated which continue to this day.

ITN created the first half-hour evening news bulletin, News at Ten, in 1967; Granada TV's pathbreaking current affairs series World in Action was first transmitted in 1963; the BBC's science series Horizon began in 1964 and the BBC's science futures programme Tomorrow's World started in 1965; and the BBC's seasonal weekly football magazine Match of the Day was first broadcast in 1964. Television in the 1970s moved away from the experiments of the 1960s into safer territory. For example, apart from Play for Today (BBC, 1970-84), original TV drama was replaced with period and novel-based serials. These included such series as The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 1970), Upstairs Downstairs (LWT, 1971-75). It was also the decade of the major, solemn documentary series such as The World at War (Thames, 1973-74), The Ascent of Man (BBC, 1973), Life on Earth (BBC, 1979).

Comedy moved more into the fairly bland with Are You Being Served? (BBC, 1973-83). There were, however, some notable exceptions such as the sitcoms Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975; 1979), Porridge (BBC, 1974-77), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (BBC, 1973-75; 1978), Rising Damp (YTV, 1974-78) and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (BBC, 1976-79), The Liver Birds (BBC 1969-79), The Last of the Summer Wine (BBC, 1973-). There was also the zany The Goodies (BBC, 1970-77; 1980) and the perennially popular The Two Ronnies (BBC, 1971-86). American westerns virtually disappeared in the 1980s and American crime series were in ascendance.

However, programmes like Kojak were influential and indirectly encouraged the development of more action-oriented British crime series. One company in particular--Euston Films Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Thames TV) developed a portfolio of such programmes for the ITV network. These included Van der Valk (Thames, 1972-73; Euston 1977; Thames 1991-92), The Sweeney (Euston, 1975-78), Minder (Euston, 1979-85; 1988- ), Widows (Euston 1983; Widows II 1985), Reilly-Ace of Spies (Euston, 1983). Series from other commercial companies included The Professionals (LWT, 1977-83) and two grittily realistic and much applauded serials made by the BBC, Gangsters (1976; 1978) and G. F. Newman's four-part Law and Order (1978).

There were also a number of highly successful drama series two of which focused on court-room situations--the day-time (three days a week) Crown Court (Granada, 1972-84) and the immensely popular Rumpole of the Bailey (Thames, 1978-79; 83; 87-88; 91-present day). There was also a highly successful serial set in a secondary school, Grange Hill (BBC, 1978- ), devised by the ex-teacher Phil Redmond (who went on to found Mersey Productions and to produce Channel 4's equally successful soap Brookside). On the soap front Yorkshire TV produced a rural daytime serial, Emmerdale Farm which began in 1972 and became increasingly popular as Emmerdale. The BBC also experimented with an all black soap (written by a black author), Empire Road (1978-79).

In light entertainment there was Bruce Forsyth's Generation Game (BBC, 1971-77), a very popular format which has continue on and off (with Larry Grayson taking over his role); the chat show Parkinson (BBC, 1971-82) featuring Michael Parkinson; the long running That's Life (BBC, 1973-94); Jim'll Fix It (BBC, 1975- ); The Muppet Show (ATV/Central, 1976-81); Blankety Blank (BBC, 1979-89). There were quiz shows ranging from the long-running Mastermind (BBC, 1972-) where contestants simply compete for a title by answering complex general-knowledge questions and obscure questions about specialist areas of knowledge they possess through Sale of the Century (Anglia, 1972-83) to the banal Mr and Mrs (ATV/Border, 1972-88). There was a great deal of television activity in the 1980s.

Commercial television's second channel was launched on 2 November 1982; Breakfast TV was introduced on three of the four channels; there was a massive growth in video recorder ownership; cable and satellite networks were eventually established. It was also the decade in which American soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty dominated both the ratings, media coverage and popular debate. From a European perspective possibly the most disastrous attempt to compete with the United States head on was the production of Chateauvallon (1985) where five European networks attempted to produce a competitive European equivalent to Dallas. In programming terms the 1980s represented a period when some very expensive classic drama was produced. This included Death of a Princess (ATV, 1980) which gained notoriety because it was about the public beheading of a Saudi princess and her lover. The Saudi government tried to stop it being transmitted and banned its importation to Saudi Arabia. Because of video technology it was being clandestinely viewed in that country within 24 hours of first transmission in the United Kingdom. Almost as controversial was the BBC's Boys from the Blackstuff (BBC, 1982) about unemployment in Liverpool.

Granada TV produced the hugely expensive but highly successful 13-part The Jewel in the Crown (1984) which was entirely shot in India. The BBC also produced the film-noir style six-part drama, Edge of Darkness (1985),about the attempt to sabotage a nuclear power station. Police dramas proliferated in the 1980s.

Both the BBC and ITV had female detectives--Juliet Bravo (BBC, 1980-85) and The Gentle Touch (LWT, 1980-84) respectively; there was a black detective - Wolcott (ATV 1981); a local radio detective Shoestring (BBC, 1979-80); a Chinese detective The Chinese Detective (BBC, 1981-82); a Scottish detective Taggart (STV, 1983-); the long-running series set on the island of Jersey Bergerac (BBC, 1981-91); and the highly acclaimed series set in Oxford starring John Thaw Inspector Morse (Central, 1987-92); and literary private detectives The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Granada, 1984-85; The Return of Sherlock Holmes 1986-88; The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes 1991; Sherlock Holmes 1993) with Jeremy Brett offering what is currently considered to be the definitive performance of the great detective; and two famous Agatha Christie detectives--the BBC produced Miss Marple (1984-

92) and ITV's Poirot (LWT/Carnival 1989- ).

Popular non-crime series included the BBC's A Very Peculiar Practice (1986 and 1988) set in a university health centre; and two highly realistic long-running series, one based in a fire station London's Burning (LWT, 1988-) and the other an equally long-running hospital series Casualty (BBC, 1986-). A number of new soap operas started in the 1980s. First there was Scottish TV's daytime soap Take the High Road (1980-); Channel 4's Brookside (Mersey, 1982-); the BBC's first successful soap which rivals Coronation Street in the audience ratings EastEnders (1985-); and a police soap, The Bill (Thames, 1984- ). In the 1980s a range of highly successful and, in some cases, long running sitcoms developed.

There was Carla Lane's long-running Bread (BBC, 1986-) and Yes, Minister (BBC, 1980, 1982) was successful enough for Paul Eddington (the Minister) to return as the Prime Minister in Yes, Prime Minister in 1986 and 1988. Hi-De-Hi! (BBC, 1981-88); 'Allo, 'Allo (BBC, 1984-92) and Only Fools and Horses (BBC, 1981-) are long running series that, like Dad's Army and Fawlty Towers, continue to be regularly repeated. Over the decades the BBC has always been more successful with sitcoms than the ITV companies (as can be seen from the above listing) but in the 1980s ITV enjoyed significant success in this field with Rik Mayall's The New Statesman (Yorkshire, 1987-92). In the 1980s U.K. TV produced its first all-black sitcom, No Problem!

(C4, 1983-85), Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder (BBC, 1983-) and Peter Fluck and Roger Law's award winning satirical puppet show Spitting Image (Central, 1984-). This last show has enjoyed significant international format sales. In the area of light entertainment the BBC's The Lenny Henry Show (BBC, 1984-85; 1987-88) and French and Saunders (BBC, 1987-88) were very successful and Channel 4 enjoyed success with the innovative pop music show The Tube (Tyne, Tees 1982-87) and the even more original Max Headroom (Chrysalis, 1985). A number of new game shows were introduced in the 1980s. Bulleseye (ATV, 1981-), a show based on the game of darts continues to run as does Channel 4's Countdown (Yorkshire, 1982-), is a word game with which C4 opened transmissions.

Two American formats were hugely successful, The Price is Right (Central, 1984-88) and Blind Date (LWT, 1985-) which also still runs. In current affairs the BBC introduced Newsnight (1980-) and LWT made the first ethnic minority current affairs programmes for Channel 4, Black on Black (1982-85) and Eastern Eye (1982-85). In the 1980s programmes about cooking e.g. Food and Drink (BBC/Bazal, 1982-) and holidays e.g. Holiday (BBC, 1969-), which has a number of rivals including ITV's Wish You Were Here...? (Thames, 1976-) proliferated and became hugely popular. The 1990s saw the development of the power of the satellite companies and the purchasing of the rights to major world sporting events, with Rupert Murdoch seeming to win most of the battles. It was also the decade that the Australian soaps such as Neighbours and Home and Away dominated the U.K. daytime schedules.

The major drama successes were Prime Suspect (Granada, 1991-95), The Darling Buds of May (Yorkshire, 1991- ), Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit (BBC, 1990) and Jeeves and Wooster (Granada, 1990-93) starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. The BBC made another foray into soap territory with a spectacular failure set on the Costa del Sol, Eldorado (Cinema Verity/J Dy T, 1992-93) which ironically was just beginning to improve significantly its audience ratings figures when it was cut from broadcasting. Successful sitcoms included One Foot in the Grave (BBC, 1990-), Channel 4's set in a TV newsroom Drop the Dead Donkey (Hat Trick, 1990-) and Absolutely Fabulous (BBC, 1992-). However, probably the most acclaimed comedy show of the decade was the wickedly funny Have I Got News For You? (Hat Trick, 1990-) which is a panel game recorded the day before transmission to ensure its biting satire is completely topical.

-Manuel Alvarado FURTHER READING Alvarado, Manuel, and John Stewart. Made for Television: Euston Films Limited. London: British Film Institute, 1985. Davis, Anthony. Television: The First Forty Years. London: Severn House, 1976. Halliwell, Leslie, with Philip Purser. Halliwell's Television Companion (published as Halliwell's Teleguide, Granada Publishing, 1979); retitled and published (3rd edition) London: Grafton, 1986. Kingsley, Hilary, and Geoff Tibbals. Box of Delights: The Golden Years of Television. London: Macmillan, 1989. Vahimagi, Tise, editor. British Television: An Illustrated Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.

BFI Screenonline: World in Action (1963-98) World in Action (1963-98) Courtesy of ITV Global Entertainment ltd 13 x 35 minutes episodes in two series, colour David Plowright Reporters/Presenters include: Andrew Bell; Andrew Brittain; Gordon Burns; Michael Cockerill; Nick Davies; Andrew Jennings; Gus MacDonald; Donal Macintyre; John Nichol; John Pilger; Mike Scott; Mike Walsh; Narrators/Commentators include: Derek Cooper; Chris Kelly; Wilfrid Thomas current affairs journalism for almost four decades. World in Action was the more innovative, populist and campaigning of the two, delivering quality journalism with popular appeal, and finding striking visual metaphors to illustrate its points, such as the long lines of coffins emerging from houses onto a street to represent deaths from bronchitis in ' The English Disease ' (tx. 9/2/1965). Originating in the 1960s, it frequently covered issues concerning the young, such as the 1968 demonstrations against the Vietnam War in Grosvenor Square (tx.

18/3/1968), or an interview with Mick Jagger (tx. 31/7/1967) after his drugs trial. New lightweight film technology allowed a much faster turnaround of material and brought immediacy. The series also dispensed with presenters and placed its emphasis on thorough research. In its early years, many reports considered the United States and the war in Vietnam, culminating in Jon Pilger 's memorable ' The Quiet Mutiny ' (tx. 28/9/1970), about the disaffection of US troops. In the 1970s, Northern Ireland became a particular focus, and its most celebrated investigation eventually proved the innocence and secured the release of the Birmingham Six, wrongly convicted of the 1972 Birmingham pub bombings. Another pioneering aspect of World in Action 's approach was the dramatised reconstruction; the long Birmingham Six campaign eventually resulted in a feature-length drama-documentary, Who Bombed Birmingham? (tx. 28/3/1990). In the 1980s, the programme considered the social effects of Conservative economic policy, and a particularly impactful edition (' For the Benefit of Mr Parris ', tx.

23/1/1984) challenged Tory MP Matthew Parris to live on benefit for a week. With the 1990s' de-regulation of commercial television, World in Action became a focus in the debate on the future of public service broadcasting in the commercial sector. Despite its populist reputation, though, it was cancelled in 1998, a move widely interpreted as ending ITV's commitment to serious journalism. World in Action was a career milestone for many. Editors included David Plowright World In Action Next Episode Air Date & Countdown World In Action Air Dates S01E04 - Tibet Air Date: 11 March 1963 12:00 - Sorry, but right now we don't have any sources for this episode. S01E05 - The Volunteers Air Date: 15 April 1963 12:00 - Sorry, but right now we don't have any sources for this episode. S01E06 - Stanley Matthews Air Date: 27 May 1963 12:00 - Sorry, but right now we don't have any sources for this episode.

S01E07 - Don't Take The Risk Air Date: 10 June 1963 12:00 - Sorry, but right now we don't have any sources for this episode. Loading... Please wait... You May Also Like The Flash Barry Allen is a Central City police forensic scientist with a reasonably happy life, despite the ch Arrow Arrow is an American television series developed by writer/producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Game of Thrones Nine noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigu The Walking Dead Rick Grimes is a former Sheriff's deputy who has been in a coma for several months after being shot Next Episode of World In Action is not planed. TV Show was canceled.

Take your countdown whenever you go Down memory lane with the much-missed World In Action | Media | The Guardian Down memory lane with the much-missed World In Action Tuesday 8 January 2013 12.45 EST First published on Tuesday 8 January 2013 12.45 EST Share on Messenger Close There was a terrific reminder last night of the brilliant investigative and campaigning journalism of Granada TV's World In Action in the 35 years from 1963 until 1998. ITV1 screened a 90-minute documentary showing a variety of the highlights from the series with contributions from past editors - such as Ray Fitzwalter, John Birt, Leslie Woodhead, Steve Boulton and Ian McBride - plus a former editor, Paul Greengrass , cameraman George Jesse Turner, researcher Michael Apted and Granada's ex-chairman Sir Denis Forman.

Among about the programmes they spoke about, with understandable pride, were those that helped to effect genuine changes, such as the release of the innocent Birmingham Six , the reuniting of Anwar Ditta with her three children and the exposures of John Poulson and Reginald Maudling . As Greengrass pointed out, it was the mixture of journalism and film-making that made the programmes so popular and so successful. It is fair to say World In Action often used a tabloid approach, but in the old 1950s/60s sense of tabloid. The editors often came up with excellently executed ideas, such as sending a Tory MP (Matthew Parris) to live on the dole and a reporter (Adam Holloway, later a Tory MP) to live as a homeless man. One programme I didn't remember involved the secret recording of police officers laughing uproariously at racist jokes told by Bernard Manning . And who did the recording? None other than Derek Hatton , the militant Liverpool politician who had previously castigated World in Action reporters.

There was also a segment on the exposure (in company with The Guardian) of Tory minister Jonathan Aitken for staying at the Paris Ritz at the expense of the Saudi royal family. Seeing once again Aitken deliver that defiant pledge to "cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism… with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play" was wonderful. Fitzwalter said he wished to avoid pomposity in saying that World In Action had tried to leave society better off. After seeing what the programme had achieved, it didn't sound at all pompous. It sounded just about right. Birt, who went on to become BBC director-general, spoke of the Granada series as having raised the standard of investigative journalism and, in so doing, had forced the BBC to raise its game. Genuine current affairs competition - when did that last happen?

Question: ‘World in ‘what’ was a UK current affairs television programme which ran from 1963 to 1998?
Answer: Action