Programming
Regional programming was a key part of TVS's commitments to the IBA. TVS's News Service covered the entire dual region – a vast swathe of the South and South East of England. Two entirely separate editions of the TVS nightly regional news programme Coast to Coast were developed to produce daily news coverage across the area. Both the South and South East editions won the Royal Television Society's awards for the Best News Programme of the Year, in 1983 (South East edition), and in 1989 and 1991 (South edition).
Apart from news, TVS produced a vast array of programming in-house including regional gardening (That's Gardening), business (Enterprise South), farming (Farm Focus), investigative current affairs (Facing South) and light entertainment (Off the Record). An award winning title was the Country Ways series, which examined the people and places of the region and continued in production for ITV Meridian until 2008.
TVS also innovated with the experimental Afternoon Club, a dedicated programme encompassing a number of afternoon soap operas, quiz shows etc. linked by general chat and guests etc. They also produced their own afternoon magazine show Not for Women Only. The station was also instrumental in providing separate non-news programmes for the South, South East and Thames Valley areas including the chat show Coast to Coast People and the listings guide This Way Out.
In common with their predecessor, TVS had a strong performance in children's programming. Early successes included Saturday morning show No. 73 which was later networked, On Safari (TVS's first pre-transmission production), The Witches and the Grinnygog, Fraggle Rock, The Boy Who Won the Pools, Get Fresh, and Knights of God. Later successes included Motormouth, The Storyteller, TUGS, How 2, Finders Keepers and Art Attack.
As they became established TVS made significant contributions to network drama (through their tie-up with LWT) with shows such as the detective series C.A.T.S. Eyes. The production of the Inspector Wexford Mysteries (1987-1992, and 1993-1997 for Meridian), television adaptations of Ruth Rendell's novels, proved to be a success with over fifteen programmes being made over a ten-year period.
TVS also provided a number of networked factual and science-based programs including In The Mouth of the Dragon and The Real World which was twice broadcast in 3D (a groundbreaking TV first in the UK) with special glasses given away with TV Times magazine.
Light Entertainment programming included a number of series starring Bobby Davro, Ultra Quiz, Catchphrase, Concentration, Summertime Special and the sitcoms Perfect Scoundrels and That's Love.
Read more about this topic: Television South
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—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)