Happy birthday Central! Celebrating 40 years of Central Independent Television

Andy Bevan looks back at 40 years of Central - which got off to a rather bumpy start.

Central Independent Television took over from ATV on January 1st 1982, with a rebrand and a relaunch.

It had studios in the West Midlands and the East Midlands, to deliver a truly local service.

ATV had been a huge commercial success, and programmes were sold all over the world - made at studios in Birmingham and Elstree in Hertfordshire. But it didn't reflect the region it had been entrusted to represent.

In 1980 it was told it couldn't continue unless it became more regional, so it changed its name, closed its studio at Elstree and opened one in Nottingham.

In Birmingham, the news came on air at 6pm that first evening with a New Year party edition.

Wendy Nelson, one of the presenters of that show, looks back,

"I can remember it was a very chaotic programme because of course we were live. It was supposed to be a party…well, it sort of worked. But I remember coming off air and thinking thank goodness that's over!"

In Nottingham though, the show didn't make it to air thanks to striking electricians - a dispute which would continue for nearly two years.

Central produced programmes like Family Fortunes, Crossroads and Spitting Image - and award-winners like Inspector Morse, and of course continues today with our regional news shows.