I agree. The dock was a big part of the show. It lost something when it moved to the South Bank. Fred continued to do the weather for a couple of years and when that went, that was the last link to the dock. Richard and Judy themselves leaving pretty much made it an entirely different show. Not liking the theme tune these days either, as I mentioned a week or so ago.
Still, despite it being overcast, Albert Dock looked great today. The unit they were in didn't have as good a view as the original one (with the straight ahead view of the Liver Building) but it was still nice. Keith Lemon doing the weather was a disappointment, seen as we actually didn't get a forecast. It wouldn't have been so bad if he was actually funny.
:-(
A former member
Of course if Granada never got hold of LWT in 1994 the show would have been kept in Liverpool for a few years longer.
Going by this video though, the presenters' reactions to the massive crowds (after all, that's their audience, people who would ordinarily be watching if not outside), and Phil's enthusiasm for returning to Liverpool some time, at the very least indicates that Liverpool brought something truly unique, and that there is a very remote possibility that a return could be considered in the future.
Of course if Granada never got hold of LWT in 1994 the show would have been kept in Liverpool for a few years longer.
Yes, that was the catalyst, ultimately; not some pap about Tom Cruise unwilling to travel to faraway Liverpool or Richard and Judy blackmailing Granada. Granada was changing from a Manchester-based company which had a few operations in Liverpool to keep its broadcasting license to a London-based company which didn't need to care about such things.
If it did remain in Liverpool for a while longer, chances are it'd be in Salford Quays by now, if not London, anyway.
It will never return to Liverpool will it, they'd have to buy up that restaurant to get the original view back they can't use what they used today it was far too dark it was like watching Nickledeon in the early 90s when they broadcast from that shopping centre with crowds looking in.
Just watching the programme back on ITV Player now, the sound mixing & general quality of the sound is awful. Seriously unprofessional job on the sound front.
I didn't notice most of the mistakes watching it this morning until watching it back now...
Was a bit of a shambles at times and it was actually weird seeing people walking past the window. The titles megamix was rather poorly done too. I guess the problems today though highlight what a slick production it has become.
Was interesting though to here about the bidding process for the slot with Tyne Tees, Yorkshire and Thames also in the mix and the Albert Dock considered to be one of the major factors in Granada winning it. Would be interesting to see any coverage from the time - presumably ITV launching daytime programming was fairly big news.
Was also interesting to here Eamonn talking about how the show led to his own show (Open Air) getting axed by the BBC.
How self-sufficient was the Liverpool operation in the early days of This Morning? Did they have VT on site or were things played in from Manchester?
Just guessing here, but since they were also doing the news from Liverpool when it began, presumably they were able to make use of their facilities.
I'm not sure about the exact technical situation but I think it was a near enough full studio back in the day. Unlike the one off today, it was in use five days a week and also, I think Granada Tonight occasionally used it. Chances are that it was sometimes used for other purposes too. Like you say, it's likely any support came from the news centre at the other side of the dock.
Just watching the programme back on ITV Player now, the sound mixing & general quality of the sound is awful. Seriously unprofessional job on the sound front.
I didn't notice most of the mistakes watching it this morning until watching it back now...
The ob company was televideo but they are usually good with these sort of productions but this was poor.
I should also say that Keith Lemon is not in any way funny. Having watched it all back now, it did all feel a bit roughly put together. I don't think they did the 25th anniversary justice entirely, but it was a pleasure to watch Liverpool on the television - makes me a little homesick!
I have to say it again: sound mixing until the end was incredibly amateurish! It really got in the way of concentrating on the actual content of the show.