A two-part special celebrating the 21st anniversary of Southern Television with a mix of documentary footage and musical performances.
This two-part special marked the 21st anniversary of Southern Television. The first programme, titled “Fact… And Fiction,” reviewed the station’s output in news, current affairs, and drama since its first broadcast in 1958. The second programme, “Music, Music, Music,” was a survey of the company’s contributions to light entertainment and musical programming.
Intended as a timely birthday celebration under the title ‘21 Today’, this programme became an accidental piece of television history. Its scheduled broadcast on 30 August 1979, the station’s exact anniversary, was cancelled by the ITV strike that took the network off air for over two months. The special was eventually shown during Christmas week, retitled to reflect the passage of time. This enforced delay transformed a simple anniversary piece into a historical document, broadcast just as the franchise renewal process was beginning. In retrospect, the programme has a poignant, almost valedictory quality, marking a milestone for a company that would lose its licence to broadcast less than two years later.
Broadcast: Southern Television, 2 Episodes, 28 December 1979
Executive Producer: Derek Heasman
Producer: Paul Smith
Director: Paul Smith
Research: James Montgomery, Alan Griffiths
