A 70-minute live afternoon magazine programme featuring a rotating roster of presenters, celebrity interviews, and lifestyle segments.
The successor to the shorter format of After Noon, this expanded programme was a cornerstone of ITV’s weekday schedule. Afternoon Plus was fronted by a team of established presenters including Bernard Braden, Judith Chalmers, John Edwards, and James Ellis. Each edition featured a mix of topical discussion, consumer advice, and in-depth interviews with major figures from the arts and public life. Regular contributors, such as Mary Parkinson and Mary Berry, hosted their own dedicated segments, with Berry presenting cookery items. The longer running time allowed for more substantial features, including interviews with guests like Dirk Bogarde and Derek Jacobi.
Produced by Thames Television and networked across other ITV regions, Afternoon Plus marked a significant evolution in British daytime programming. It moved beyond the purely functional, news-driven format of its predecessor, adopting a more personality-led approach that anticipated the star-fronted magazine shows of the following decades. By employing a team of well-known hosts rather than anonymous newsreaders, the programme was constructed as a piece of light entertainment as much as a source of information. Its extended length and consistent presence made it a formidable fixture in the schedule, bridging the gap between the regional magazine programmes of the 1970s and the national, high-production formats that would later define daytime television.
Broadcast: ITV – Thames, Over 500 Episodes, 8 January 1979 – 29 September 1982
Edited by: Catherine Freeman
Producers: Nina Burr, Martin Lucas, Liz Neeson, John Viner
Directors: John Rhodes, David Bellamy, Bob Ando, Jim Golding, Tim Moores
Main Cast: Bernard Braden (Host), Judith Chalmers (Host), John Edwards (Host), James Ellis (Host), Mary Parkinson (Presenter), Mary Berry (Presenter)
