Euston Films is a British film and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

production company. It was originally a subsidiary company of

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

, and operated from 1971 to 1994, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network. The most famous Euston Films productions include ''

Van der Valk ''Van der Valk'' is a British television crime drama series produced for the ITV network. The first series ran from 1972 to 1992; followed by a remake in 2020. Created by Nicolas Freeling and based on his novels about a detective in Amsterda ...

'' (1973), ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective ...

'' (1975–1978), ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' (1979–1994), ''

Quatermass Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC One, BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading ...

'' (1979), ''

Danger UXB ''Danger UXB'' is a 1979 British ITV television series set during the Second World War. It was developed by John Hawkesworth and starred Anthony Andrews as Lieutenant Brian Ash, an officer in the Royal Engineers (RE). The series chronicle ...

'' (1979), and ''

Reilly, Ace of Spies ''Reilly, Ace of Spies'' is a 1983 British television programme dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born adventurer who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Among his exploits, ...

'' (1983). ''The Sweeney'' had two feature film spin-offs, ''Sweeney!'' and ''Sweeney 2'', which were also produced by Euston. In 2014, Euston Films was revived as a production company by the owner of Thames,

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

History

The idea for Euston Films dated back to 1965, when writer

Trevor Preston Trevor Preston was a British screenwriter. He wrote the series '' Out'' and created the series '' Ace of Wands''. He also wrote a 1976 TV movie adaptation of ''James and the Giant Peach''. Writing credits 1960s work 1966 * ''Four People'' (seria ...

and directors

Jim Goddard Jim Goddard (2 February 1936 – 17 June 2013) was an English film and TV director who was born in Battersea, London. He directed episodes of many UK TV series such as ''Public Eye'', ''Callan'', ''Special Branch'', ''The Sweeney'', ''The Ruth R ...

and Terry Green were working at

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

. They produced a detailed proposal for a specialist production unit that shot dramas on 16mm film, rather than standard videotape. The company was founded in 1971 when three Thames executives, Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor and

Brian Tesler Brian Tesler (born 19 February 1929) is a British television producer and executive. His career encompassed British television's post-war evolution from a single-channel BBC to the beginning of today’s multitude of cable and satellite channels ...

realised there was a market for a new type of television drama. To facilitate this new-style of quick-changing action, Euston used two crews filming different scenes of the same programme at the same time, which ensured production times were quicker. Euston eschewed the studio

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...

shooting more commonly used in British television drama at the time, and all material was filmed on location using the more expensive but higher-quality 16mm film stock. Initial shows such as ''

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and intelligence in British, Commonwealth, Irish, and other police forces. A Special Branch unit acquires and develops intelligence, us ...

'' gained reasonable praise, but it was ''The Sweeney'' that first gave the company critical and commercial success. Using a storyline style known as "kick, bollock and scramble", this formula continued in such shows as ''

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

'' and ''

Widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

''. In 1979, the company created ''

'' as a

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles ( motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles ( trains, trams ...

for ''Sweeney'' star

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', '' Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the theme tunes of the ...

, giving the company its longest-running show. On 3 September 1986, Euston Films, which produced one theatrical film per year, is cranking up its theatrical film slate, with one feature currently shooting and with two in the wings, and it will serve as a joint venture with

Film Four International Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The company has been responsible for backing many films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production was ''Walter'', directed by ...

. With the demise of parent company Thames as an ITV broadcast franchise holder in 1992, Euston's output reduced. It continued to make ''Minder'' for ITV franchisee

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

, but when this series was axed in 1994, further work was not forthcoming. Euston Films was based at

Colet Court St Paul's Juniors (formerly Colet Court) is an independent preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 in Barnes, London. It forms the preparatory department of St Paul's School, to which most Juniors pupils progress at the age of 13. The School w ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Revival

In March 2014, it was announced that

FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television in ...

(who had relaunched the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

brand two years earlier) was to revive Euston Films as a production company. Former BBC drama executive

Kate Harwood Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She became managing director of the revived Euston Films in summer 2014. Early life Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts in 1981 before becoming an ...

was recruited to take charge of the company. In December 2015, Euston announced it had secured a commission of a new drama series titled ''

Hard Sun ''Hard Sun'' was a pre-apocalyptic British crime drama series, created and written by Neil Cross, starring Agyness Deyn and Jim Sturgess as the principal characters, DI Elaine Renko and DCI Charlie Hicks. The series is a BBC co-productio ...

'', written by

Neil Cross Neil Cross ( Neil Claude Gadd; born 9 February 1969) is a British novelist and scriptwriter, best known as the creator of the drama series '' Luther'' and '' Hard Sun''. He is also the showrunner for the TV adaptation of '' The Mosquito Coast' ...

, the creator of ''

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

''. Filming took place in and around London, and the series was transmitted in early 2018. In July 2017, Channel 4 announced a new crime thriller called '' Baghdad Central'' would be produced by ''Euston Films.''

Euston North/Castlefield

Euston Films launched a second production company called Euston North in January 2017. While the company carries on with their work in London and the South of England, the

MediaCityUK MediaCityUK is a mixed-use property development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The project was developed by Peel Media; its principal tenants are media organisations and the Quayside MediaCi ...

-based Euston North focuses on productions in Manchester and the North of England. On 7 June 2019, Euston North was renamed Castlefield.

References

External links

*Roddy Buxto
Cinema for Television
- TMC Behind the Screens. *Ian Jone
This article terminates here: A journey through Euston Films
- offthetelly.co.uk. March 2006. *John William
Euston Films
- BFI Screenonline. {{Authority control Mass media companies established in 1971 Mass media companies disestablished in 1994 Television production companies of the United Kingdom RTL Group