''This Week'' is a British weekly current affairs television programme that was first produced for ITV in January 1956 by

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

(later

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

), running until 1978, when it was replaced by ''TV Eye''. In 1986, the earlier name was revived and ''This Week'' continued until Thames lost its franchise at the end of 1992. In September 1958, ''This Week'' filmed George

Harrison Marks George Harrison Marks (6 August 1926 – 27 June 1997) was an English glamour photography, glamour photographer and director of nudist, and later, pornographic films. Personal life Born in Tottenham, Middlesex in 1926 to a Jewish family, Marks ...

and Pamela Green at their photography studio in Gerrard Street. David Kentick directed and Nick Barker interviewed Marks and Green. They were filmed working with a nude model, who was strategically covered by a very long wig. The film sequence ended with a montage of their photographs, mostly of nudes. However, the night it was to be broadcast

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

died and the programme was cut, and the interview never shown. In 1964, ''This Week'' returned to their studio. This time round they showed a clip of the infamous striptease comedy film ''The Window Dresser''. However, its most influential episode was an exposé on the National Front in 1974, which led to the party's members firing their Chairman

John Tyndall John Tyndall (; 2 August 1820 – 4 December 1893) was an Irish physicist. His scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he made discoveries in the realms of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air ...

and National Activities Organiser Martin Webster two weeks later as a result of the revelations on the show from former NF Chairman John O'Brien of their neo-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

paramilitary pasts and continued links. In 1976 the episode '' Death in the West'' believed to contain the first recorded admission from a tobacco company representative that smoking causes health problems resulted in an injunction from

Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Mor ...

. The most controversial edition was " Death on the Rock", a 1988

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

which questioned the official account of the Gibraltar shootings. During its run, the programme's presenters included Ludovic Kennedy,

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...

, Jonathan Dimbleby,

Robert Kee Robert Kee (5 October 1919 – 11 January 2013) was a British broadcaster, journalist, historian and writer, known for his historical works on World War II and Ireland. Life and career Kee was born on 5 October 1919 in Calcutta, India, ...

, Dan Farson, Jeremy Thorpe (who became leader of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

), Desmond Wilcox,

Bryan Magee Bryan Edgar Magee (; 12 April 1930 – 26 July 2019) was a British philosopher, broadcaster, politician and author, best known for bringing philosophy to a popular audience. Early life Born of working-class parents in Hoxton, London, in 1930, ...

, Peter Taylor (noted for his coverage of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

), Denis Tuohy, John Morgan and Yvonne Roberts. The programme used the Intermezzo from Sibelius's '' Karelia Suite'' as a signature tune.

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* * 1950s British television series 1956 British television series debuts 1960s British television series 1970s British television series 1978 British television series endings 1986 British television series debuts 1992 British television series endings British English-language television shows Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television Television shows produced by Associated-Rediffusion {{UK-tv-prog-stub

See also

References

External links