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69-553: Brian Richard Trueman (16 May 1932 – 1 September 2024) was an English broadcaster, writer and voice actor. He was known mainly for his work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall . He wrote and/or narrated children's cartoon series, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. Trueman was born in Barton , Lancashire on 16 May 1932. He attended Stretford Grammar School and one year at the University of Manchester . During national service he served as

138-461: A gentlemen's agreement between the two sides not to poach each other's imported shows. Thames paid £55,000 a show compared to the £29,000 of the BBC. The deal brought condemnation from the BBC and from other ITV stations, who feared the BBC would poach their imports, pushing up prices. The BBC planned to delay transmission of the episodes of Dallas that it already had, with the hope to broadcast them at

207-529: A 13-part documentary series about the era of the America silent cinema. This series, produced by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill , was followed by the company sponsoring Thames Silents , a project undertaken by Brownlow and Gill of the restoration and screenings (in a limited number of cinemas and on television) of major films from the silent era. The two men followed Hollywood with series dedicated to leading comics of

276-491: A 35% pay rise. Two years later in May 1977, another strike occurred when production assistants at Thames refused to operate new video equipment. Thames proceeded to sack all the technicians for breach of contract. The following month, both sides backed down over the issues, with all technicians returning to work. The worst strike to hit the network originated at Thames. Failure to reach agreement on pay increases and shift allowances in

345-557: A British military ceremony in Gibraltar . The documentary was regarded almost as treason by many Conservative politicians, and The Sunday Times made claims about one of the witnesses interviewed which were later found to be libellous. The following year, in 1989, Thames ended the contract of Benny Hill , a stalwart at the station since 1969. It was believed that the comedian was dismissed because his shows were considered offensive and politically incorrect , but John Howard Davies said

414-486: A Thames subsidiary founded in 1976 which made animated series for children. During the hours after Rainbow and before the children's slot, Good Afternoon was transmitted, a magazine programme. It began after the IBA allowed non-schools broadcasting in this period of the day, when the government relaxed the regulations around daytime television and featured interview editions undertaken by such broadcasters as Mavis Nicholson , and

483-426: A contract with Morecambe & Wise . The comedians had worked for the BBC since 1968 with major national success, but the decisive factor leading the duo to leave the corporation was Thames's offer to feature them as main leads in a film made by the company's Euston Films subsidiary. The comedy duo's leading scriptwriter, Eddie Braben , did not initially move to ITV with them, and with Eric Morecambe's failing health,

552-479: A number of television series, including Pip Ahoy! , which was aimed at preschool children, and HeroGliffix , which was aimed at older children. Light Chaser Animation Studios Thames Television Formed as a joint company, it merged the television interests of British Electric Traction (trading as Associated-Rediffusion ) owning 49%, and Associated British Picture Corporation —soon taken over by EMI —owning 51%. Like all ITV franchisees at that time, it

621-460: A reputation for drama with such series as Jenny, Lady Randolph Churchill (1974), with Lee Remick as the mother of Winston Churchill . It won an Emmy as the best series in its category, as Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978), about the abdication crisis , did later. Other successful series in the genre from this period include Shades of Greene (1975–76), Rock Follies (1976), and Armchair Thriller (1978–80). These programmes were made in

690-611: A second lieutenant in the Royal Army Service Corps , Trueman's cartoons were originally shown on ITV , in its CITV programming slot. However, he also presented the BBC 's children's film quiz Screen Test , taking over from original host Michael Rodd between 1979 and 1983. Prior to taking up a writing career Brian worked for many years on local programming in the North West , from It's Trueman to Granada Reports . He also had

759-457: A separate entity, but it, along with Talkback's own logo continued to be used separately until 2006, when a new logo for Talkback Thames was introduced. However, on 1 January 2012, the Thames brand was revived and Talkback Thames has now been split into four different labels: Boundless, Retort, Talkback and Thames , within the newly created FremantleMedia UK production arm. From its formation in 1954,

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828-607: A stint hosting Granada 's film review show, Cinema , taking over from Michael Parkinson . In 1951, in his youth, he appeared on stage for the Urmston Amateur Operatic Society (now the Urmston Musical Theatre ) in a production of Merrie England , playing the role of Big Ben. Trueman died following a short illness at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport , Greater Manchester , on 1 September 2024, at

897-487: A weekly consumer programme, which eventually became a programme in its own right; Money-Go-Round . Thames also produced The World at War (1973–74), a 26-part history of the Second World War using unseen footage and interviews, often of high-level participants. The series, narrated by Laurence Olivier , was commissioned in 1969, took four years to produce, and cost a record £4m (approx £47m in 2018). Thames gained

966-667: The Independent Television Authority (ITA) offered broadcasting licences to different companies for weekday and weekend service in its first three Independent Television network locations, the London area, the Midlands, and the North. The initial six contracts were parcelled out to different companies. Associated-Rediffusion (Rediffusion) won the London weekday service while Associated Television (ATV) operated weekends. ATV also won

1035-660: The Post Office Tower and the Tower of London —it was named Thames Television, after the River Thames . This name had been previously considered and rejected by London Weekend Television. On 30 July 1968, Thames began broadcasting to London. The opening week was disrupted by sporadic strike action; the following week, the action had spread to all of ITV and resulted in the creation of a management-run ITV Emergency National Service for some two weeks. Each week Thames broadcast from

1104-558: The Sid James vehicle Bless This House (1971–76), and Love Thy Neighbour (1972-76), with a controversial take on race relations. Another sitcom, Man About the House (1973–76), was successful enough for two spin-offs, George and Mildred (1976–80) and Robin's Nest (1977-81). The company took over the This Is Your Life format in 1969, several years after the BBC had dropped

1173-413: The 1972 series Rainbow . The producer of Rainbow , Thames Television , an ITV franchisee, created a new subsidiary animation studio called Cosgrove Hall Productions in the following year, 1976. Thames hired and commissioned Cosgrove and Hall as lead animators to create new animated programmes, for this new studio, based on their earlier work with Rainbow . Another bit of Thames commissioned work

1242-585: The 1979 pay round resulted in technicians switching off power to the transmission facilities at the Euston Road centre on 6 August. After management restored power, the technicians walked out. Within four days, all but one ITV station had gone off-air after the ACTT asked members at other companies to walk out in claim for a 15% pay rise. The network was off the air for 10 weeks. Other Thames shows included This Week (known as TV Eye between 1979 and 1985), Rumpole of

1311-527: The Authority to offer the possibility of a programme company of real excellence." The resultant company was awarded the contract to serve London on weekdays. Control of the new company would be given to ABC, a move unpopular with Rediffusion. Questioning the ITA's decision, Rediffusion attempted to slow down the merger: only the threat of giving the licence solely to ABC made it relent. To assist Rediffusion financially,

1380-611: The BBC website. In 2006, they animated the missing first and fourth episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Invasion for a DVD release. ITV started reducing its children's department in 2006 and towards the end of 2008 it began winding down the operations of Cosgrove Hall. All except six staff were made redundant by ITV, and Cosgrove Hall moved 'in house' to the Granada Television Studios in Manchester, ending over 30 years of

1449-458: The BBC, via the IBA, £300,000 in compensation to make up the shortfall in additional cost for new episodes of Dallas . The most controversial programme Thames broadcast was the documentary " Death on the Rock ", part of the current affairs This Week series. The programme questioned the authority of British troops who had shot dead suspected IRA members allegedly planning a terrorist attack on

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1518-459: The BBC. The latter two series were based on classic characters from the 1950s. In the mid 2000s, Cosgrove Hall worked on a new version of Postman Pat . The studio also animated Ghosts of Albion , the BBC 's first fully animated webcast. Website visitors could learn about the production and help to develop the story. Cosgrove Hall produced Scream of the Shalka , a Doctor Who animated story for

1587-610: The Bailey , the game shows Strike It Lucky , Give Us a Clue and Name That Tune , and the drama Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest . Thames sitcoms during the 1980s and early 1990s included Keep it in the Family , Never the Twain , After Henry , and Mr. Bean . The Mr. Bean pilot episode , starring Rowan Atkinson as the titular character, was first broadcast on ITV on 1 January 1990, and

1656-432: The ITA insisted that the new company have two sets of shares: voting shares which would allow ABC to have control (with 51%) and 'B' shares which were to be split equally between the two, thus sharing profits fairly. The structure of the new company was also a problem. A merger between the two existing contract holders A.B.C. Television Limited and Rediffusion Television Limited was impossible, owing to internal politics, as

1725-436: The Midlands and North, who would instead be served by a single seven-day schedule. The London weekday/weekend split schedule remained the same, although the weekend contract was extended to include Friday evenings, but was opened to new applicants. As a result of the changes to the schedule, ABC was at risk of losing both of its existing franchises, the weekend services that would be going away. Consequently, ABC applied for both

1794-402: The Midlands seven-day operation and the contract to serve London at the weekend, preferring the latter. It was widely expected that the company would be awarded the London weekend franchise. Instead, after an impressive application by a consortium led by David Frost and others, this market was awarded to what became London Weekend Television . This led to a serious problem for the ITA as ABC

1863-870: The U.S. during the late 1980s, and were popular in the ratings for the channel. In 1989, the studio produced a full-length feature based on Roald Dahl's The BFG . Truckers , the first book in The Bromeliad , was the studio's first collaboration with the best-selling author Terry Pratchett . The 1992 series follows the efforts of a group of nomes, whose spaceship crash-landed on Earth 15,000 years ago, to return home. However, Cosgrove Hall Productions' days became numbered as on 31 December 1992, their financial backer and owner, Thames Television lost its ITV franchise and began divesting/closing its subsidiaries. The studio downgraded its operations following Thames' loss of ITV franchise, and eventually closed doors in 1993. On 15 November 1993, Anglia Television and HBO announced

1932-513: The age of 92. This article about an English actor is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall , headquartered in Chorlton-cum-Hardy , Manchester . Cosgrove Hall was a major producer of children's television and animated programmes/films, which are still seen in over eighty countries. The company

2001-490: The authority. During the interview process, several members of Rediffusion management also appeared in interviews for applicants for other regions, principally the consortium of which David Frost was a member, as well as the interview for Rediffusion, leading the ITA to question the loyalty at the company. The outcome proposed by the ITA was a " shotgun marriage " between ABC and Rediffusion. "The combination of these two companies," announced ITA Chairman Lord Hill , "seemed to

2070-416: The children's show Magpie (1968–80), intended as a rival for Blue Peter on BBC1 , and The Tomorrow People (1973–79), a science fiction series commissioned as an answer to the BBC's Doctor Who . For preschool children there was Rainbow , which started in 1972 and ran for 20 years. The programme used animation and graphics created by Stop Frame Productions, which later became Cosgrove Hall ,

2139-406: The company had treated the ITA high-handedly in interviews. In the early days of ITV, the company had worked hard to keep the network on-air during financial crises that threatened the collapse of other companies, particularly Granada. It was reported that Rediffusion's chairman Sir John Spencer Wills felt the ITA owed his company a 'debt of gratitude' for this, a comment which particularly annoyed

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2208-541: The company shortly after its establishment. Their first projects, for Stop Frame, included public service films and television commercials for such companies as the TVTimes . From 1971 to 1972, the company released the animated series, The Magic Ball , which they created in a renovated shed located in the yard of Cosgrove's father-in-law. Hall directed two animated productions for Stop Frame, Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo , which

2277-533: The crime from 1998 and its return to the hour long slot and then became much more a soap opera in 2002 (when individual story titles were dropped) until coming full circle dealing predominantly with crime again in about 2007 for the last few years of its existence. In January 1985, the company made a deal with international distributors for US production company Lorimar to purchase the UK broadcasting rights for US drama Dallas , at that time transmitted on BBC1 . This broke

2346-466: The decision was taken because of falling ratings, very high production costs and Hill was looking tired. The show at its peak had 21 million viewers, while the last episode had nine million. Through the early 1980s, Thames experienced a series of local disputes while management deliberately confronted contractual ‘rackets’, and pursued the introduction of new technologies based on operational requirements rather than precedent. For Thames’s management, this

2415-539: The end of its ITV franchise. These included Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983), Jack the Ripper (1988), Capital City (1989–1990), Selling Hitler (1991), and Anglo-Saxon Attitudes (1992). The Bill (1984–2010) began as a one-hour series of separate stories in 1984, but from 1989 until 1998 was broadcast several times a week, usually in a 30 minute slot. Its storylines became overly melodramatic and focussed far more directly on particular police characters rather than

2484-522: The eventual run lasted beyond Thames holding of its franchise. Less well-known is its adaptation of Andy Capp (1988), starring James Bolam . Two of its post-franchise sitcoms found more success when they transferred away from ITV – Men Behaving Badly , which moved to the BBC in 1994 and Is It Legal? , which moved to Channel 4 in 1998. Both were written by Simon Nye and co-produced by independent company Hartswood Films . A few years after The World at War , Thames broadcast Hollywood (1980),

2553-597: The last appearance of Nigel Kneale 's best known creation in Quatermass (1979). In this era, Euston also made single one-off dramas such as The Naked Civil Servant (1975). On 1 December 1976, the punk band the Sex Pistols were interviewed live on Thames's regional news magazine programme, Today . Members of the group uttered obscenities during their interview with Bill Grundy . Grundy, in his introduction, said they are "as drunk as I am", but later claimed his comment

2622-485: The network with a long-running, broad-based and extensive series of programmes, several of which either continue or are well-remembered today." Thames covered a broad spectrum of commercial public-service television, with a strong mix of drama, current affairs and comedy. After Thames was acquired by FremantleMedia it was merged with another Fremantle company, Talkback , to form a new independent production company, Talkback Thames ; consequently, Thames ceased to exist as

2691-486: The new shows never gained the audiences or matched the esteem they had previously enjoyed. One of the early anchor presenters was radio DJ Tom Edwards . Like most of ITV, Thames was beset by conflicts with trade unions, notably the Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians ( ACTT ). A two-week technicians strike in the summer of 1975 shut down the whole of ITV with the technicians being bought off with

2760-491: The new station, the only individuals named or specified in all 15 franchise awards. ABC had majority control of the new company and the make-up of its board predominantly (and eventually fully) came from ABC. The use of ABC's old studios at Teddington meant the workforce was predominantly ex-ABC, although those at Kingsway were ex-Rediffusion. After some discussion as to the name of the new company—some directors favoured ABC London, while others suggested Tower Television to reflect

2829-499: The re-opening of Cosgrove Hall Productions, albeit as Cosgrove Hall Films . The studio would be 75% owned by Anglia and HBO's joint-venture Anglia Television Entertainment, while Cosgrove and Hall would hold the remaining 25%, with Anglia/HBO's distribution arm ITEL holding international distribution to projects produced by the studio. Cosgrove Hall Films' first two projects were new episodes of both Avenger Penguins and Noddy's Toyland Adventures (both of which began airing prior to

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2898-410: The same time Thames broadcast its new purchases. Ultimately, pressure from several ITV companies (especially Yorkshire Television ) to the IBA, forced Thames to sell the series back to the BBC at a loss. Bryan Cowgill , the managing director of Thames left the company, as he believed his position was untenable since the board was unwilling to support his plans to buy the series. In October, Thames paid

2967-468: The show in 1964. Another BBC favourite was comedian Benny Hill , the star of The Benny Hill Show (1969–89), who was placed under contract. Hill spent most of the rest of his career with Thames. The Sooty Show , cancelled in 1967 by the BBC, now aired on Thames and began on the first day of transmission. It continued after Harry Corbett 's retirement in 1975 with his son, Matthew Corbett , and lasted on Thames until late 1992. The company also produced

3036-617: The silent era, Unknown Chaplin (1983) and Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987). A programme on Harold Lloyd ( The Third Genius ) followed in 1989. Hollywood and the Chaplin series were narrated by the actor James Mason . Unusually for a commercial broadcaster, Thames also produced lavish versions of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream . Thames's subsidiary production company Euston Films continued to produce many of Thames's highest-profile drama contributions to ITV network programming to

3105-569: The start of transmissions on Monday until its handover to London Weekend Television at 19:00 on Friday. (From 1982, the handover time was 17:15.) The former ABC studios at Teddington became Thames's main production base. Thames's corporate base moved to its newly constructed studios and offices on Euston Road (next to Euston Tower ) in 1970, when it relinquished Television House , Rediffusion's former London headquarters. The Teddington studios were highly desirable, as they had participated in colour experiments and were already partially converted by

3174-459: The stop-frame animation easier). The pop singer and musician Bernard Sumner worked for Cosgrove Hall from its founding until 1979 as a tracer. Danger Mouse was one of the studio's earliest international successes. The studio made 161 episodes between 1981 and 1992. In each one, Danger Mouse, the world's greatest secret agent, and his well-meaning but useless sidekick, Penfold, outwit the evil Baron Silas Greenback and various scoundrels. In 1983,

3243-523: The studio in Chorlton, with many ex staff moving to Chapman Entertainment . ITV said Cosgrove Hall currently had no work but believed “It is on the verge of a commission that will lead to the next recruitment drive.” However the UK was going thought its deepest recession and ITV was not interested in investing in Cosgrove Hall. A financial review decided that the company was no longer viable. The company

3312-545: The studio made a 75-minute film, The Wind in the Willows , based on Kenneth Grahame 's classic story of the same name . It won a BAFTA award and an international Emmy award. Subsequently, the studio made a 52-episode TV series based on the characters between 1984 and 1990. All the music and songs for the feature and series were written by Keith Hopwood , late of Herman's Hermits and Malcolm Rowe. The Stone Roses guitarist John Squire worked on this series. Count Duckula

3381-572: The sudden shutdown and reopening). Nearer the end of the 1990's, ownership was placed under ITEL itself, with then-Anglia owners United News & Media purchasing HBO's stake in November 1999. In 1997, Cosgrove Hall Films produced two series for Channel 4 based on Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music , two novels from Pratchett's Discworld series. One of the studio's specialities was producing programmes for young children, such as Noddy's Toyland Adventures , Bill and Ben , and Andy Pandy for

3450-518: The then standard 'hybrid' studio video/location film format, but the British industry was in the slow process of dropping the multi-camera studio format for drama, excepting soaps, to making the genre entirely on film. The Thames offshoot Euston Films was founded in 1971 to specialise in drama output made entirely on film, then still a rare practice. Euston made the police series The Sweeney (1975–78), Danger UXB (1979), and Minder (1979–94), plus

3519-497: The time of the franchise change, and as such had been sought after by both Thames and LWT. When Thames was formed, the new company acquired numerous other properties of the former franchise holders. Rediffusion's main studio complex at Wembley was leased to London Weekend Television by order of the ITA before being sold to Lee International in 1977. ABC's Midlands base in Aston, Birmingham (see Alpha Television ), co-owned with ATV,

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3588-476: The variety show Opportunity Knocks , Armchair Theatre , the last series of The Avengers , and the detective thrillers Callan and Public Eye , all inherited from ABC. The comedy Do Not Adjust Your Set , though, originated with Rediffusion, and if nominally a children's show, was one of the forerunners of Monty Python's Flying Circus . More conventional sitcoms, all of which began in Thames's early years, included Father, Dear Father (1968–73),

3657-403: The weekday service in the Midlands, while ABC Weekend TV operated the weekend service. Granada Television won daytime service in the North, and ABC the weekends. Geographical and structural changes to the network led to the first significant shakeups of the network, a process that started in 1967 to take effect from 1968. As part of these changes, the separate weekend service was eliminated in

3726-552: Was a spoof on the Dracula legend; its title character is the world's only vegetarian vampire . He aspires to be rich and famous. Originally he was a villain/henchman recurring in the Danger Mouse series, but got his own spin-off series in 1988 that rapidly became one of Cosgrove Hall's most successful programmes, and a Cosgrove Hall staple to spin-off characters from each successive cartoon. Both shows also aired on Nickelodeon in

3795-448: Was a broadcaster, a producer and a commissioner of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered and, as one of the "Big Five" ITV companies, for networking nationally across the ITV regions. After its loss of franchise in 1992, it continued as an independent production company until 2006. The British Film Institute describes Thames as having "served the capital and

3864-405: Was a joke, and had allowed the bad language to illustrate the character of the individuals in the group. The interview filled two minutes at the end of the programme, but the production team feared trouble in the studio if they stopped the programme mid-air. Thames's telephone switchboard was jammed by complaining viewers. Responding to the incident, Thames said in a statement: "Because the programme

3933-457: Was a materialist operation with a clear dimension, and to weed out unscrupulous bargaining and working practices. In the summer of 1984 a major strike was called, this time, over Thames's management unilaterally issuing new rostering schedules (overtime payments for transmission staff), and the use of new cameras and editing equipment. There were no internal discussions of the potential savings that could be derived from new shift patterns, but there

4002-572: Was a merger between their respective parent companies Associated British Picture Corporation and British Electric Traction . The answer was found to be a new holding company , Thames Television (Holdings) Ltd. ABC's parent, the Associated British Picture Corporation was taken over by EMI in 1969, and in 1979 became part of Thorn EMI . The ITA ordered ABC's managing director Howard Thomas and its director of programmes Brian Tesler to be appointed in similar capacities at

4071-478: Was a popular station, whose productions earned vital foreign currency - one such series was The Avengers . Its station management and presentation style were also well-admired. While they were still in the running for the seven-day service in the Midlands, it was clear this would be won by ATV, who was also a large earner of overseas revenue, having won the Queen's Award for Export in 1966. In programming, Rediffusion

4140-427: Was a strong sense that union controls had to be removed before the company embarked on increasing its operations. The technicians walked for a few hours on Monday 30 July, but the station was able to return just one day as management and administration staff took over their roles. On Monday 27 August, ATTC technicians walked out again over the new shift patterns; the strike ended on 3 September 1984, at 1p.m. after

4209-565: Was again put under review by ITV plc in October 2009, being absorbed, and ceasing to exist a few months later. Cosgrove Hall was developing Theodore , a CGI-animated series, when ITV absorbed the company. Despite being absorbed, the company is still classified as an "Active" business on Companieshouse. The land occupied by Cosgrove Hall's studios, in Albany Road, Chorlton, adjacent to the town's telephone exchange, which had stood empty for two years,

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4278-431: Was announced that during the past summer, prior to the death of Mark Hall, he and Brian Cosgrove had pitched the idea of resurrecting the brand to possible investors. Brian Cosgrove became the executive producer at CHF Entertainment , (defunct 2019), as was Hall until his death. On 18 November 2011, Cosgrove Hall Films closed down due to Mark Hall’s death of cancer at the age of 75. CHF Entertainment had actively worked on

4347-424: Was finally sold in the summer of 2010 to a housing development company. The intention was to demolish the historic studios and build retirement flats. During 2012, the studios were eventually demolished as part of the above development. Urban explorers who visited the site during the demolition found and photographed some models and backgrounds used in previous productions. Coincidentally, during April of that year it

4416-412: Was live, it was impossible to foresee the language that would be used." The press continued to be interested in the incident for several days. Grundy was suspended and Today ended soon afterwards; his career never recovered. Over time, Thames replaced Today with a more conventional news offering as seen on other ITV stations. Thames at Six was launched, later Thames News . In 1978, Thames secured

4485-451: Was originally considered stuffy but in the previous contract round of 1964, it had re-invented itself, dropping the name Associated-Rediffusion in favour of the trendier Rediffusion London, to reflect the cultural changes of the time, with its output altered accordingly. By the time of the 1967 negotiations, Rediffusion believed that its contract renewal for London weekday service was a formality, and its application reflected this complacency:

4554-410: Was released in 1972, and the television series, Noddy , which aired in 1975. The company also produced opening credits and graphics for children's TV series such as Rainbow in 1972. Stop Frame Productions halted production, and was closed in 1975. Following the closure of Stop Frame Productions, Cosgrove and Hall were able to find new work in animation, specifically due to their earlier work on

4623-520: Was sold in 1971 when ATV moved to new colour television facilities. Its northern base in Didsbury , Manchester , was used by Yorkshire Television prior to its Kirkstall Road studios in Leeds being completed, and eventually sold to Manchester Polytechnic in 1970, with a lease on sales offices in central Manchester being surrendered. The station continued formats inherited from its predecessors. These included

4692-450: Was the title sequence for the 1974 feature film The Best Of Benny Hill for Thames Television and EMI Films. Thames Television also hired John Hambley as Cosgrove Hall Films' first executive producer . Its first series was Chorlton and the Wheelies , the lead role being named after the suburb of Manchester where the company was based (the other characters were placed on wheels as this made

4761-547: Was wound down by its then owner, ITV plc , on 26 October 2009. It was mainly known for its series Danger Mouse , The Wind in the Willows and Count Duckula . Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall first met while both were students at Manchester College of Art and Design , which is now part of Manchester Metropolitan University . They later became co-workers at Granada Television , where they produced television graphics. Hall left his job in 1969 and founded his own production company, Stop Frame Productions. Cosgrove joined

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