The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
A Midlands News Day
With major stories cropping up right across the Midlands can ATV's news team get the programme out on time?
From the collection of:
Overview
It's a slow day in the Birmingham newsroom of ATV - a man living in a pig sty in Leicestershire has news potential but is soon forgotten as reports of a serious express train crash reach the editor. This fascinating insight into how the news was put together in 1963 is a world away for anyone familiar with modern media - sound is ordered up from the stock library and the film is all cement-spliced by hand. Pat Cox is the news reader who remains calm throughout.
This appears to have been a promotional item and not intended for broadcast. The featured news stories did not occur on the same day and were in fact items from throughout 1963. There is slight artistic licence in the helicopter section in that the cameraman involved in the crash was Frank Harding while he is referred to as John Robbins in the film. In 1963 Midlands News was produced by ATV from an office on Edmund Street in Birmingham and then broadcast from Alpha Television in Aston, a facility that ATV shared with fellow Midlands broadcasters ABC. In 1969 ATV moved into a purpose built studio on Broad Street in the city and Alpha was closed. Pat Cox had been the presenter of Midlands News since it began in May 1956.
Related
Watch for free
Invalid Carriage Protest Invalid Carriage Protest
News 1977 2 mins Location: Solihull
Disabled motorists take on the Government and corner a Minister in the process.
Watch for free
Adult Training Centre Adult Training Centre
News 1974 4 mins Location: Solihull
The Solihull centre that offered training for an eager workforce traditionally rejected by the world of work.
Watch for free
Solihull Receives its Charter of Incorporation Solihull Receives its Charter of Incorporation
Home movie 1954 16 mins Location: Solihull
A red letter day for students of local government in Solihull as the area celebrates its change from urban district council to municipal borough.
Watch for free
The Solihull Rat Club The Solihull Rat Club
Amateur film 1938 8 mins Silent Location: Solihull
The bodies soon pile up when the lads of the Solihull Rat Club let their dogs loose on the town's infestation.
Watch for free
Solihull in Wartime Solihull in Wartime
Amateur film 1943 23 mins Silent Location: Solihull
Preparation and readiness is the order of the day as the different branches of the home front services in Solihull do their bit in the fight for the future of the nation.
Watch for free
Sutton Coldfield vs Solihull Sutton Coldfield vs Solihull
News 1967 6 mins Location: Solihull
Sutton Coldfield - home of the rich. Solihull - home of the 'stinking' rich. At least that's what the Statist magazine says. What's the view on the street?
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.