Mersey Television
Encyclopedia
Lime Pictures, formerly known as Mersey Television, is a British television production company, founded by producer and writer Phil Redmond
in the early 1980s.
Its first major production was the soap opera
Brookside
for Channel 4
, which ran from the channel's foundation in 1982 until 2003, when it was taken off air due to declining ratings.
A 2-part spin-off ('soap bubble') of Brookside was produced in November 1987 called Damon and Debbie
.
network franchise auction, Mersey Television under the name of North West Television made an audacious bid against holders Granada Television
for the North West England
franchise. Granada had held the North West franchise ever since the inception of independent television in the 1950s, and Granada was one of the biggest and the most established of the ITV companies. Granada was also a popular production company and it came second only to the BBC to find the most respected British television company amongst the British public.
The bid was supported financially by Yorkshire Television
and Tyne Tees Television
and the bid had aimed to provide a more balanced television service for the North West, in particular featuring more content from Liverpool
as opposed to Manchester
. However, although North West Television bid more money for the franchise totallng £35 million as opposed to Granada's £9 million, the licence stayed with Granada as the Independent Television Commission
declared that the Mersey Television bid did not meet the required quality threshold.
Furthermore, Granada were aware of Mersey Television's attempts to gain the North West franchise and built defences to avoid the lost of the license they had owned for many years. New franchises which had no experience of owning an ITV franchise (Mersey Television was one such example) would have to a pass a "quality hurdle" that Granada executives actually helped the ITC adopt. Granada also had a well known catalogue of productions including Prime Suspect, Cracker
, World in Action
and Coronation Street
and if Mersey Television had gained the franchise, then Granada would have sold these to satellite television.
, which still runs.
Both Brookside and Hollyoaks were created by Redmond himself, and in 2003 the company took over production of another series he had created, the children's drama Grange Hill, which had first been broadcast on BBC One
in 1978 and had been made in-house by the BBC until Mersey Television took over.
The company moved production of the series to their Liverpool
base, with the fictional school no longer being established as in London but instead an unspecified UK location.
in June 2005 and, in a contractual requirement, renamed Lime Pictures in 2006.
, documenting the real lives of a group of teenagers in Cheshire, which was shown on MTV
.
In 2007, they produced the short-lived ITV
sitcom Bonkers
.
In 2008, they produced the first (and so far, only) series of Apparitions
, starring Martin Shaw
as an exorcist.
In 2009, they produced the BBC Switch reality drama The Season filmed in Val-d'Isère.
In 2010, Lime Pictures produced a pilot episode for the E4 sitcom Sex and the Chippy, written by Heather Robson and Neil Jones.
Since 2010, Lime Pictures have produced The Only Way Is Essex
for ITV2
.
Lime Pictures, along with Nickelodeon Productions and Studio 100
, is producing House of Anubis
, shown on Nickelodeon
.
Phil Redmond
Phil Redmond CBE is an English television producer and screenwriter.He is well-known for creating several popular television series such as Grange Hill , Brookside and Hollyoaks...
in the early 1980s.
Its first major production was the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, which ran from the channel's foundation in 1982 until 2003, when it was taken off air due to declining ratings.
A 2-part spin-off ('soap bubble') of Brookside was produced in November 1987 called Damon and Debbie
Damon and Debbie
Damon and Debbie was a three-part 'soap bubble' from Brookside, broadcast late on Wednesday evenings on Channel 4 in November 1987, with an omnibus edition over the Christmas period of that year. A Mersey Television production, it was written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, directed by Bob Carlton, and...
.
ITV Franchise bid against Granada (North West Television)
In the 1991 ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network franchise auction, Mersey Television under the name of North West Television made an audacious bid against holders Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
for the North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
franchise. Granada had held the North West franchise ever since the inception of independent television in the 1950s, and Granada was one of the biggest and the most established of the ITV companies. Granada was also a popular production company and it came second only to the BBC to find the most respected British television company amongst the British public.
The bid was supported financially by Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
and Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
and the bid had aimed to provide a more balanced television service for the North West, in particular featuring more content from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
as opposed to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. However, although North West Television bid more money for the franchise totallng £35 million as opposed to Granada's £9 million, the licence stayed with Granada as the Independent Television Commission
Independent Television Commission
The Independent Television Commission licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003....
declared that the Mersey Television bid did not meet the required quality threshold.
Furthermore, Granada were aware of Mersey Television's attempts to gain the North West franchise and built defences to avoid the lost of the license they had owned for many years. New franchises which had no experience of owning an ITV franchise (Mersey Television was one such example) would have to a pass a "quality hurdle" that Granada executives actually helped the ITC adopt. Granada also had a well known catalogue of productions including Prime Suspect, Cracker
Cracker
Cracker may refer to:* Cracker , a type of biscuit, usually salted or savory edible* Cracker , a mountain peak in Glacier National Park** Cracker , located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S...
, World in Action
World in Action
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often...
and Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
and if Mersey Television had gained the franchise, then Granada would have sold these to satellite television.
Hollyoaks and Grange Hill
In 1995, the company began producing a second soap opera for Channel 4, HollyoaksHollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, which still runs.
Both Brookside and Hollyoaks were created by Redmond himself, and in 2003 the company took over production of another series he had created, the children's drama Grange Hill, which had first been broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1978 and had been made in-house by the BBC until Mersey Television took over.
The company moved production of the series to their Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
base, with the fictional school no longer being established as in London but instead an unspecified UK location.
Sale and name change
Mersey Television was bought by All3MediaAll3Media
All3Media is a television production company which makes programmes under several different subsidiaries. The company was formed in 2003 following the acquisition of Chrysalis Group's television arm which was rebranded North One....
in June 2005 and, in a contractual requirement, renamed Lime Pictures in 2006.
More recent productions
In 2007, Lime Pictures produced an eight-part series called Living on the EdgeLiving on the Edge (TV series)
Living On The Edge was a British reality television show that first aired on 14 October 2007 on MTV UK. It documented the lives of several teenagers in Alderley Edge in Cheshire, a wealthy village in the North West of England. It is noted for attempting, but often failing, to purvey 'drama all the...
, documenting the real lives of a group of teenagers in Cheshire, which was shown on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
In 2007, they produced the short-lived ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
sitcom Bonkers
Bonkers (2007 TV series)
Bonkers was a short lived UK television series written by Sally Wainwright and starring Liza Tarbuck. It was transmitted on ITV during 2007...
.
In 2008, they produced the first (and so far, only) series of Apparitions
Apparitions (TV series)
Apparitions is a BBC drama about a priest, played by Martin Shaw, who examines evidence of miracles to be used in canonisation but also carries out exorcisms.The series is written by Joe Ahearne.- Episode 1 :...
, starring Martin Shaw
Martin Shaw
Martin Shaw is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in shows such as The Professionals, The Chief, Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently.-Theatrical background:...
as an exorcist.
In 2009, they produced the BBC Switch reality drama The Season filmed in Val-d'Isère.
In 2010, Lime Pictures produced a pilot episode for the E4 sitcom Sex and the Chippy, written by Heather Robson and Neil Jones.
Since 2010, Lime Pictures have produced The Only Way Is Essex
The Only Way Is Essex
The Only Way Is Essex, is a British BAFTA award-winning semi-reality show based in Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way."...
for ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
.
Lime Pictures, along with Nickelodeon Productions and Studio 100
Studio 100
Studio 100 is a Flemish company that produces popular children's television series and owns five amusement parks and four musical ensembles.-History:Studio 100 was founded in 1996 by Gert Verhulst, Danny Verbiest, and Hans Bourlon...
, is producing House of Anubis
House of Anubis
House of Anubis is a jointly American/British/Belgian produced teen mystery/drama television show based on the Belgian/Dutch television series Het Huis Anubis. The series was created by Hans Bourlon & Gert Verhulst and premiered on Nickelodeon on New Year's Day 2011 in the United States and on 25...
, shown on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
.