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Night Shift (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Night Shift was a late-twentieth-century television series that portrayed people who work the night shift (work during the night).
Night Shift was made by a small independent production company called Addictive TV
for the ITV
network in the UK
. Each episode of Night Shift lasted only five to ten minutes. The show's original run was from 1992 to 1994, while an additional series was produced in 1998. Several of Night Shift's episodes were filmed at the same location, most notably Gatwick Airport
and Victoria Station
.
The original series featured a highly effective model shot, in which a camera moves across a Monopoly-style map of a city into the title, Night Shift, written as a street name. The shot was produced for a pilot in mid-1992, but utilized in the final shows too. The model was constructed by model-maker Peter Poole, and filmed by Dave Hicks. Despite the slick look, there was no professional film studio involved: just a Brighton garage. A mini-mist smoke machine was used to add depth to the backlit model, which was about 6 by 4 feet in size. A photo appeared in the design magazine, Creative Review, in the What's New In Design? section.
The show, filmed entirely hand-held in a style very common now but not at the time, was presented in a lighthearted and informal fashion by the writer and actor, Colin Bennett
. Bennett is also known for his appearance on the BBC
children's television show, Take Hart
, which was presented by Tony Hart
.
The short episodes would generally show up at a moment's notice if programmes ran early or it was needed to fill in a small gap. In the latter part of scheduling sometimes two episodes or more would be shown back to back. Colin always appeared sporting an Edmonton Oilers
jacket and only removed it once during the entire run. The production crew were often spoken to by the presenter, unusual in those days, with reference to "Nick" and "Graham". These names actually refer to producer/sound recordist Nick Clarke and producer/director assistant Graham Daniels of Addictive TV. The crew sometimes appeared on camera with one memorable episode at Gatwick Airport, weighing baggage. The series was shot on Betacam SP by cameraman Nic Small.
Highlights from the shows include a late night visit to a cab firm who were not very busy at all and Colin learnt that most of their time was spent playing cards. Escort agencies, hospitals, lap dancing bars, police stations and even nuclear power plants were frequented by the team. An individual episode was filmed entirely using a nightvision camera out in the dark with the army giving it an eerie green glow, long before it would became a staple for series such as Most Haunted. Ahead of its time, Night Shift is fondly remembered by many followers who returned home drunk to catch it in the early hours.
Addictive TV
Addictive TV was formed in 1992. The UK DJ/producers and audiovisual artists are the team who ran Optronica - the visual music and VJ event held at the NFT and British Film Institute IMAX in London, UK....
for the 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...
network in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Each episode of Night Shift lasted only five to ten minutes. The show's original run was from 1992 to 1994, while an additional series was produced in 1998. Several of Night Shift's episodes were filmed at the same location, most notably Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
and Victoria Station
Victoria station (London)
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
.
The original series featured a highly effective model shot, in which a camera moves across a Monopoly-style map of a city into the title, Night Shift, written as a street name. The shot was produced for a pilot in mid-1992, but utilized in the final shows too. The model was constructed by model-maker Peter Poole, and filmed by Dave Hicks. Despite the slick look, there was no professional film studio involved: just a Brighton garage. A mini-mist smoke machine was used to add depth to the backlit model, which was about 6 by 4 feet in size. A photo appeared in the design magazine, Creative Review, in the What's New In Design? section.
The show, filmed entirely hand-held in a style very common now but not at the time, was presented in a lighthearted and informal fashion by the writer and actor, Colin Bennett
Colin Bennett (UK TV)
Colin Bennett is a RADA trained actor, perhaps most famous for his role as Mr Bennett, the accident prone caretaker and straightman for Tony Hart in the BBC children's programmes Take Hart and Hartbeat...
. Bennett is also known for his appearance on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television show, Take Hart
Take Hart
Take Hart is a British children's television show about art, fronted by the late Tony Hart. It took over from Vision On, and ran from 1977 until 1983. The show featured Hart and the animated Plasticine character Morph, and other characters created by David Sproxton like 'Smoulder the Moulder',...
, which was presented by Tony Hart
Tony Hart
Norman Antony "Tony" Hart was an English artist and children's television presenter. He was famous for television shows such as Vision On, Playbox, Take Hart and Hartbeat.-Early life:...
.
The short episodes would generally show up at a moment's notice if programmes ran early or it was needed to fill in a small gap. In the latter part of scheduling sometimes two episodes or more would be shown back to back. Colin always appeared sporting an Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
jacket and only removed it once during the entire run. The production crew were often spoken to by the presenter, unusual in those days, with reference to "Nick" and "Graham". These names actually refer to producer/sound recordist Nick Clarke and producer/director assistant Graham Daniels of Addictive TV. The crew sometimes appeared on camera with one memorable episode at Gatwick Airport, weighing baggage. The series was shot on Betacam SP by cameraman Nic Small.
Highlights from the shows include a late night visit to a cab firm who were not very busy at all and Colin learnt that most of their time was spent playing cards. Escort agencies, hospitals, lap dancing bars, police stations and even nuclear power plants were frequented by the team. An individual episode was filmed entirely using a nightvision camera out in the dark with the army giving it an eerie green glow, long before it would became a staple for series such as Most Haunted. Ahead of its time, Night Shift is fondly remembered by many followers who returned home drunk to catch it in the early hours.