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About Anglia was Anglia TV's news magazine.
It began modestly in May 1960 on two evenings per week, as an extension of the existing local news bulletin. Items were borrowed from The Midday Show, which had been an early casualty of the schedules.
Success lead to it being shown four nights from September 1960, soon to be followed by a daily Monday to Friday programme.

Among the many famous names to work on it were Chris Kelly and Bob Wellings. An even better known personality who started at Anglia was David Dimbleby, who, during his summer vacation from Oxford University, was an interviewer in 1960. Less successfully, David Frost began his tv career on the programme, but Anglia must have got something wrong, he didn't have his contract extended! Dick Joice was the first and perhaps the best remembered local host.

Regular items in early programmes included a popular gardening slot present by Sam High. Another was Police Call, first seen in 1963, which later became a short programme in its own right.

The Weather Forecast was of course an integral slot in the programme, Anglia being the first of the regional ITV companies to set up their own weather service. Early forecasts were given by Michael Hunt and by David Brooks.

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The long running Survival wildlife series came to national prominence and won Anglia many awards.
It started life as Countryman about local wildlife, which was originally a feature in The Midday Show, then a fifteen minute show in its own right on Fridays from June 1960. This was also shown in the TWW region from that autumn, as part of an exchange of programmes. The programme continued for some years, a later host being Colin Willock. The first host however was Aubrey Buxton, the mastermind behind the Survival phenomenon.
Getting series networked by the lesser ITV companies was always difficult, but Buxton succeeded by persuading Associated Rediffusion in London to back the series, their stipulation being the first programme must depict wildlife in Central London. Colin Willock, then a deputy editor on This Week, was seconded to Anglia and the result was the first ever in the series
The London Scene (February 1st 1961, 9.35pm) with commentary by Aubrey Buxton, who described the programme as "nature jazzed up." This was the first ever in what was to become a very long running series in its own right, this first effort depicting owls, hawks, falcons as well as the more common-or-garden pigeons, sparrows, mice and fish. The opening sequence was memorable, showing through a car windscreen a scavanging fox stalking its prey in the Hampstead night.
Programme two The One That Came Back was more locally based, filmed on Havergate Island in Suffolk, but after this ambition grew and Survival's scope became ever wider, first with Jigsaw, a film of rhinos in Uganda (March 14th 1962). Big names were soon drawn in, Johnny Dankworth to score the music, famous but unseen narrators to provide the commentary, ranging from Prince Philip to Rolf Harris (in Mow Me Kangaroo Down).
Survival became almost as closely interlinked with Anglia Television as Sale of the Century, and more prestigious too, especially as Survival programmes were exported round the world.
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Town and Gown (1959)
was a debate formed out of the Cambridge Union, chaired by "genial" Dr Glyn Daniel, a fellow of St John's and on the Anglia Board of Directors.
The first thirty minute discussion was Television is Not Sound - a report says the subject "was treated in lively fashion by the speakers in a haze of tobacco smoke arising from churchwarden pipes." Originally scheduled for six fortnightly programmes, it was given a longer run since it was "worthwhile and ever full of unpredictable interest."

Glyn Daniel went on to host other Anglia programmes, such as Survey, a series exploring scientific research at Cambridge

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The Midday Show
Most ITV regions made efforts to provide a lunchtime variety show. This was Anglia's, but it was never very successful, though it started well enough, on October 28th 1959. Despite the title it was screen after the News headlines at 1.02pm.
The traditional quota of minor personalities as guest visitors, included the likes of Russ Conway on February 6th 1960, whilst film star Paul Carpenter was in the studio next day.
Susan Hampshire, then unknown, was perhaps the main attraction of the show, and she continued as resident singer until February 19th 1960 when she left to take the lead in Follow that Girl. Her final day was described thus by AG Williams: "There was a family party spirit, for apart from farewells to fellow artists and other regular participants, the cameras swept round to include all the normally unseen staff and technicians."
The show wasn't the same after her departure, and was axed in the 1960 summer schedules.

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Anglia Presents
was a 35 minute show each Tuesday in the summer of 1960.
The top star was Glen Mason, with two local singers,
Linda Taylor from Yarmouth and
Barry MacDonald from Blofield.

Glen Mason proved so popular that he went on to have his own show The Glen Mason Show made by Anglia.

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Arena
was a long running forum in home and foreign affairs. It had begun in 1960 as a discussion programme. The very first programme was made in Cambridge, the Cambridge Union debating with the Round Church. Bill Wedderburn made such an impact that he became the first regular chairman.
Brian Connell, who had joined Anglia in 1963 as programme adviser, became the presenter most associated with the programme. He always presented a formidable appearance with his dark beard and long drawn face.
Eventually Arena was buried as a part of About Anglia, but was revived in its own 15 minute slot again in 1966 and became Anglia's longest running political series.

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Anglia TV's Home Grown Quizzes
One of the first was Disc Quiz in summer 1960. Music Match began 1963, a long running music quiz with prizes of up to, don't faint, £100. Peter Fenn, best remembered later for his role in Anglia's biggets quiz in the 1970s Sale of the Century, provided the music. Contestants had to guess the twenty tunes he played, often heavily disguised. That top prize was not won until 1964 (by an American airman's wife). Yet in 1965 the top prize was still a mere £100. Comperes included Muriel Young, David Gell and Pete Murray.
Contest was the uninspiring title of an inter-town quiz that began in 1961 hosted for most of its run by Chris Kelly. It aimed to discover which town knows the most about East Anglia.
There were quizzes for children too, one in 1964 being In Between introduced by Peter Tuddenham. He hosted another children's quiz the following year in Challenge Trophy an inter-town battle for sixth formers. In 1966 it was Bob Wellings who hosted this quiz with the ten second clock.
Another children's quiz was Junior I Packed My Bag (1963). The adult version had started in 1961, entitled simply I Packed My Bag. And simple was the format also, the age old game where you repeat a list of objects and add yet one more... until someone makes a mistake. The host was the ubiquitous Kenneth Horne, and he was assisted by Betty Marsden.

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The first Anglia TV plays
Under George More O'Ferrall (see below), Anglia TV built up an impressive portfolio of drama productions, all the more so because the company was always struggling to compete with the Big Four of ITV. Though their output was only sporadic, one could say it was quality rather than quantity.
The first Play of the Week, the Violent Years, Oct 27th 1959, is reviewed elsewhere on this page. To ensure networking, Anglia had to agree to make this play in A-R's Wembley studios, thus it was broadcast as "An Anglia Television Production networked by Associated-Rediffusion."
Second production was Sweet Poison (December 15th 1959) with John Ireland, Dawn Addams and Sandra Dorne. This was the first play to be made at Anglia's Norwich studios.
Next was Carrington VC on January 26th 1960 with Richard Todd, Ann Todd and Dorothy Tutin.
The fourth was The Trap shown on Tuesday March 8th 1960 as part of the Play of the Week series. It starred Jennifer Daniel and Betty Bascomb, and came seventh in the national TAM ratings (61%).
In the TV Playhouse series, The Bridge of Sighs by Thomas Muschamp was shown on April 29th 1960.
Gaslight with Louis Jourdan and Margaret Leighton was taped on Wednesday June 22nd 1960, and networked on September 20th that year.
Though some Anglia plays continued to be made at Wembley, soon production moved completely to Norwich.
To my review of the play Person Unknown (March 1967).
Countercrime with John Gregson (July 22nd 1968) was the first play to come first in the Top Ten ratings.

George More O'Ferrall (1907-1982)
was of the most distinguished producers of his era to emerge through television, he had the distinction of directing the first ever play to be shown on British tv, Murder in the Cathedral, in 1936.
He was awarded the medal for the Outstanding Achievement of the Year in 1947 for his BBC production of Hamlet. In the early 1950's he moved into films, but continued working occasionally for the BBC, then in 1957 making his ITV debut in ABC's Armchair Theatre production This Was A Woman.
So it was something of a coup when the newly formed Anglia Television appointed him as Head of Drama in 1959 and his expertise gave Anglia a fine reputation for superb drama, producing many distinguished dramas, such as A Letter from the General in 1962 with Anna Neagle. He once said "this intimate medium has such scope for directors- and for the acting skill of saying one thing while being seen to think something different."
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