Celebrating 70 Years of ITV in the Midlands

On 1 May, ITV marked seven decades of broadcasting in the Midlands with the unveiling of two commemorative Blue Plaques at the site of the former ATV Centre.

The plaques, awarded by the Birmingham Civic Society, recognise two defining eras of creative excellence:

1. Alpha Television Studios (Aston) — the birthplace of ITV in the Midlands in 1956
2. ATV/Central TV (Broad Street) — the iconic “television factory” that produced era‑defining programmes and nurtured generations of technical and on‑screen talent.

The event celebrated the Midlands as the cradle of some of Britain’s most beloved television – from  Alpha Studios, which hosted the early years of the legendary soap Crossroads starring Noele Gordon, the live tension of The Golden Shot with Bob Monkhouse, and daytime staples like Lunchbox and the beloved Tingha and Tucker.

As production moved to the state-of-the-art ATV Centre on Broad Street, the scale of innovation grew. The site became synonymous with the anarchy of Tiswas, the satirical brilliance of Spitting Image. It was also the home of game show giants like Bullseye, and the world-renowned investigative journalism of The Cook Report. Dramas such as Boon were filmed there and its stable included network giants such as Inspector Morse.