TV Live Podcast

Rob Francis
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  • TV & Film

Rob Francis takes you inside the world of television presentation - the bits most people never think about, but always remember. From bitter franchise battles to sudden name changes, from bold launches to quiet disappearances, this is where the real story of TV hides. In each episode, Rob digs deep into the decisions, the drama, and the detail behind how television looks, sounds, and feels. Because presentation isn’t just decoration — it’s identity. And sometimes, it’s everything.

  1. Episode 20: When ITV Lost Its Soul

    6d ago

    Episode 20: When ITV Lost Its Soul

    For decades, ITV was a network of regional broadcasters with strong local identities, but in 1999 Carlton Television replaced Central and Westcountry with its own corporate brand. In this, the 20th episode of the new TV Live Podast, Rob Francis looks back at how media ownership changes and the ITV hearts rebrand helped push the network towards a single national identity, and how Carlton’s approach marked a clear shift away from regional television. Rob reflects on why audiences reacted so strongly, why the change felt so detached from the regions it affected, and what was lost when local identity gave way to uniform branding. Because once upon a time, ITV belonged to the regions, and after 1999, it increasingly belonged to the corporations.

    15 min
  2. Episode 19: From The North

    May 8

    Episode 19: From The North

    Seventy years after Granada Television first launched from Manchester, Rob Francis looks back at the broadcaster that helped redefine British television through programmes such as Coronation Street, World in Action and Brideshead Revisited. This episode explores Granada’s fierce northern identity, the vision of Sidney Bernstein, the creation and later splitting of “Granadaland” in 1968, and the rise of Granada from regional ITV company to one of the most powerful broadcasters in Britain. We also examine whether British television lost something important when the old regional ITV system disappeared, and why Granada’s influence can still be felt across the industry today.

    18 min
  3. Episode 18: Sacked By The System

    May 4

    Episode 18: Sacked By The System

    In this episode, Rob Francis looks at how the Independent Television Authority reshaped the ITV network in 1967, why the need to protect ABC Weekend TV led to the creation of Thames Television, and how Rediffusion found itself pushed into a new structure where it no longer held control of the franchise it had built. Along the way, we explore the tension between creative success and corporate power, the human cost behind franchise decisions, and the frustration of lost archives that still haunt this era of television history.

    11 min
  4. Episode 17: Ratings, Rats and Ruin

    Apr 29

    Episode 17: Ratings, Rats and Ruin

    Rob Francis takes a deep dive into TV-am, the station that promised to change mornings forever but spent years fighting ratings disasters, boardroom coups, presenter sackings, and even being saved by a puppet rat. From David Frost and the Famous Five, to the rise of Roland Rat, the rivalry with the BBC’s Breakfast Time, and the brutal franchise loss that handed breakfast television to GMTV, this is the full story of ambition, arrogance, and how not to launch a TV station. Plus, the extraordinary moment Margaret Thatcher wrote to Bruce Gyngell saying she was “heartbroken” over TV-am losing its licence. It is sharp, critical, and full of television history that shaped the mornings we still know today. The TV-am logo is owned by Ian White.

    16 min
  5. Episode 16: A Masterclass In Missing The Point

    Apr 24

    Episode 16: A Masterclass In Missing The Point

    London Weekend Television was meant to change everything, a bold new voice for ITV built on culture, ambition, and big ideas, yet within seconds of launch it was already falling apart, from strikes that took it off air to a schedule that drove viewers straight to BBC1, this is the story of how London Weekend Television got it so wrong, and why David Frost’s grand vision collapsed under the weight of its own assumptions.

    9 min
  6. Episode 15: The BBC: At What Cost?

    Apr 16

    Episode 15: The BBC: At What Cost?

    In this episode, we take a closer look at the latest cuts at the BBC, where up to one in ten jobs are set to go as the corporation searches for £500 million in savings. On the surface, it’s a story about finances, rising costs, and a changing media landscape, yet beneath that sits a much bigger question about what the BBC is becoming, and what it risks losing along the way. With warnings from unions, uncertainty over the future of the licence fee, and major decisions looming under incoming Director General Matt Brittin, this moment could shape the broadcaster for years to come. So is this a necessary reset for a modern BBC, or the latest step in a slow and steady decline? And when the cuts are done, what will be left?

    8 min
  7. Episode 14: A Bid Too Far

    Apr 13

    Episode 14: A Bid Too Far

    In this episode of the TV Live Podcast, Rob Francis takes a hard look at the fall of TVS - the company that bid the most money, had the experience… and still lost its licence. Was it really pushed out by a broken system? Or did it overreach, overspend, and make one fatal mistake at the worst possible moment? From bold ambition to a £59 million gamble that nobody believed, this is the story of how TVS didn’t just lose its franchise… …it made it easy to take away.

    12 min
  8. Episode 13: Zoom Out

    Mar 14

    Episode 13: Zoom Out

    This is the story of how one of ITV’s founding giants lost its way, why the Midlands demanded something better, and how Central Television emerged from the ashes of ATV with a promise to finally put the region first.

    9 min
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About

Rob Francis takes you inside the world of television presentation - the bits most people never think about, but always remember. From bitter franchise battles to sudden name changes, from bold launches to quiet disappearances, this is where the real story of TV hides. In each episode, Rob digs deep into the decisions, the drama, and the detail behind how television looks, sounds, and feels. Because presentation isn’t just decoration — it’s identity. And sometimes, it’s everything.

Information

  • Creator
    Rob Francis
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rob Francis
  • Show Website
    TV Live Podcast

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