Central Weekend
Confrontational debate show from the Midlands.
Central Weekend, or Central Weekend Live, was a Friday night debate show on regional TV that ran from 1986 until 2001. Its studio audience and chosen topics were famously confrontational, with Nicky Campbell as the main host for much of its run. The programme tackled current affairs and news stories from the preceding week.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 90mins (inc. adverts)
- Channel
- Central Independent Television
- First aired
- 17 January 1986
- Last aired
- 7 September 2001
- Country
- United Kingdom
Facts from the source article.
History
The programme was broadcast live from Central Television studios on Broad Street, Birmingham, and later moved to the Nottingham studios at Lenton Lane. It achieved a 40% share of the viewing audience in the Midlands. Debates could become heated, with audience members sometimes restrained by on-set bouncers. On one occasion, the floor manager was assaulted by a returning guest. In 1986, then main presenter Roger Cook sustained a broken leg after being hit by a debt collector's car when he confronted the collector on a report about money and debt collectors. In 1987, Central Weekend became the first British television programme to examine the AIDS virus seriously; Central later produced a drama series on the topic called Intimate Contact. On 25 March 1988, former MP John Stonehouse collapsed on set during a segment about missing people, was given emergency treatment, and was diagnosed with a minor heart attack. During the 1992 General Election campaign, Conservative MP Edwina Currie poured a glass of orange juice over Labour's Peter Snape after an edition had finished airing. On 6 March 1998, during a debate on women's football, an audience member got drunk and ran amok on set, forcing the show off the air; 44-year-old Robert Davy was later jailed for 12 months. In 2001, a complaint was made to the Independent Television Commission after an edition featuring fake guests—two patients of a "soap clinic"—was broadcast.
Similar programmes
Due to the programme's popularity in the Midlands, similar shows aired in other regions: Granada's Up Front, Tyne Tees' Late and Live, and Carlton Television's Thursday Night Live, which was also presented by Nicky Campbell. A national version called Late & Loud was produced from 1996 to 1997 and screened overnight on the ITV Network. Thursday Night Live was networked from late 1998 to 1999.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Central Weekend first air?
Central Weekend first aired on 17 January 1986.
When did Central Weekend end?
Central Weekend last aired on 7 September 2001.
More in Television Shows Produced by Central Independent Television
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