c4countdown

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcastin ... udios.html

Well, there was talk a couple of years ago about moving the recordings down to London.
Not quite sure if that's what this rumour might mean.
London would certainly make it handier for the DC guests (as well as for me to be in the audience ).

As long as they don't axe it, changing venue's not a problem, is it?

Julie T wrote:Well, there was talk a couple of years ago about moving the recordings down to London.
Not quite sure if that's what this rumour might mean.
London would certainly make it handier for the DC guests (as well as for me to be in the audience ).

As long as they don't axe it, changing venue's not a problem, is it?

Wasn't that when they were trying to keep Des Lynam on board? One of the reasons for not moving it down, IIRC, was the potential loss of the longstanding staff and crew.

Julie T wrote:
As long as they don't axe it, changing venue's not a problem, is it?

It probably is for the folks working at the studios whose jobs are under threat:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/ma ... television

Ian Fitzpatrick wrote:

Julie T wrote:
As long as they don't axe it, changing venue's not a problem, is it?

One of the reasons for not moving it down, IIRC, was the potential loss of the longstanding staff and crew.

Suppose so.

They've used Tyne-Tees studio in the past, when the Leeds studio was double-booked - I think it was about 2001. (Is Tyne-Tees studio still there?)

Just saw this on Look North and went I really hope Countdown isn't moved, or worse! In my eyes its a proper Yorkshire show and thats where it belongs. Plus as people have said there's the people who've worked on the show forever and a day. And lets not forget the half a mill splashed out on a new set!

They should totally bring it down to London

I heard a rumour about this when I was at the studios a couple of weeks ago, and I believe one option being considered was to move production to Manchester, although there would still be a distinct possibility of it moving to London in the long term.

Rich Priest wrote:I heard a rumour about this when I was at the studios a couple of weeks ago, and I believe one option being considered was to move production to Manchester, although there would still be a distinct possibility of it moving to London in the long term.

This would be a very big upheaval for people who have their lives well established in the Leeds area. I hope they can sort it out without too much disruption to long-term staff.

It would be sad if it moved, although, clearly, if they move because the Leeds studio is closed for economic reasons, this is different to moving for the convenience of the presenter.

It's been announced on Radio 4 news this morning that ITV are planning to close the main Leeds studios, and mentioned a number of programmes that will suffer, but Countdown was not one of them. How many studios are there in Leeds? And is Countdown produced in one of the main studios?

Howard Somerset wrote:It's been announced on Radio 4 news this morning that ITV are planning to close the main Leeds studios, and mentioned a number of programmes that will suffer, but Countdown was not one of them. How many studios are there in Leeds? And is Countdown produced in one of the main studios?

Countdown, sadly, is the ONLY show made inside the studios here at ITV Yorkshire these days. Its a black day for all concerned.

(From the original link) "Under the plans, Emmerdale would become self-contained at its current filming location, but with far fewer staff, and Countdown could move to a different studio facility elsewhere in the UK."

Any chance that Emmerdale might have a big studio they can lend out for 50 days a year? Presumably they've got a spare studio where they do one-off indoor shots that aren't part of the permanent set?

Here's the latest from ITV, with confirmation of Countdown moving to Manchester:

In Leeds, it is shutting the main studio building in Kirkstall Road, with a loss of 150 jobs out of 600 in Leeds. The quiz show Countdown will move to Manchester, probably within the next few months. But ITV says it is not stopping production in Leeds - four buildings will remain and Emmerdale and Calendar, the regional news programme, will both be based there.
The rest of the 600 job losses will be spread throughout ITV's various business divisions, including several hundred job losses in London. A large percentage will be "back office" jobs.
ITV says it will continue to have a large production centre in Manchester. It was already considering whether to stay in its Quay Street studio building. One option is to move the operation to MediaCity in Salford, where the BBC is building a major production centre. Those discussions continue.

CECIM doesn't have the same ring to it either

Dinos Sfyris wrote:CECIM doesn't have the same ring to it either

They could change it to Countdown's Hi-tec Electronic Digital Automaton Relocated In Manchester.

D Eadie wrote: Countdown, sadly, is the ONLY show made inside the studios here at ITV Yorkshire these days. Its a black day for all concerned.

Is a commute to Manchester doable for you, Damian? I do hope so.

Routeplanner has the journey as approx 40 miles and a hour's drive.
I hope this means that some of the Countdown team will be able to relocate and not be amongst the 600 job cuts.

I'm surprised that they would move Countdown, it being a long-running British institution! Surely Channel 4 could somehow help out? I know it's filmed by ITV, but since it's technically C4's programme, you'd think that they'd be more willing to help the staff...

I hope that the job cuts don't affect the Countdown team, and that it's commutable for them when it moves. *fingers crossed*

I've never been to a recording, but it's on the 'to do' list, and I liked the idea of walking the corridors that so many of you have walked down before.

What makes Countdown's part in this so poignant is that it arrived in an exciting time for TV and it's growth, and now the TV industry is struggling, and Countdown's affected too. (I'd blame the internet if I didn't love it so much! )

From Richard Whiteley and Calender down, Countdown is quintessentially 'Yorkshire'. This is a sad day for the county and for the country.

The results announced by ITV on Wednesday are clearly nothing short of dismal, though one of the main points now being discussed is how the organisation has struggled with plummeting advertising revenues.

You can probably imagine someone with a Yorkshire accent fondly saying something like "I remember when we only had three / four / five channels" (select age bracket as applicable) and those were the days when the television was the one dominant audiovisual force in media - and in people's houses. The internet has opened this market up enormously, we generally watch less TV nowadays as a result, and so the marketplace is now a lot more competitive.

In more recent years, this evolving technology has brought us Countdown on an interactive DVD, Countdown on an interactive website, and Countdown on the mobile phone. All of these commercial ventures would be dependent upon advertising and/or sales revenue for their success. I think we should be grateful that these have made the game more accessible to us.

It has been reported that Countdown will relocate to Manchester. I wish all staff well in the transition and look forward to the programme's continued success.


Jeff

This is a very sad time for Countdown and I hope most of the backroom boys manage to keep their jobs and are able to commute or move to Manchester. Maybe when this awful financial problem eases they'll be able to go back. Oh dear, I'm so sorry for all involved.

Kathleen Batlle wrote:This is a very sad time for Countdown and I hope most of the backroom boys manage to keep their jobs and are able to commute or move to Manchester.

Yeah me too, the girls as well as the boys! When you've been on as a contestant they are so friendly when you go back to the studios, and you just can't replace that.

It sort of takes away any reason for me to train to become a contestant. I was considering applying for the Box Pizza. What reason is there now?

Talking of the pizza place, that's another problem - the rippling effect of the studio closing on all the little businesses around there that the studio staff frequent.

Thank you to those of you who have expressed their concern for us, the production team. It's very much appreciated. Thank you for the phone message Jason! Kate listened to it this morning.

Lara Searle wrote:Thank you to those of you who have expressed their concern for us, the production team. It's very much appreciated.

I'd like to express my heartfelt sympathies to you all too, and apologise for not having done so before.

Guess the poignant conundrum......

LEEDSBOOT

D Eadie wrote:Guess the poignant conundrum......

LEEDSBOOT

I'm gutted that you're not using that Dame!

Really sorry to hear the news - best wishes to everyone on the team.

Kevin

You've outed me as a Dame on an internet forum.

That's not fair Demi - you know i'd never tell anyone your real name is Demelza.

Come, come, Damien is nothing like a Dame

Oh yes he is!

Oh no he's not!

Poll, anyone?

Really sorry to hear that folks. Interesting time for me to join the forum. Fascinating to hear from the people behind the show. Like i said in my introductory post, i grew up watching countdown with my grandad and it's among the most fond memories i have of him. Thanks.

I originally lurked in this topic, but I have a question.

Since I called Kate to inform her that I read the bad news, I had called Lara to ask her whether the production team would still be working on Countdown after the move. I know none of them can dial internationally so I sent her an e-mail since it was fairly urgent. She said that they were not sure about the production team, as it was still being debated.

Then, as we know, Damian told me that they still have their jobs if they want them.

All I'm asking is, who is right?

I'm sorry to reply to this thread again, but I have some more on my mind that I would like to say.

I just watched two videos on Youtube in regard to the closure of the ITV studios in Yorkshire. I now know that people are feeling a lot of emotional pain in regard to the offices closing. It's like the state of the World Trade Center between September 10 and September 11, 2001! One day, it's there, the next minute it's gone! I realize that ITV used to be the home of shows like Blockbusters and the original Price is Right. Now, it's the home of absolutely nothing.

Also, who is Michael Grade? In one of the videos I saw, someone said he was considering changing ITV for the better, and then I read that someone thinks he has ruined ITV. What are most of your opinions?

Granted, this global downturn all started when George W. Bush became president here in America. Now, Barack Obama is president, that is all well and good but do you all think he and all the other people high up in the chain of command all over the world realize how long it is going to take to fix this problem?

Finally, I would like to give high marks to a lady who has only been working at the ITV studios in Yorkshire for 10 months, but has accomplished a great deal and has left a lasting impression on all of us. This lady is Kate Horton. Thank you for signing the petition to the government to save your studios. This means a whole lot to us. Gordon Brown is a big Countdown fan. Let's hope the fans such as Kate are listened to by the higher-ups at ITV in Yorkshire.

Jason Larsen wrote: Thank you for initiating the petition to the government to save your studios.

She didn't initiate it. There is a different name for the initiator and Kate's signature is quite a way down.

Kirk, as you can plainly see I have edited my post and phrased it right. I have made this known so far.

Jason Larsen wrote:Gordon Brown is a big Countdown fan.

I had not heard this before and I find it quite worrying: if Gordon Brown likes Countdown there must be something seriously wrong with it!

I just talked to Kate, and she is a very happy lady!

Jason Larsen wrote:I thought I'd say that this Michael Grade guy sounds like an insensitive, cold-hearted person.

The only thing I know about Michael Grade was that the first thing he did when he took over was to cancel the incredibly popular cult series Doctor Who. It has since been revived.

Perhaps he should be invited to DC for a special Countdown recording, with Susie primed to disallow all his words. But she's probably too honest.

Good for Doctor Who.

Bad for him still being around.

Jason Larsen wrote:I originally lurked in this topic, but I have a question.

Since I called Kate to inform her that I read the bad news, I had called Lara to ask her whether the production team would still be working on Countdown after the move. I know none of them can dial internationally so I sent her an e-mail since it was fairly urgent. She said that they were not sure about the production team, as it was still being debated.

Then, as we know, Damian told me that they still have their jobs if they want them.

All I'm asking is, who is right?

Allow me to clarify for the sake of everyone, Jason.

ITV Yorkshire studios are closing down, that's a certainty and cannot be prevented. The majority who work there will, unfortunately, lose their jobs, hence the 192 redundancies. The production team on Countdown, myself included, have been told that we are to shoot the show in Manchester, which is fair enough. However, they also want us to relocate our office to Manchester and pull out of Leeds altogether. That is a kick in the teeth. It means around £500 per month spent in travelling costs from our wages, it means that those of us who are parents no longer get family time in the morning with our kids, as we'll be out of the door by 7.30am latest, and with the horrendous trans-pennine commute, we won't be home until around 7.30pm at night, each and every day for the rest of our careers, unless we decide to abandon all family ties and move to Manchester to live, which isn't going to happen.

So in effect, we have our jobs if we want them, but only on ITV's terms at the moment. We have been given 90 days to accept the propsals or get out, but we are 'negotiating' with the company to try and make them see things from our side. We'll know more Thursday. Cannot predict what will happen, but as a collective we feel we're being shat on by a large turkey-buzzard with an ameobic dysentery condition.

D Eadie wrote:we'll be out of the door by 7.30am latest, and with the horrendous trans-pennine commute, we won't be home until around 7.30pm at night, each and every day for the rest of our careers

Now that you have younger, possibly more robust presenters, could you not shoot the show in fewer longer days? Alternatively, get a decent computer system together and edit from home? There must be a lot of hackwork that could be done remotely.

Rosemary Roberts wrote:

D Eadie wrote:we'll be out of the door by 7.30am latest, and with the horrendous trans-pennine commute, we won't be home until around 7.30pm at night, each and every day for the rest of our careers

Now that you have younger, possibly more robust presenters, could you not shoot the show in fewer longer days? Alternatively, get a decent computer system together and edit from home? There must be a lot of hackwork that could be done remotely.

They already shoot 5 shows a day! Any more than that would be nightmarish for the contestants, let alone the presenters.

Worth adding, for those not familiar with the area, that Leeds to Manchester must be commuting hell. On the map it's not that far, with excellent road and rail links through lovely countryside, and many people commute much further to London, but travelling is decidedly not the joy you might think. Some points of the M62 are as busy as anywhere in the country.

From a purely selfish angle I fear for Countdown with a new team. We've seen the difference a trivial thing like shuffling makes. Multiply that by a hundred and think what a shambles might result. It's so easy to make these decisions two hundred miles away without appreciating the practical problems.

For some reason, Damian, I thought you commuted from Blackpool, a journey the like of which I wouldn't care to contemplate. (Whenever you totally lose it here I always visualise the wrong kind of snow at Skipton.) I'd actually thought this move might be helpful to you, though obviously not the way you'd ever have wanted it.

David

Charlie Reams wrote:They already shoot 5 shows a day! Any more than that would be nightmarish for the contestants, let alone the presenters.

I understand they shoot for three days on the trot, so the rest of the time is spent on other tasks, such as editing - which could certainly be done remotely with a decent computer system - it must be a fairly solitary job with not much scope for consultation - there wouldnt be time for anything complex with a show that airs every day.
Push the envelope a trifle to six shows a day, contestants are volunteers so that's OK (or let the last candidate for each day be chosen from Greater Manchester); do some editing and most preparation from home. People don't usually mind long hours now and then if they save a commute.

I was on in the old days and I have to say I was totally shattered after doing six nine-round shows in a day. I'm mightily impressed by people who do five fifteen-rounders. But six?

I applaud the thinking but I don't think there's any need to increase the number of shows per day. If you film five a day, you only need to film one day in five. As you say, you'd like to think there are some tasks from the other four days work (answering Jason's phone calls?) that could be done from home.

David Williams wrote:As you say, you'd like to think there are some tasks from the other four days work (answering Jason's phone calls?) that could be done from home.

So would Jason be giveb the home phone numbers of all the production team?

Gavin Chipper wrote:So would Jason be giveb the home phone numbers of all the production team?

I imagine they would jump at the chance. Hands up all those who would rather commute to Manchester ...

David Williams wrote:Worth adding, for those not familiar with the area, that Leeds to Manchester must be commuting hell. On the map it's not that far, with excellent road and rail links through lovely countryside, and many people commute much further to London, but travelling is decidedly not the joy you might think. Some points of the M62 are as busy as anywhere in the country.

From a purely selfish angle I fear for Countdown with a new team. We've seen the difference a trivial thing like shuffling makes. Multiply that by a hundred and think what a shambles might result. It's so easy to make these decisions two hundred miles away without appreciating the practical problems.

For some reason, Damian, I thought you commuted from Blackpool, a journey the like of which I wouldn't care to contemplate. (Whenever you totally lose it here I always visualise the wrong kind of snow at Skipton.) I'd actually thought this move might be helpful to you, though obviously not the way you'd ever have wanted it.

David

I stopped the Bpool commute about 3yrs ago David. Totally burned me out and hardly saw the kids so i bought a house in Leeds. As you righly said, the commute is hellish. 45 miles on paper, but 2 hrs of motorway murder in reality. Takes me up to 45 mins to travel 4 miles to the office just through Leeds, so dread to think what it would be in total once i hit Manchester city centre at 9am. Its just not practical.

As for recording 6 a day, again its not practical. Sure its only 1 more show, but there are working break regulations to consider, audience changovers and suchlike, not to mention the impact on the brains of those playing and presenting.

Working from home perhaps 1 day a week in as option, but teams need to be together, so again its not practical in the long term. Hoping we get a resolution, otherwise i'll have to go back being a rentboy.

D Eadie wrote:ITV Yorkshire studios are closing down, that's a certainty and cannot be prevented. The majority who work there will, unfortunately, lose their jobs, hence the 192 redundancies. The production team on Countdown, myself included, have been told that we are to shoot the show in Manchester, which is fair enough. However, they also want us to relocate our office to Manchester and pull out of Leeds altogether

I agree with Rosemary to a certain extent, that there's no reason why ALL except the recordings can't be done from home, or somewhere else still in Leeds.

If ALL Countdown staff unite and say they'll do the recording in Manchester as long as the rest is still in Leeds, would those in charge accept that compromise? Because it would be a big nightmare / headache / f*ck up to replace all staff (with who knows what effect it would have on the quality of the show)!

As someone whose husband is away in London Mon-Fri from 8.30-8.30 I empathise that it's really no life, and hope that someone in power takes note and puts people first. (*pinch* and then I woke up. )

Lesley Jeavons wrote:If ALL Countdown staff unite and say they'll do the recording in Manchester as long as the rest is still in Leeds, would those in charge accept that compromise? Because it would be a big nightmare / headache / f*ck up to replace all staff (with who knows what effect it would have on the quality of the show)!

ITV would probably say "Fine, we'll give it to 12yard to produce. We wish you well in your future endeavours". Except without the 2nd sentence.

Gary Male wrote:

Lesley Jeavons wrote:If ALL Countdown staff unite and say they'll do the recording in Manchester as long as the rest is still in Leeds, would those in charge accept that compromise? Because it would be a big nightmare / headache / f*ck up to replace all staff (with who knows what effect it would have on the quality of the show)!

ITV would probably say "Fine, we'll give it to 12yard to produce. We wish you well in your future endeavours". Except without the 2nd sentence.

I can see it now. The auditions, if anything like what i imagine they were for The Colour of Money, would be based on a persons ability to say the word 'STOP' in a dramatic fashion at a screen called Dragon Fruit.

Lesley Jeavons wrote:If ALL Countdown staff unite and say they'll do the recording in Manchester as long as the rest is still in Leeds, would those in charge accept that compromise? Because it would be a big nightmare / headache / f*ck up to replace all staff (with who knows what effect it would have on the quality of the show)

That might work for a while but over time people will leave and new people join and it would seem a bit strange to someone starting in this job which is in both Leeds and Manchester. I can imagine in 70 years' time (when Countdown will obviously still be going) someone suddenly saying "Why are we doing it like this again?"

Damian, thank you for clarifying what the future will mean for you all as the Countdown staff.

Now, I have something important to tell you.

I said something that I shouldn't have said to Kate earlier. I repeated my thoughts about Michael Grade to her. I cannot delete the phone message because I already sent it to her, but then I called her again and apologized. I also thanked her for making us aware of the petition, and told her to "have fun with what little time she has in the studio." Two months will go by just like that.

Then, I called my mom and told her that I felt bad because I did that. She told me not to worry because "Kate feels upset too." I realize, Michael must be the boss of your whole team. Talking about him like that is not very nice, but it is being honest. The truth hurts sometimes.

What else can I say? Oh! Good luck to you, Damian, and best wishes!

This is so sad for everyone concerned and it is just not the right time to be selling homes and buying new ones in another area. Isn't there some way that the Countdown team could rent a small unit somewhere near Leeds and set themselves up independently but under the umbrella of the controlling company? Surely Countdown must generate a decent amount of revenue from the advertising shown during the programme, but perhaps not enough to support the team. Oh dear, I do hope someone, somewhere, comes up with a solution. Countdown is such a strong programme which is part of everyone's lives even if not they don't all like to participate like we do. It doesn't matter who you talk to, absolutely everyone knows what Countddown is and it would be a tragedy if the programme came to an end.

Kathleen Batlle wrote:This is so sad for everyone concerned and it is just not the right time to be selling homes and buying new ones in another area. Isn't there some way that the Countdown team could rent a small unit somewhere near Leeds and set themselves up independently but under the umbrella of the controlling company? Surely Countdown must generate a decent amount of revenue from the advertising shown during the programme, but perhaps not enough to support the team. Oh dear, I do hope someone, somewhere, comes up with a solution. Countdown is such a strong programme which is part of everyone's lives even if not they don't all like to participate like we do. It doesn't matter who you talk to, absolutely everyone knows what Countddown is and it would be a tragedy if the programme came to an end.

Thanks Kathleen, but don't worry - the show isn't in any danger at all of coming to an end. We'll find a way of making things work for all of us.

Is this true that the last one from Leeds is being recorded today.............?


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcastin ... today.html

Chris Corby wrote:Is this true that the last one from Leeds is being recorded today.............?


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcastin ... today.html

I doubt it Chris, because I was contacted last week and offered tickets for this Wednesday's recordings (which I've accepted) and on the letter it says Leeds. Also, prior to booking tickets for the series 60 finals in April I phoned to check they would be taking place in Leeds and was told that they would.