John Huntley – Granadaland

John Huntley biography

John Huntley joined Granada Television in April 1976 after a spell as a teacher. He had earlier graduated from York University where he was a contemporary of Jeremy Fox who had subsequently gone on to Granada. It was Jeremy Fox who contacted John to ask him if he would be interested in a job. John…

John Huntley talks about how he joined Granada TV and his first meeting with Gus MacDonald

I was at York University from ’69 to ’72. Also at York University was Jeremy Fox, who I met, and we used to do TV programmes. It was a collegiate university, so they had a TV station, primarily for science lectures so they could beam them around the various colleges. But in the off time,…

John Huntley on working in the Sports Department

I moved on to Kick Off, the football programme, and I was definitely doing that when Red Rum won the Grand National, because Steve Hawes and I had to log the football match – every throw in, every goal kick – you had to log the time so that you could edit a 90-minute programme…

John Huntley on the privilege of working for Granada

Television was a career in those days that a lot of people aspired to. I’m not so sure it is now, but people really wanted to get in, and a lot of people were given an opportunity. As I say, you could move wherever you wanted. There was one stage where I nearly became a…

John Huntley on how he brought Richard and Judy together!

Of course, my biggest claim to fame is I am the person responsible for Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan getting together. Explain! I applied for a producer’s board, didn’t get it, then there was another one, and this would be in January/February 1982. I was presenting Granada Reports with Judy Finnigan – she and I…

John Huntley on Granadaland as a region

I think given how much Liverpool and Manchester hate each other… when I was in the Navy, sailors used to hate the navy, but as soon as they were outside the ship, if anybody said a word about the Navy they were ready to have a fight! I think it did define the region, it…

John Huntley describes what Granada was like to work for as a company

Looking back it was a fantastic company to work for, and I really do think it was. And the people who have gone on to do extraordinary things, I mean, extraordinary things, many of whom started work there. I mean, yes, without a doubt. I’m not too sure towards the end, I think it wasn’t…

John Huntley on the strong bonds that existed between Granada staff

I thought that was the most extraordinary thing about Granada, one of the most extraordinary things, but you just get to chatting to people like Leslie Woodhead, people like Ray Fitzwalter, not that he was in the bar that often, but you just got to know everybody. One of the reasons, I think, is…

John Huntley’s memories of the Granada canteen – and Irma!

I remember the canteen, my God. The canteen had Barnum and Bailey photographs or posters, because that was put there by the Bernsteins, to remind everybody that we’re in show business, that’s what we were. And also – which I thought was extraordinary at the time, and I think was pretty rare – was that…

John Huntley’s memories of Tony Wilson

Tony, of course, he was presenting and reporting, Tony Wilson. Who was presenting? Bob (Greaves) and Tony were the sort of… incredible, weird relationship they had. Bob used to get fed up because Tony would always call him his dad and take the mickey out of him for being older. I think there was an…

John Huntley remembers the two ‘Bob’s’ on Granada Reports

Bob Greaves? He was great bloke, Bob. He was absolutely fantastic. One of the reasons I really liked Bob was that he never appeared to show any kind of resentment to the fact that I was becoming a co-presenter with him. I think being… Bob Greaves, Stuart Hall obviously for the BBC, but Bob Greaves…

John Huntley recalls his early days as a researcher in Granada Reports

So you started as a researcher in 1976? Yes. They weren’t expecting me; Jeremy Fox said, “Oh, God, oh, yes… I suppose we’d better find somewhere for you to sit.” And what happened in those days was – and Jeremy Fox organised this quite cannily to give himself less work to do, frankly – on…

John Huntley describes making films for Granada Reports

I went to Granada Reports as a reporter, which is where I wanted to go, and that’s what I did for another year or something perhaps, and then I move into presenting. Slowly. Yes. So that’s what I did. I loved being a reporter, it was very good. I often say to people today, we’re…