During 1963, Granada set up its Granada Graduate Training Programme. There were about a dozen young men, I think. I know there were men, I can only remember one young woman. As part of their training to find out what particular talents they had, they were assigned to a variety of programmes including the Northern Newscast and Scene at 6.30. So, we got to know a good number of them and quite a few went on to become famous and I don’t know, you could say legendary, I think. They were very well known.
What names can you remember?
Well, three that I do remember. It’s not because they did become so famous, I do remember them, they did stand out. And they came to work on Scene at 6.30; one was Mike Apted, of course. He came in September ‘63 and he was a researcher on Scene at 6.30 for about six months and then transferred to World in Action. And then of course, went on to the research the 7 Up programme and of course, carried on from then. I think it was last year, wasn’t it when they did there… oh god, I don’t know. I can’t remember how many years it was.
I know, I know. Was it ‘63 Up, I think? Yes, yes.
Something like that. And of course, then he went on to make feature films, Gorky Park and Gorillas in the Mist, and the Bond film, The World Is Not Enough. Mike Newell was… he came the same time as Michael Apted and he was on Scene at 6.30 for six months and then he gradually moved on to directing programmes and worked on Coronation Street, I think. He started making films in 1980 with the directors of the Four Weddings and a Funeral film and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And Leslie Woodhead, of course, he started 12 months earlier in 1962, and worked as a researcher on People and Places and apparently organised the very first filming of The Beatles. And after that, he came to work on Scene at 6.30 and by 1964 was helping to produce the programme. Of course, he became one of Britain’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers.
