From EastEnders to The Muppet Show: The Elstree Centre programmes

Top Of The Pops (BBC)

New Year’s Day 1964 was the date that Top Of The Pops launched on the BBC from a converted Church Hall in Manchester. It would of course go on to become the world’s longest running music show. Its most fondly remembered years are the ones when it was produced at the BBC Television Centre in the 1970s and early 80s, however, Elstree played its part in the history of the chart show countdown.

In the summer of 1991 Top Of The Pops relocated to BBC Elstree’s Studio C when EastEnders vacated it to move into their specially created ‘Stage One’ which was constructed in the old ATV Garage building. The music show remained for a decade before returning to TV Centre in 2001.

Family Fortunes (ATV/Central)

The idea to make Family Fortunes was first mooted to ATV in 1978 after an executive had seen the original format Family Feud in America. The ABC TV original aired in 1976 and was devised by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. The format sees two families, of five members each, provide several answers to a single question per round. The answers to the questions are gathered from surveys of 100 people. In the UK the show was commissioned in 1979 and hit the air in 1980 as a replacement to Celebrity Squares (it was cheaper to make without so many star fees to pay).

Bob Monkhouse once more presided over events. Family Fortunes continued on ITV until 2002, and returned in recent years as Celebrity Family Fortunes. The longest running British host to date is comedian and actor, Les Dennis.