Page "ITV Tyne Tees" Paragraph 6

Tyne Tees went on air at 5 pm on 15 January 1959, three years after the first British independent television station.

The then-prime minister Harold Macmillan, who had been the Member of Parliament for the nearby Stockton-on-Tees for two decades, was interviewed live on the opening night.

This was followed by a live variety show, named The Big Show, broadcast from a small studio.

However, this local content was followed by an episode of the American police series Highway Patrol and an evening of entertainment programmes including I Love Lucy and Double Your Money.