124-591: The ITV Evening News is the evening news programme produced by ITN on the British television network ITV . It airs Monday to Friday from 6:30pm, covering British national and international news stories and is presented by Mary Nightingale . On 22 September 1955 when the ITV television service was launched, ITN provided an early evening news service at 5:50pm. It was known simply as ITN News , and usually presented by Gordon Honeycombe . This simple bulletin made use of
248-424: A "team" of newscasters – Alastair Stewart , Fiona Armstrong , Nicholas Owen , Trevor McDonald , Sue Carpenter and Carol Barnes – began presenting the show on a "rotation" basis. On 13 February 1989, the introduction of a national weather forecast at the end of the programme led to the bulletin's timeslot starting earlier at 5:40pm, being extended in length and the title being changed to News at 540 . Due to
372-582: A camera panning across the building towards the newsdesk giving a panoramic view of the newsroom. John Suchet became the lead presenter, a role in which he continued until 1999. Barnes and Owen acted as relief presenters. On 5 June 1995, the ITN Early Evening News was relaunched, bringing it into line with the Lunchtime News which relaunched on 6 March. By the end of July, all of ITN's news programmes on ITV had been relaunched with
496-819: A joint venture together with digital entrepreneur Matt Heiman. The company packages footage from the ITN archive and syndicates it to a range of commercial partners including Myspace , YouTube and MSN . In March 2017, the company was sold to Sky, who paid £2.6m for ITN's stake. ITN Consulting was the management consultancy arm of ITN, combining the resources of ITN with the consulting team's experience to advise global media companies on issues spanning all areas of strategy and operations, including financial planning, marketing, scheduling and content, recruitment, and interim management. With partner Venture Consulting, it had offices in London, Milan, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney. It operated as
620-508: A more unified look, with exception to News at Ten which maintained its separate identity. The new look, however, brought elements of News at Ten to ITN's other bulletins such as the use of the clockface of Big Ben and the News at Ten theme-tune, however the tune was rearranged differently. The studio at the time made heavy use of the colour blue – ITN's corporate colour at the time. The intro showed different images of Big Ben 's clockface with
744-445: A network with its consultants working on engagements globally and focused "on how strategy can be implemented to deliver to real change". ITN Consulting stated that "an understanding of how global, regional and local media markets conflict and come together enables them to identify the opportunities this creates". They took an external, outsider perspective as well as having the viewpoint of senior "insider" media executives. ITN Consulting
868-409: A new computer-generated opening sequence and a more contemporary theme tune; the studio images were still inlaid using chromakey, although these were now also generated by computer. The programme was moved to the main newsroom within the ITN headquarters building, and full-length reports were now featured as part of the programme. ITN dispensed with the "main" presenter and relief host format, and instead
992-419: A nightly sports update and a preview of the following day's newspapers. Mark Austin took over main presenting duties on 3 January 2006. The rebranded programme again saw new titles, this time featuring people walking over the face of Big Ben and has lately followed a more "sensationalist" approach to its main headlines. When ITV executive chairman Michael Grade joined ITV, he made it clear that he saw news as
1116-491: A reputation for high-quality journalism and innovation. ITN's News at Ten also prompted the BBC to gradually expand its 20:50 news bulletin from ten minutes to fifteen, twenty and then twenty-five minutes. The Nine O'Clock News began broadcasting in 1970 as News at Ten's rival. ITN also established other programmes in the ITV schedule. First Report , a lunchtime bulletin began in 1972 and by 1976, News at 5.45 commenced. This
1240-401: A reputation for high-quality journalism and thorough analysis. Further expansion came with the launch of overnight television on ITV in 1988, with ITN providing hourly news bulletins, as well as the half-hour ITN Morning News to conclude the overnight schedules. Until the 1990s, the individual ITV companies had an obligation to provide a national news programme, which required them to take
1364-562: A share in the ITN operation. Following the Broadcasting Act 1990 , ITN had to apply and bid for a licence to provide such services on these ITV networks, and would have to fight competition in order to preserve its services, as had become the case with other ITV franchisees. The Broadcasting Act also allowed the Independent Television Commission to introduce ownership rules for news providers. The move
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#17327870246591488-453: A share of London News Radio , which was based at ITN's Gray's Inn Road headquarters and operated the LBC and News Direct London radio stations. Since 5 October 1992, ITN used to operate a radio news service on behalf of Independent Radio News (IRN) but on 15 October 2008, IRN announced that Sky News Radio was to replace ITN as its main supplier from March 2009. While news production remains
1612-483: A shorter late night bulletin at 11 pm. Consolidation of the ITV network under a unified ITV brand also saw the removal of the on-screen ITN brand which was replaced with ITV News . From this point, the ITN brand was gradually phased out and it is now only referenced to in the end production caption. In 1997, ITN started producing the Royal Christmas Message every other year. The early years of
1736-462: A single camera, and was intended as a round-up of the day's headlines and (from 1967) looking at stories to be covered in more length by that evening's edition of News at Ten . On 6 September 1976, ITN News moved to 5:45pm and was renamed News at 545 . The 545 marked a major departure in presentational style from the ITN News that had preceded it. Initially, the bulletins were broadcast from
1860-451: A stake in ITN and to continue to finance the company. In 1967, ITN was given the go-ahead by the ITA to provide a full 30-minute daily news programme at 10 pm on ITV. There was further tension with the ITV executives as they were sceptical of the idea that viewers would want a full 30 minutes of news every Monday to Friday and they were also losing valuable peak time slots which could be used for
1984-601: A transmission slot on Channel 4, The Smithsonian Channel (in North America), SBS and M6. Similar to ITN's programmes for Channel 5, the programme was a trawl through its Royal archive with experts like Ayesha Hazarika , Bonnie Greer, Polly Toynbee and Ian Skelly analysing various points in King Charles' life. ITN Productions was formed in February 2010 and incorporates the non-news operations of ITN, including
2108-557: A turn so the new hammer struck in a different place. Big Ben has chimed with a slightly different tone ever since, and is still in use today with the crack unrepaired. Big Ben was the largest bell in the British Isles until " Great Paul ", a 16.75-ton (17 tonne) bell currently hung in St Paul's Cathedral , was cast in 1881. In August 2007, the bell's striker was replaced for the first time since installation. The origin of
2232-803: A unique, video licensing service for educational publishers and broadcasters around the world, was launched. It is aimed at educational publishers and broadcasters seeking to add video to their instructional products and services. Espresso was acquired by Discovery Education (part of Discovery Communications) on 7 November 2013. Setanta Sports News was a 24-hour sports news television channel produced by ITN and jointly owned by Virgin Media Television and Setanta Sports , launched on 29 November 2007. The channel ceased broadcasting on 23 June 2009, when Setanta's UK operation were placed into administration following financial difficulties. In October 2008, ITN founded digital production company Diagonal View as
2356-458: Is Mary Nightingale . In March 2004, ITN took over production of ITV London 's regional news programmes, which relocated from The London Television Centre on the South Bank to ITN's Gray's Inn Road base. On 24 January 2022, ITV announced that the 6:30pm ITV Evening News will be extended to an hour from March 2022, making it the third hour long news programme ITN will be producing for
2480-615: Is a lantern sited above the belfry and is lit whenever the House of Commons sits after dark. It can be seen from across London. Originally, it shone towards Buckingham Palace so Queen Victoria could look out of a window and see when the Commons were at work. Inside the tower is an oak-panelled Prison Room, which can only be accessed from the House of Commons, not via the tower entrance. It was last used in 1880 when atheist Charles Bradlaugh , newly elected Member of Parliament for Northampton ,
2604-530: Is beautiful". Completed in 1859, the tower is designed in Pugin's Gothic Revival style and is 316 feet (96.3 m) high, making it the third tallest clock tower in the UK . Its dials (at the centre) are 180 feet (54.9 m) above ground level. The tower's base is square, measuring 40 feet (12.2 m) on each side, resting on concrete foundations 12 feet (3.7 m) thick. It was constructed using bricks clad on
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#17327870246592728-542: Is thought that the bell was originally to be called "Victoria" or "Royal Victoria" in honour of Queen Victoria, but that an MP suggested the bell's current nickname of "Big Ben" during a Parliamentary debate; the comment is not recorded in Hansard . Since the tower was not yet finished, the bell was mounted in New Palace Yard but, during testing, it cracked beyond repair and a replacement had to be made. The bell
2852-750: The ITV Lunchtime News at 1.30pm, the ITV Evening News at 6.30pm and ITV News at Ten with bulletins broadcast at various times on weekends . ITN has at times interrupted the ITV schedule to provide updates on major breaking stories of national and international importance, including the September 11 attacks , London bombings, 2005 or events involving the British Royal Family . ITN has covered every general election since 1959 for ITV, providing comprehensive coverage of
2976-490: The Police 5 studio, which enabled the producers to make extensive use of chromakey to display images behind the newscaster, several studio cameras, interviews with correspondents in the studio and on a TV monitor, and wide screen shots of the studio set at the beginning and end of the programme, and when handing over to correspondents. Alastair Burnet was the original presenter of the News at 545 . Michael Nicholson fronted
3100-404: The 545 to present News at Ten , Nicholson replaced him as lead presenter, with Carol Barnes taking over as relief presenter. In September 1986, Nicholson left the 545 to return to war reporting, and was replaced by Alastair Stewart . On 4 April 1988 the News at 545 underwent some cosmetic changes, with the animated visual 'roll' logo and electronic theme music being dropped in favour of
3224-554: The Astronomer Royal . Construction was entrusted to clockmaker Edward John Dent ; after his death in 1853, his stepson Frederick Dent completed the work in 1854. As the tower was not completed until 1859, Denison had time to experiment before its installation in April that year: instead of using a deadbeat escapement and remontoire as originally designed, he invented a double three-legged gravity escapement , which provides
3348-495: The BBC World Service , a practice that began on 31 December 1923. The sound of the chimes is sent live from a microphone permanently installed in the tower and connected by line to Broadcasting House . At the close of the polls for the 2010 general election the results of the national exit poll were projected onto the south side of the tower. On 27 July 2012, starting at 8:12 a.m, Big Ben chimed 30 times, to welcome
3472-614: The Digital One multiplex until 2003. In 2005, ITN became a shareholder in Espresso Group, a provider of digital content to more than 60% of primary schools in the UK and also internationally. Espresso services feature an extensive library of broadband teaching resources and student activities to motivate pupils and support teachers, including content from ITN Source. In May 2008, the Education Clip Library,
3596-462: The Games of the 30th Olympiad , which officially began that day, to London. On 21 August 2017, Big Ben's chimes fell silent for four years to allow essential restoration work to be carried out on the tower. The decision to silence the bells was made to protect the hearing of the workers on the tower, and drew much criticism from senior MPs and Prime Minister Theresa May . The striking and tolling of
3720-561: The Independent Television Commission gave ITV approval to move News at Ten. The ITV News at 10.30 launched on ITV on 2 February 2004 (the day that ITV in England, Wales and Southern Scotland came under the ownership of a single company ) and was presented by Sir Trevor McDonald . The programme was longer than its predecessor and carried an integrated regional bulletin, as well as more business stories,
3844-583: The clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II . The clock is a striking clock with five bells. The tower was designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in a Perpendicular Gothic Revival style and
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3968-603: The pendulum . The Great Bell was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes ; 15.1 short tons ). Its nickname may be derived from Sir Benjamin Hall , who oversaw its installation, or heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt . There are four quarter bells , which chime on the quarter hours. Big Ben is a British cultural icon . It is one of the most prominent symbols of
4092-571: The 1990s, thousands of tons of concrete were pumped into the ground underneath the tower to stabilise it during construction of the Westminster section of the Jubilee line. It leans by about 500 mm (20 in) at the finial. Experts believe the tower's lean will not be a problem for another 4,000 to 10,000 years. A new feature was added in 1873 by Acton Smee Ayrton , then First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings . The Ayrton Light
4216-478: The 21st century was to prove to be a challenging period. The axing of News at Ten caused public outcry and ITN's viewership figures fell by 13.9% Political pressure and pressure from the media resulted in ITV bringing back a shorter 20-minute bulletin at 10 pm three nights a week. The programme eventually lost share to the BBC News at Ten (which launched in 2000 to capitalise on ITV's move) and ITV eventually axed
4340-528: The BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, History and Discovery, with television commissions including Climbing Great Buildings on BBC2 and Mud Men on the History Channel. ITN has produced all national news bulletins on ITV since the network was launched on 22 September 1955. Originally, the ITN logo and brand featured prominently on all news bulletins on ITV; however, since March 1999, bulletins have been branded as ITV News . Trademarks of ITV News include
4464-529: The British Royal Family, the slot had also been used to schedule an ITN documentary called The Grace of Monaco: Hollywood Princess about Grace Kelly , the American actor who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in April 1956, one of the few ITN royal titles featuring foreign-born royalty. ITN also made the documentary Charles: Our New King for Beyond Rights, with the programme scheduled for
4588-538: The First". Unlike Roman numeral clock dials that show the "4" position as IIII, the Great Clock faces depict "4" as IV. The clock's gun metal hour hands and copper minute hands are 8.75 feet (2.7 m) and 14 feet (4.3 m) long respectively. When completed, the dials and clock hands were Prussian blue , but were painted black in the 1930s to disguise the effects of air pollution. The original colour scheme
4712-554: The Gulf Crisis of 1991, ITN were temporarily granted a full half-hour slot each evening; the continued change of time (and length) of the bulletin around this time led to the News at 540 being known simply as the ITN News . On 2 March 1992, ITN News at 540 was renamed ITN Early Evening News (a name previously used in the 1980s when the bulletin did not air at its usual time). The new look made good use of ITN's impressive headquarters in London with opening sequence consisting of
4836-481: The House of Commons , unveiled a plaque attached to the tower on the adjoining Speaker's Green. Augustus Pugin drew inspiration from the clockmaker Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy when he designed the dials. Each is made of cast iron sections bolted together. The whole frame is 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter making them the third largest in the UK . They each contain 324 pieces of opalescent glass. Originally,
4960-603: The House of Commons as "news from St Stephens", a term that survives in Welsh-language political reporting as "San Steffan". The Palace does contain a feature called St Stephen's Tower , located above the public entrance. On 2 June 2012, the House of Commons voted in support of a proposal to change the name from the Clock Tower to Elizabeth Tower in commemoration of Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee year, since
5084-514: The ITV news contract. By this period the main ITV companies Granada and Carlton had also viewed unfavourably the scheduling of News at Ten which became a subject of dispute between ITN and the ITV companies. ITN favoured keeping the bulletin; however, the ITV companies claimed audiences were lost at 10 pm as the news interrupted films and drama programming. News at Ten eventually ended in March 1999 with ITN's flagship bulletin moved to 6.30 pm with
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5208-463: The Palace. A team of horologists are on call 24 hours a day to attend to the clock in the event of an emergency. On 10 May 1941, a German bombing raid damaged two of the clock's dials and sections of the tower's stepped roof and destroyed the House of Commons chamber. Architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed a new five-floor block. Two floors are occupied by the current chamber, which was used for
5332-501: The Parliamentary Archives records that Emily, sister of Peto's daughter-in-law, was given the honour of laying the first stone. It was Pugin's last design before his descent into mental illness and death in 1852, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all my designs for finishing his bell tower and it
5456-482: The UK : the red and white rose of England's Tudor dynasty , the thistle of Scotland, shamrock of Northern Ireland, and leek of Wales. They also feature the pomegranate of Catherine of Aragon , first wife of the Tudor king Henry VIII ; the portcullis, symbolising both Houses of Parliament; and fleurs-de-lis , a legacy from when English monarchs claimed to rule France. A ventilation shaft running from ground level up to
5580-400: The UK, and in recent years has diversified to produce a wide range of content including documentaries, sports, advertising and digital material for a range of international clients. Between 1955 and 1999, ITN was more commonly known as the general brand name of ITV's news programmes. Since 8 March 1999, ITV has used ITV News as the brand name for its news programmes, though ITN continues as
5704-511: The United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy, and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London. The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The clock and tower were renovated between 2017 and 2021, during which the bells remained silent with few exceptions. Elizabeth Tower, originally named the Clock Tower, and popularly known as "Big Ben",
5828-563: The Westminster Quarters are imitated by other clocks and other devices, but the sound of Big Ben is preferred as the original and best. Big Ben is a focal point of New Year celebrations in the United Kingdom , with radio and television stations airing its chimes to welcome the start of the New Year. To welcome in 2012, the clock tower was lit with fireworks that exploded at every toll of Big Ben. Similarly, on Remembrance Day ,
5952-451: The air " I know that my Redeemer liveth " in Handel 's Messiah . The notional words of the chime, again derived from Great St Mary's and in turn an allusion to Psalm 37 :23–24, are: "All through this hour/Lord be my guide/And by Thy power/No foot shall slide". They are written on a plaque on the wall of the clock room. One of the requirements for the clock was that the first stroke of
6076-406: The belfry, which measures 16 feet (4.9 m) by 8 feet (2.4 m), was designed by David Boswell Reid , known as "the grandfather of air-conditioning". It was intended to draw cool, fresh air into the Palace of Westminster; in practice this did not work and the shaft was repurposed as a chimney, until around 1914. The 2017–2021 conservation works included the addition of a lift (or elevator) that
6200-550: The bells for important occasions, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday , was handled via an electric motor; and at least one of the four clock faces always remained visible during the restoration. Scaffolding was put up around the tower immediately after the bells were silenced. The cost of the project to the taxpayers and creditors was originally estimated to be roughly £29 million (equivalent to £35.7 million in 2023), but it more than doubled, to £69 million (equivalent to £77.6 million in 2023). In February 2020,
6324-412: The best separation between pendulum and clock mechanism, thus mitigating the effects of rain, wind and snow on the dials. Denison never patented his design, and it quickly became the standard on all new high-quality tower clocks. On top of the pendulum is a small stack of pre-decimal penny coins ; these are to adjust the time of the clock. Adding a coin has the effect of minutely lifting the position of
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#17327870246596448-529: The biggest expansion of the ITV News Network in 20 years. The move will include hiring 27 new staff which will include journalists, producers and camera operators. The move will also ensure more live coverage will be provided from more locations across the UK, with an emphasis to cover more stories around Britain. The regional news programmes will remain at 30 minutes in the usual 6:00pm slot. ITV Border Scotland , ITV Cymru Wales , STV and UTV have
6572-480: The bulletin on Fridays, and was also a relief presenter. Immediately after the animated visual 'roll' and electronic theme music at the beginning, an announcer intoned in a hushed tone: "The news at 5:45, with Alastair Burnett/Michael Nicholson". Other relief presenters in the late 1970s included Leonard Parkin , who at the time also regularly hosted the News at One , and Martyn Lewis . In March 1980, when Burnet departed
6696-510: The case with the BBC . There was also some early tensions with the ITV companies. ABC Weekend TV , the ITV contractor for the north and Midlands on weekends, immediately called for shorter ITN bulletins. While the ITA ruled on a minimum of a 20-minute bulletin, disagreements with the ITV companies over ITN's budget triggered the resignation of its news editor Aidan Crawley after just one year in 1956. He
6820-575: The channel's allocation on Freeview , were cited as the reasons. In March 2004 following its acquisition of the London News Network , a company previously owned by the now merged Carlton and Granada , ITN began producing local news bulletins for the ITV London region. ITN produced More4 News between 2005 and 2009. In 2007 it began producing Setanta Sports News ; however it closed in 2009. Between 1996 and 2002, it also owned
6944-473: The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the start of the two minutes' silence. In 1999, prior to the millennium New Year, a recording of the clock was released by London Records under the title "Millennium Chimes", with the artist labelled as Big Ben. It reached number 53 for the week ending 8 January 2000 (which included purchases prior to 31 December 1999). The chimes of Big Ben have also been used at
7068-401: The chimes of Big Ben returned to regular service for the first time since August 2017, preceding the hour bell being sounded at 11:00 a.m. local time, the first hour strike marking the beginning of two minutes of silence. The clock has become a cultural symbol of the United Kingdom , particularly in the visual media. When a television or film-maker wishes to indicate a generic location in
7192-707: The clock and tower. Some authors of works about the tower, clock and bell sidestep the issue by using the words Big Ben first in the title, then going on to clarify that the subject of the book is the clock and tower as well as the bell. Along with the Great Bell, the belfry houses four quarter bells which play the Westminster Quarters on the quarter hours. The four quarter bells sound G ♯ , F ♯ , E, and B. They were cast by John Warner & Sons at their Crescent Foundry in 1857 (G ♯ , F ♯ and B) and 1858 (E). The Foundry
7316-447: The clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter. The clock uses its original mechanism and was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world upon its completion. It was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy , the Astronomer Royal , and constructed by Edward John Dent and Frederick Dent. It is known for its reliability, and can be adjusted by adding or removing pre-decimal pennies from
7440-476: The contract for Channel 5's topical morning debate and chat show The Wright Stuff , just before the host of 18 years, Matthew Wright , announced he was going to leave the programme. Wright was replaced by BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine , who had been hosting a lunchtime phone-in debate show on the radio since 2003, with the programme becoming eponymously named when Vine took over in September 2018. In 2022,
7564-408: The contract in a three-year deal to provide news for Channel 5 from early 2012, but on a much-reduced budget. The deal followed an agreement by Sky and Northern & Shell , the then-owner of Channel 5, to terminate the 5 News contract early. In addition to a number of short bulletins, ITN provided two main half-hour evening news programmes for Channel 5 until 2021. In September 2021, Ofcom approved
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#17327870246597688-558: The contract was returned in February 2012, following a change of ownership at Channel 5. In August 2000, ITN launched its own 24-hour news channel in the UK, broadcast on satellite, cable and digital terrestrial. It was 50% owned by ITN and 50% owned by NTL . Carlton and Granada gradually bought out the two stakes and renamed the channel the ITV News Channel . It closed down on 23 December 2005. Poor ratings in comparison to BBC News 24 and Sky News, and ITV's desire to re-use
7812-456: The cornerstone of ITN's business model, the company has diversified from its original remit. ITN Source (originally ITN Archive) is one of the world's largest sources of historical film. ITN Productions creates multi-platform content for major global brands, covering genres such as factual, entertainment, news and corporate production. Clients that commission programmes from ITN Productions include major UK and international broadcasters such as ITV,
7936-399: The country, a popular way to do so is to show an image of the tower, often with a red double-decker bus or black cab in the foreground. In 2008, a survey of 2,000 people found that the tower was the most popular landmark in the United Kingdom. It has also been named as the most iconic film location in London . The sound of the clock chiming has also been used this way in audio media;
8060-643: The counts throughout election night and has also broadcast special programmes covering the UK budget speech given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer . ITN's history is inextricably linked to that of ITV as prior to the Broadcasting Act 1990 each of the ITV companies owned a share. In the 1990s, under new ownership, it was accused of abandoning its previous news style, which was broadsheet in style to mid-market tabloid with news stories that focused on personalities in
8184-480: The dials were backlit using gas lamps, at first only when Parliament was sitting, but they have routinely been illuminated from dusk until dawn since 1876. Electric bulbs were installed at the beginning of the 20th century. The ornate surrounds of the dials are gilded. At the base of each dial is the Latin inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM , which means "O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria
8308-465: The exterior with sand-coloured Anston limestone from South Yorkshire, topped by a spire covered in hundreds of cast iron rooftiles. There is a spiral staircase with 290 stone steps up to the clock room, followed by 44 to reach the belfry, and an additional 59 to the top of the spire. Above the belfry and the Ayrton Light are 52 shields decorated with national emblems of the four countries of
8432-538: The first time on 26 October 1950. The clock ran accurately and chimed throughout the Blitz . The main bell, officially known as the "Great Bell" but better known as Big Ben, is the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. It sounds an E-natural. The original bell was a 16- ton (16.3- tonne ) hour bell, cast on 6 August 1856 in Stockton-on-Tees by John Warner & Sons . It
8556-407: The former ITN On , ITN Factual and ITN Corporate divisions. Showbiz bulletins from ITN are broadcast daily on a number of television channels, including FYI Daily on ITV2 , ITV3 and ITV4 , and Entertainment News on 5 (formally called Access ) for Channel 5's range of channels. A daily showbiz breakfast show, The Breakfast Fix was broadcast on 4Music along with showbiz updates under
8680-408: The hammer. According to the foundry's manager, George Mears, the horologist Denison had used a hammer more than twice the maximum weight specified. For three years Big Ben was taken out of commission and the hours were struck on the lowest of the quarter bells until it was repaired. To make the repair, a square piece of metal was chipped out from the rim around the crack, and the bell given an eighth of
8804-419: The hands of the clock eventually striking the time at 5:40 – the time at which the programme began. Around this time, Dermot Murnaghan became the main relief presenter in addition to his role as the lead presenter of the Lunchtime News . The ITV Evening News was launched on 8 March 1999. The launch coincided with major changes to the scheduling of news programmes on ITV. ITN's Early Evening News programme
8928-526: The hour (which sounds 25 seconds before the main bell tolls the hour). Because the low bell (B) is struck twice in quick succession, there is not enough time to pull a hammer back, and it is supplied with two wrench hammers on opposite sides of the bell. The tune is that of the Cambridge Chimes , first used for the chimes of Great St Mary 's church, Cambridge , and supposedly a variation , attributed to William Crotch , based on violin phrases from
9052-423: The hour bell should be correct to within one second per day. The tolerance is with reference to Greenwich Mean Time ( BST in summer). So, at twelve o'clock, for example, it is the first of the twelve hour-bell strikes that signifies the hour (the New Year on New Year's Eve at midnight). The time signalled by the last of the "six pips" ( UTC ) may be fractionally different. On 13 November 2022, Remembrance Sunday,
9176-415: The key to defining any channel. On 14 January 2008, the News at Ten returned, presented by Julie Etchingham and McDonald returned to his duties again. Mark Austin joined Etchingham as co-presenter in 2009. As of October 2015, Tom Bradby has been the main presenter on the programme. The ITV Evening News has, since it was launched in 1999, been the network's most popular bulletin. Its main presenter
9300-404: The large west tower known as Victoria Tower had been renamed in tribute to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. On 26 June 2012, the House of Commons confirmed that the name change could go ahead. David Cameron , then prime minister, officially announced the change of name on 12 September 2012. The change was marked by a naming ceremony in which John Bercow , then Speaker of
9424-615: The most regular relief presenters. The axing of News at Ten proved unpopular at the time and caused outcry from politicians and the general public, and ratings for ITV's news programmes fell. ITV News at Ten returned on 22 January 2001, with McDonald once again at the helm; Murnaghan and Young became the lead presenters of the dual-headed Evening News . Mary Nightingale replaced Young a few months later when Young decided not to return following maternity leave. Mark Austin replaced Murnaghan following his defection to BBC News in late 2002. The programme relaunched on 2 February 2004 in what
9548-473: The moving image libraries of Reuters , ITV (including ITV Studios ), ANI , UTV Media, Fox News , Fox Movietone, Gaumont-British , Nine Network and other specialist collections. The division was closed at the end of 2016, when ITN outsourced its archive sales to Getty Images . Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster , and, by extension , for
9672-658: The name of The Fix . From August 2013, ITN Productions was awarded the contract to produce the Premier League online and mobile highlights service for News UK . Content appears on The Sun and The Times subscription websites and mobile apps. ITN Productions also creates factual programming for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 as well as international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel , History , PBS and National Geographic . ITN has produced shows for Sky, with one of its later programmes being Harrow: A Very British School . ITN also supplied programming to
9796-461: The national PSB channels in 2022, along with Channel 4 News and 5 News at 5 . ITN is home to Channel 4 News , having produced the programme since the channel's inception in 1982. The Channel 4 News flagship programme is 55 minutes of in-depth news and current affairs broadcast at 7 pm each weekday and at 6:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekday evening programme was anchored by journalist Jon Snow for 32 years until 23 December 2021, with
9920-596: The network's news provider. The network's largest franchise owner, ITV plc (through its Channel 3 franchising subsidiary ITV Broadcasting Limited), is the largest shareholder of ITN, owning 40% of the company's shares. Other shareholders are Daily Mail and General Trust , Thomson Reuters and Informa plc, each owning 20% of shares. ITN was founded in May 1955 by a consortium of the initial four Independent Television (later ITV) broadcasting companies, with former Labour MP Aidan Crawley as editor-in-chief. The first bulletin
10044-400: The news, leading to accusations of dumbing down . ITN's most famous news programme, News at Ten was also controversially replaced by an 11 pm news bulletin in 1999, said to be in order to allow ITV to broadcast films without the interruption of a 10 o'clock news bulletin. News at Ten was subsequently re-instated in 2001 after heavy public criticism over the change. The restored programme
10168-431: The nickname "Big Ben" is the subject of some debate. The nickname was applied first to the Great Bell; it may have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall , who oversaw the installation of the Great Bell, or after English heavyweight boxing champion Ben Caunt . Now "Big Ben" is often used, by extension, to refer to the clock, the tower and the bell collectively, although the nickname is not universally accepted as referring to
10292-617: The now-closed Teachers TV service. ITN began its own World News bulletins in the late 1980s, which were shown around the world on local television channels, particularly on PBS stations in the US , where presenter Daljit Dhaliwal (now with Al-Jazeera English ) enjoyed cult status. These were discontinued in 2001, in the face of competition from dedicated news channels such as BBC World (now known as BBC World News ), although it still provides footage to CNN International and reports often appear on PBS NewsHour . Its ITV Evening News bulletin
10416-511: The option of opting-out of the Friday edition of the programme at 7pm to broadcast regional shows. The bulletin's time-slot is occasionally abbreviated to 30 minutes in the event of ITV Sport coverage airing on ITV, during the semi-finals week of Britain's Got Talent , and some one-off programmes. On 7 March 2022, the first newly extended ITV Evening News was broadcast at 6:30pm on ITV with Mary Nightingale, who continues to be main anchor of
10540-499: The past members of the British Royal Family are also getting good viewing figures, with a programme about King George V (whose reign was from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936) achieving a rating of 1.4 million viewers when it was first broadcast. Most of these documentaries feature archive clips with contributions from historians and royal watchers like former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond or Lady Colin Campbell . As well as
10664-516: The pendulum's centre of mass, reducing the effective length of the pendulum rod and hence increasing the rate at which the pendulum swings. Adding or removing a penny will change the clock's speed by 0.4 seconds per day. It keeps time to within a few seconds per week. It is hand wound (taking about 1.5 hours) three times a week. The Keeper of the Clock is responsible for looking after the movement in addition to overseeing every aspect of maintenance around
10788-435: The programme again in 2004 and moved the bulletin to 10:30 pm before bringing it back to 10 pm again in 2008. The biggest challenge came in 2001 when British Sky Broadcasting bid to supply network news to ITV as part of a consortium. ITN eventually succeeded and was awarded a contract extension to 2008. In January 2005 Sky News took over supplying bulletins to Channel 5 ; ITN had produced 5 News since its launch in 1997 and
10912-592: The programme now being presented by a range of newscasters, including Unreported World presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy . A five-minute-long news summary goes out Monday to Friday at midday. The bulletin replaced Channel 4's 30-minute News at Noon programme in late 2009, six years after its launch during the Iraq War of 2003. ITN created More4 News when the digital channel More4 was launched in October 2005. It ran at 8 pm, immediately after Channel 4 News. It
11036-577: The programme was extended by Channel 5, with the extra hour being known as Jeremy Vine Extra as it is presented by Storm Huntley rather than Vine, who starts his radio show at noon. ITN's royal documentaries have been a ratings winner for Channel 5 on Saturday nights, with programmes released about the current monarchy under names such as Harry and Meghan: Two Troubled Years , Charles and Camilla: King and Queen in Waiting and Fergie & Andrew The Duke & Duchess of Disaster . Documentaries about
11160-473: The removal of the 6.30pm news slot by Channel 5 in order for the ViacomCBS channel to schedule Neighbours at 6pm and Eggheads at 6.30pm with a new hour long 5 News programme going out on the channel at 5pm. Ofcom's approval of the channel's new conditions recognised that there will be still three-hours of news between 5-8pm over all the main public service broadcasters’ channels, and that Channel 5
11284-504: The renovations revealed that the Elizabeth Tower had sustained greater damage than previously thought from the May 1941 bombing raid that destroyed the adjacent House of Commons . Other costly discoveries included asbestos in the belfry, the "extensive" use of lead paint, broken glass on the clock dials, and serious deterioration to the tower's intricate stone carvings due to air pollution . The cost of addressing these problems
11408-458: The sale of commercial advertising. News at Ten began broadcasting on 3 July 1967 with a newscaster team consisting of Alastair Burnet , Andrew Gardner , George Ffitch and Reginald Bosanquet . It was initially given a 13-week trial run; however, the programme proved to be extremely popular with viewers and continued for a further 32 years. News at Ten was to become one of the most prestigious news programmes of its time in British history with
11532-548: The show, with slightly tweaked on screen graphics, and with the addition of the national ITV Weather bulletin, presented by Alex Beresford now being broadcast during the hour show in the studio. The set was altered very slightly, with the screens either side of the presenter changing. The rest of the set and the theme tune stayed the same. ITV Evening News was watched by an average of 3.2 million viewers (a 21% share of viewing) in 2021. The opening title music has been composed by Dave Hewson since 1992. The current title sequence
11656-405: The soot-stained dial frames having been stripped away. The clock faces were regilded, and the shields of St George repainted in their original red and white colours. The 1,296 pieces of glass that make up the clock faces have also been removed and replaced. In December 2021, after four years of renovations and restoration, the tower emerged from behind its scaffolding in time for the ringing in of
11780-447: The state funerals of monarchs on four occasions, chiming one stroke for each year of the monarch's life: firstly, at the funeral of King Edward VII in 1910, (68 strokes); secondly, at the funeral of King George V in 1936 (70 strokes); thirdly, at the funeral of King George VI in 1952 (56 strokes); and lastly, at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 (96 strokes). On some occasions, Londoners who live an appropriate distance from
11904-457: The stock exchange. The company launched 5 News in 1997 following the foundation of Channel 5 . The 1990s saw major changes to the television landscape in Britain. The growth of multichannel television saw ITV's share of audience fall. Against this backdrop ITV itself became increasingly commercially aggressive. This was to be a major turning point in ITN's history which saw a reduction in
12028-424: The street, with members of the general public), all of which were seen as a radical departure at the time in British broadcasting. As the ITN reporter and later ITN political editor Julian Haviland , put it: "My view was that at ITN we must be at least as responsible and accurate as the BBC, without being so damned boring". As ITV expanded, each ITV company that made up the network's federal structure had to purchase
12152-470: The top of the tower, which is lit when Parliament is sitting, was also fully dismantled and restored along with the other lights in the Belfry, being replaced with low-energy LEDs . One of the most visible changes to the tower has been the restoration of the clock-face framework to its original colour of Prussian blue , used when the tower was first built in 1859, with the black paint that was used to cover up
12276-411: The tower and Big Ben can, by means of listening to the chimes both live and on analogue radio, hear the bell strike thirteen times. This is possible because the electronically transmitted chimes arrive virtually instantaneously, while the "live" sound is delayed travelling through the air since the speed of sound is relatively slow. ITN 's News at Ten opening sequence formerly featured an image of
12400-426: The tower with the sound of Big Ben's chimes punctuating the announcement of the news headlines of the day. The Big Ben chimes (known within ITN as "The Bongs") continue to be used during the headlines and all ITV News bulletins use a graphic based on the Westminster clock dial. Big Ben can also be heard striking the hour before some news bulletins on BBC Radio 4 (6 p.m. and midnight, plus 10 p.m. on Sundays) and
12524-481: The use of the clock-face of the Elizabeth Tower of Westminster Palace , the chimes of Big Ben punctuating the day's headlines and the signature theme tune; The Awakening by Johnny Pearson . Throughout the early years, ITN established programmes in the ITV schedule including First Report at lunchtime, News at 5.45 in the evening and the flagship News at Ten . Today, ITV News on weekdays broadcasts
12648-425: Was 10 minutes shorter than its predecessor and carried less in-depth news coverage. It was also broadcast at a later time at least one day a week, which meant it was often jokingly referred to as News at When? There was increasing speculation that the News at Ten would again be moved, after under-performing against the BBC's Ten O'Clock News on BBC One which broadcasts every night at 10:00 pm. In October 2003,
12772-480: Was a period when ITN enjoyed its greatest plaudits, following Lord Annan 's 1977 report on the future of broadcasting, which declared: "We subscribe to the generally held view that ITN has the edge over BBC news." ITN obtained the contract to produce Channel 4 News when the channel started broadcasting in 1982. The programme was launched by Peter Sissons , Trevor McDonald and Sarah Hogg . The hour-long programme has been broadcast at 7 pm since it started and has
12896-581: Was announced in June 2015 that, as part of a wider restructure at ITV News, Mark Austin would return to the programme full-time, alongside Mary Nightingale from October 2015. Alastair Stewart continues to appear on the programme as a relief presenter, alongside his duties on the ITV Lunchtime News . Coinciding with the main presenter line-up, the programme is once again being referred to as the ITV Evening News . After thirty years with ITV News , it
13020-425: Was announced on 26 October 2016 that Austin would leave at the end of the year. It was later confirmed on 13 December 2016 that Nightingale would become the sole presenter of the ITV Evening News from January 2017 onwards. Austin presented his final bulletin alongside Nightingale on 22 December 2016. On 24 January 2022, ITV announced that the ITV Evening News will be extended to an hour from 7 March 2022, following
13144-751: Was announced that after 16 years co-presenting London Tonight , Alastair Stewart was to leave the regional news programme to become lead co-presenter of the ITV Evening News . Mark Austin would focus on ITV News at Ten , but continue as a relief presenter for the 6.30pm bulletin. On 2 November 2009 the programme was retitled as the ITV News at 6:30 . The studio set was virtual, using a new green screen electronic compositing system known as 'Ultimatte'. Virtual sets can be created instantly and at low cost. Unlike traditional Chroma key systems, Ultimatte allows for such things as full camera movement and can generate artificial reflections on glass and metallic surfaces. It
13268-625: Was broadcast at 10 pm on 22 September 1955 on ITV's launch night. Its original theme tune was 'Non Stop', by John Malcolm , which was used for the next 30 years. The bulletin was presented by former champion athlete Christopher Chataway . From the start, ITN broke new ground by introducing in-vision and named 'newscasters' (rather than the BBC's nameless and sound-only 'newsreaders'), and reporter packages. The unique, probing reporting style of Robin Day caused shock among politicians, finding themselves questioned continually for information – this had never been
13392-578: Was built as a part of Charles Barry 's design for a new Palace of Westminster after the old palace was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834. Although Barry was the chief architect of the neo-gothic palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the Clock Tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall in Lancashire. Construction of the tower began on 28 September 1843. The building contractors were Thomas Grissell and Morton Peto . An inscribed trowel in
13516-518: Was completed in 1859. It is elaborately decorated with stone carvings and features symbols related to the four nations of the United Kingdom and the Anglo-Welsh Tudor dynasty . A Latin inscription celebrates Queen Victoria , in whose reign the palace was built. The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. The dials of
13640-541: Was designed by Lambie Nairn and the music is called "Global Broadcast". ITN Independent Television News ( ITN ) is a UK-based media production and broadcast journalism company. ITN is based in London , with bureaux and offices in Beijing , Brussels , Jerusalem , Johannesburg , New York , Paris , Sydney and Washington, D.C. ITN produces the daily news programmes for ITV , Channel 4 and Channel 5 in
13764-431: Was estimated at £18.6 million (equivalent to £20.9 million in 2023), bringing the total budget for restoring the Elizabeth Tower to nearly £80 million (equivalent to £90 million in 2023). The 2,567 cast-iron roof tiles were removed and refurbished, and a lift was installed to make access easier, along with a basic toilet facility with running water , for the first time in the tower itself. The Ayrton Light at
13888-511: Was extensively involved in the development of business plans for local TV in the UK. It also consulted a range of national broadcasters on improving performance. The unit closed in 2012. ITN Source (formerly ITN Archive) licensed video footage from ITN's one million hours of archive content including news, drama, celebrity, comedy, music, wildlife, natural history and film. It also syndicated on-the-day news footage generated by ITN to other broadcasters and producers worldwide. The service represented
14012-726: Was imprisoned by the Serjeant at Arms after he protested against swearing a religious oath of allegiance to Queen Victoria. Officially, the Serjeant at Arms can still make arrests, as they have had the authority to do since 1415. The room, however, is currently occupied by the Petitions Committee , which oversees petitions submitted to Parliament. Journalists during Queen Victoria 's reign called it St Stephen's Tower . As members of Parliament originally sat at St Stephen's Hall, these journalists referred to anything related to
14136-651: Was in Jewin Crescent, in what is now known as the Barbican , in the City of London. The bells are sounded by hammers pulled by cables coming from the link room—a low-ceiling space between the clock room and the belfry—where they are triggered by cables coming from the chime train. The quarter bells play a once-repeating, 20-note sequence of rounds and four changes in the key of E major : 1–4 at quarter past, 5–12 at half past, 13–20 and 1–4 at quarter to, and 5–20 on
14260-463: Was installed in the shaft. Its foundations rest on a layer of gravel, below which is London Clay . Owing to this soft ground, the tower leans slightly to the north-west by roughly 230 mm (9.1 in) over 55 m height, giving an inclination of approximately 1 ⁄ 240 . This includes a planned maximum of 22 mm increased tilt due to tunnelling for the Jubilee line extension. In
14384-494: Was moved from 5:40pm to 6:30pm and renamed the ITV Evening News . The programme was extended to become a 30-minute programme, effectively replacing News at Ten as the channel's flagship news programme which itself was also axed at this time and replaced with a shorter 20 minute bulletin at 11:00pm entitled the ITV Nightly News . Initially, the programme was fronted by Trevor McDonald , with Murnaghan and Kirsty Young
14508-520: Was originally presented by Sarah Smith ; Kylie Morris took over presenting duties in June 2007 and Smith was posted to the US as Channel 4 News' Washington correspondent. In December 2009 Channel 4 cancelled More4 News . From the launch of Channel 5 in 1997, ITN provided the news bulletins for 5 News . However, in January 2005, ITN lost the contract, which was awarded to Sky News . In 2011 ITN regained
14632-500: Was recast on 10 April 1858 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry as a 13.5-ton (13.76-tonne) bell. The second bell was transported from the foundry to the tower on a trolley drawn by sixteen horses, with crowds cheering its progress; it was then pulled 200 ft (61.0 m) up to the Clock Tower's belfry, a feat that took 18 hours. It is 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) tall and 9 feet (2.74 m) diameter. This new bell first chimed on 11 July 1859; in September it too cracked under
14756-517: Was reinstated during the 2017–2021 conservation work. Analysis of the paint layers found that no fewer than six different colour schemes had been used over the past 160 years. The Victorian glass was also removed and replaced with faithful reproductions made in Germany by glassmakers Glasfabrik Lamberts . The clock's movement is known for its reliability. The designers were the lawyer and amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy ,
14880-504: Was replaced by Geoffrey Cox . Throughout the early years, ITN continued to develop its service to the ITV network with an agenda to firstly, fulfil its public service broadcasting requirements and secondly satisfy the ITV companies by attracting viewers. Under this method, ITN continued to differentiate itself from the BBC by conducting probing interviews, introducing more human interest stories and bringing ordinary people on to screen by using so-called 'vox pops' (interviews, usually held in
15004-599: Was shown on the Newsworld International cable channel in the US. From December 1997 to April 2003, ITN held a 49% stake in European news channel Euronews . ITN launched a 24-hour news channel on 1 August 2000, which in 2002 was sold to the main ITV companies Carlton and Granada , and rebranded as the ITV News Channel . It was closed down in 2005. On the same day, ITN launched a 24-hour radio station called ITN News Radio. It broadcast nationally on
15128-470: Was still committed to delivering more than 280 hours of news each year. The relaunched hour long 5 News at 5 was first broadcast by the channel on 8 November 2021, with the programme presented by Sian Williams and Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije. In addition to the channel's news, ITN was given an extra hour slot by Channel 5 in January 2022 to extend their daily current affairs phone-in and discussion show Jeremy Vine each weekday morning. In 2018, ITN secured
15252-463: Was then a state of the art virtual studio set dubbed the Theatre of News along with the other ITV News programmes. The move saw the ITN newscasters standing (or walking) in front of a news-wall and presenting graphics to viewers. The Theatre of News was scaled back following a relaunch on 9 February 2009, with a return to a more traditional style of presenters sat behind a desk. On 3 August 2009, it
15376-404: Was to transform the company from a 'cost centre' to a 'profit-making business'. The move saw 400 staff made redundant, and the closure of a number of international bureaux to claw back a £10 million deficit in order to provide a competitive product to obtain the ITV news contract. Within three years the company turned to profit in 1993 with suggestions at the time that the company should be listed on
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