Viewpoint receives ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY AWARD...

Viewpoint Productions has received the Royal Television Society (SC) Award for Best Popular Factual Programme, for the documentary Regal & Retired.

A panel of 17 judges voted unanimously for the programme, which tells the story of vintage ocean liner RMS Queen Mary.

Presentation was made at the Society's Annual Awards Dinner and received by the programme's Director, David Ellery.

Viewpoint Productions would like to thank all those who took part in the programme on both sides of the Atlantic, the RMS Foundation for their enthusiasm and co-operation, and everyone who worked on the programme.

Key Credits: Narrated by Julie Peasgood, Camera: Rob Hawthorne, Sound: Martin Huntley, Editor: Nick Elborough, Music: Laurence I. Dunsmore, Executive Producers for BBC: Jane French & Claire Lewis, Written, produced & Directed by David Ellery

Beeching's Tracks (BBC1)

 In 1963 Dr Richard Beeching's infamous report 'The Reshaping of British Railways' was published. It led to miles of track being ripped up, closure of hundreds of stations and thousands of people being thrown out of work across the UK.

Presenter Joe Crowley makes a journey around the south of England to discover the effects of the Beeching Report in the 1960s, and the lasting impact still felt today.

Beeching's Tracks was first broadcast October 2008 on BBC1, and is to be repeated in 2009.

For full story and pictures go to 'WHAT'S NEW'

Viewpoint Productions: Programmes for Television

Viewpoint Productions is credited with a significant number of stand-alone documentaries broadcast in various countries as well as several television series'.

These include three series' of IN THE PAST the popular archive programme produced for Meridian Granada and shown on ITV1. Viewpoint has made 30 episodes to-date each with a particular theme conveying social history and the changing face of England over the decades: from employment to the great British holiday from the beginings of family motoring to the demise of the steam era.

Written and directed by David Ellery. Narrated by Richard Baker (Jonathon Marland series 3).

These programmes have never been released on DVD due to copyright complications, but similar footage is featured in the new Britain Through the Decades series, currently in production. See 'What's New' for further details.

CLASSIC LINERS also makes extensive use of archive material depicting numerous landmark occasions in maritime history like the maiden voyage of QE2 and the infamous seamen's strike of 1966. The series looks at the history of individual shipping lines and liners and gives an overview of the last decades of travel by ocean liner, as well as a taste of modern ships of the cruise variety.

Very recently Viewpoint made Regal & Retired for the BBC, a special programme marking the 70th anniversary or RMS Queen Mary, the last 1930s 'superliner'. The show was shot in various key locations associated with the ship including Scotland, Long Beach (California), and Southampton, and features 20 exclusive interviews and a generous helping of Movietonews footage spanning the ship's long history. Regal & Retired was broadcast on BBC1 in May 2006 and BBC Scotland in July 2006.

Written and directed by David Ellery. Narrated by Julie Peasgood.

Work on new programmes for 2009 and 2010 is in progress.