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Welcome to Jamie and Nikki's retro reminiscences. Get ready to share the joy.

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1979 ITV strike

Choice? Why have three channels to pick from, when you could have a choice of BBC1, BBC2, or a very apologetic testcard from ITV for 10 weeks?

In August 1979 an industrial dispute between the trades unions and the 15 franchises that made up the ITV network took the entire third channel (oh, the crazy names we gave things back then!) off air until late into the autumn.

All of which meant bumper ratings for the BBC, blue screens on ITV, and a very unusual - and fully approved - strike breaking agreement to keep viewers in the Channel Islands switched on...

More about the 1979 ITV strike