Editing ITV Granada (section)

===Awards and accolades===
Granada Television had a reputation for strong production values.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 10 ITV companies &#124; 1 – Granada |url=http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/itv50/companies/01.php |publisher=transdiffusion.org |date=29 January 2008 |access-date=23 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609070457/http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/itv50/companies/01.php |archive-date=9 June 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Producers shun fight for ITV crown |quote=Recent high-profile Carlton productions include the short-lived revival of Crossroads, and Fortysomething, a ratings flop starring Hugh Laurie. By contrast, Granada has a reputation for quality programme making, such as Coronation Street and this month's drama Henry VIII starring Ray Winstone. |last=Milmo |first=Dan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/oct/21/citynews.itv1 |newspaper=The Guardian |location =London |date=21 October 2003 |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> In 1999, Granada Television made eight of ITV's top-rated programmes and 30% of the UK's top-rated programmes came from its studios<ref name="andthen">{{Cite news |title=And then there were three |last=Brown |first=Maggie |quote=Granada's creative strength makes it by far the most important ITV player. It made eight of ITV's 10 top-rated programmes last year (excluding sports coverage). Overall, 30% of the UK's top-rated programmes came from its studios in 1999. Last week it pulled off a further coup, with ITV announcing that Yorkshire's Emmerdale would be running five nights a week from the autumn. |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/jul/17/mondaymediasection.towardsasingleitv |newspaper=The Guardian |location =London |date=17 July 2000 |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> and in 2005 supplied 63% of ITV original production.<ref name="MediaGuardian">{{Cite news |title=Allen denies Granada will turn in-house |last=Brown |first=Maggie |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/sep/14/broadcasting.ITV1?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 |newspaper=The Guardian |location =London |date=14 September 2005 |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref>
It was the only ITA broadcaster created in 1954 that survived into the 21st century, and it flourished until it emerged as the dominant player in the ITV network by 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Granada close to ITV coup |last=Teather |first=David |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2000/jul/28/towardsasingleitv.itv |newspaper=The Guardian |location =London |date=28 July 2000 |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref>

In the nineteen [[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|BAFTA Awards for the Best Drama series]] awarded since 1992, Granada Television has won five in total, ''[[Cracker (British TV series)|Cracker]]'' twice in 1994 and 1995, ''[[Cold Feet]]'' in 2002 and ''[[The Street (British TV series)|The Street]]'' in 2007 and 2008 – more than any other production company.

''Coronation Street'' became the longest running serial soap in 2010 when it celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the ''Seven Up'' documentary series was voted the [[The 50 Greatest Documentaries|greatest documentary in a Channel 4 programme]] by film makers.

====Criticisms of perceived Manchester-centric bias====
In three franchise rounds (1967, 1980, and 1991) three groups (Palatine Television, Merseyvision, and [[Mersey Television]], wherein the latter two were unconnected) each made audacious bids to rid Granada (and in 1967, ABC) of its franchise, but were unsuccessful, given that Granada was well respected (second only to the BBC).<ref>{{cite web|last=Rogers|first=Jeremy|title=Granada History|url=http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/itw/Granada/history.html|access-date=14 August 2013}}</ref> The opponents claimed to the regulatory bodies that existed at the time (the [[Independent Television Authority|ITA]] in 1967, the [[Independent Broadcasting Authority|IBA]] in 1981, and the [[Independent Television Commission|ITC]] in 1991) in these successive franchise rounds that Granada was too Manchester-centric at the expense of the [[Liverpool]] area and need to cater for the whole of north west England. They were supported by the fact that Granada Television was frequently referred to as "Granada Manchester" instead of "Granada North West",<ref name="granadamanchester">{{cite news |title=Granada Manchester ups sticks |url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/news/granada-manchester-ups-sticks/1130048.article |work=broadcastnow.com |date=19 November 2003 |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> as most productions were made in Manchester and in 2005 Granada and [[Manchester City Council]] held a celebration recognising Granada's 50th anniversary, cementing this perception further.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Manchester City Council and ITV Granada celebrate ITV@ 50 |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/news/article/784/manchester_city_council_and_itv_granada_celebrate_itv_50 |work=manchester.gov.uk |date=5 October 2005 |access-date=30 July 2011}}</ref> In 1993, [[Brian Sedgemore]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] complained that promises Granada made during the 1991 franchise round to open offices in [[Chester]], [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]] and [[Blackburn]] were not fulfilled,<ref>{{cite news |title=Letter: The quality films that Granada has promised but failed to deliver |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letter-the-quality-films-that-granada-has-promised-but-failed-to-deliver-1495832.html |newspaper=The Independent |location =London |date=6 March 1993 |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> but [[David Liddiment]] at Granada did not believe this assertion to be true.<ref>{{cite news |title=Letter: Granada's strength in Liverpool |last=Liddiment |first=David |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letter-granadas-strength-in-liverpool-1496892.html |newspaper=The Independent |location =London |date=11 March 1993 |access-date=27 June 2011}}</ref>

Granada had increased investment in Liverpool moving its regional news service to the [[Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool|Albert Dock]] complex in 1986,<ref>{{cite news |title=Granada Television |quote=On Monday 14 April 1986, Granada Reports was re-launched, complete with a new home in the converted Traffic Office at the Albert Dock in Liverpool. |url=http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/itvnorthwest/granadatv/news.html |work=tv-ark.org.uk |access-date=29 July 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212001918/http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/itvnorthwest/granadatv/news.html |archive-date=12 February 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> before moving back to Quay Street sometime in the early 2000s.

The daytime show ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'' broadcast from Liverpool's [[Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool|Albert Dock]] for many years before it moved to [[the London Studios]] in 1996, as it was difficult to get celebrity guests to travel from London to Liverpool.<ref>{{cite news |title=Opinion: Alex Connock |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/comment/blogs/s/1301990_opinion_alex_connock |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=16 July 2010 |access-date=29 July 2011 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719145248/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/comment/blogs/s/1301990_opinion_alex_connock |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Criticisms and controversies over ''World in Action'' and ''Tonight''====
Granada's bold, hard-hitting television and documentaries resulted in a number of legal cases. David Plowright told junior researcher [[Paul Greengrass]] that Granada's role was to "make trouble".<ref name="maketrouble"/> ''[[World in Action]]'' was hard-hitting but resulted in expensive libel trials when false accusations were made in the 1990s.

In 1998 Granada paid £2 million, in two cases, to three [[Metropolitan Police]] officers who were wrongly accused of covering up a murder<ref>{{cite news |title=World in Action's pounds 2m libel pay-out |last=Sanai |first=Darius |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-in-actions-pounds-2m-libel-payout-1201073.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=28 September 1998 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> and [[Marks and Spencer]] for alleging M&S knew one of its suppliers was using child labour.<ref>{{Cite news |title=M&S victory over child labour libel |last=Brown |first=Rob |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ms-victory-over-child-labour-libel-1148172.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=4 March 1998 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=M&S defeats Granada in TV libel case |url=http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/home/ms-defeats-granada-in-tv-libel-case/2022305.article |work=marketingweek.co.uk |date=5 March 1998 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> ''World in Action'' was axed in 1998 and replaced by the ''[[Tonight (1999 TV programme)|Tonight]]'' programme in 1999. ''Tonight'' was also criticised, but this time for [[dumbing down]], as it was markedly less hard-hitting.

Nevertheless, ''Tonight'' had occasionally stirred controversy like its predecessor. An example is the 2003 documentary ''[[Living with Michael Jackson]]'' (a ''Tonight'' special). Its airing resulted in the threat of legal action by [[Michael Jackson]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Jackson takes action against Granada over interview |last=Pyke |first=Nicholas |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/feb/25/michaeljacksontrial.arts |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 February 2003 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> The documentary gained an audience of fifteen million in the United Kingdom, and newspapers depicted Jackson in a negative light following the documentary.<ref>{{Cite news |title=I was betrayed by Bashir, rages Jackson |last=Branigan |first=Tania |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/feb/07/uknews |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 February 2003 |access-date=5 July 2011}}</ref> Jackson did not, ultimately, bring any case to court.