The home of great weekends

Re-living the golden age of Independent Television

"This is London Weekend Television, broadcasting from our studios on the South Bank ..."

For 34 glorious years words like this announced London Weekend Television - the sign and the symbol of independent television in the capital at the weekends.

As well as producing some of independent television's most popular and lavish programmes, London Weekend Television had an extremely strong and high profile local identity. Sadly, the company's owners in October 2002 scrapped this famous television company name in favour of a unified, national ITV identity across the network.

A tribute to London Weekend Television

Serving London and the ITV network for 34 years

Ultimate LWT is intended as a tribute to London Weekend Television - one of the UK's greatest television stations. We've given this site a new look and, we hope, easier navigation.

The original site went online in early 2003 and had got a bit messy. There are still a significant number of old RealMedia Video clips on this site but we are gradually replacing these, so bear with us. On this site you will be able to re-live those weekends of the golden age of ITV. We look at the history of London Weekend Television and we have a comprehensive array of presentation graphics, station idents, continuity, programme graphics, programme opening titles, on both video and stills. So remember with us those wonderful London weekends!

The best shows

A shining star in the ITV network

As well as plenty on LWT idents, continuity and presentation, Ultimate LWT remembers London Weekend Television's contribution to the ITV network and British television viewing.

London Weekend Television has been a lynchpin programme provider for the ITV network since it started broadcasting in August 1968.

In that time it has produced a range of nationally-networked shows covering classic drama, comedy, one-off plays, light entertainment, variety, gameshows, children's programmes, current affairs, the arts and sports.

Best-known for its weekend entertainment offerings, LWT invented 'people TV' in the early 1980s with innovative programmes such as Game For A Laugh and became internationally recognised through its drama productions of Upstairs, Downstairs and London's Burning.

It has also made award-winning local programmes, from The Making of Modern London and The River Thames to The London Weekend Show and Sunday, Sunday.

On this site we present a selection of LWT's programmes and pick out some of the company's best-known shows.