1 9 7 0 – 1 9 7 7 (UK)
ITV arts programme, Aquarius, was originally edited and presented by Humphrey Burton, a former editor of Monitor, though Russell Harty and Peter Hall (Director of the National Theatre) took over in later years.
A rival to the BBC’s Omnibus, the show (produced by LWT) incorporated reports on all aspects of the artistic and cultural world.
The first edition included a sequence from the French film British Sounds, which featured an iota of full-frontal nudity.
During its seven years, the series included items on the likes of Salvador Dali, Artur Rubinstein, Pablo Casals and Stanley Spencer.
Initially screened fortnightly, it became weekly in 1971 and was scheduled opposite Match Of The Day for the next three years. When Aquarius ended in 1977 it was succeeded by The South Bank Show, edited and presented by Melvyn Bragg, which then became ITV’s main arts programme.
