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Open Media is a British television production company, best known for the discussion series After Dark, described in the national press as "the most original programme on television".^[1]

The company was founded in 1987 and has produced more than 400 hours of television for major UK broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. It has made entertainment series and factual specials which have sold all over the world. It also produces communications and corporate media for some of Britain's most important businesses.

Open Media programmes have been nominated for many awards by the Royal Television Society and the British Academy BAFTA.

Two different Open Media productions were featured during the 25th anniversary of Channel 4 in autumn 2007: The Secret Cabaret^[2] and After Dark^[3] were shown again on More4 during the celebratory season.

In 2009 the British Film Institute announced that Open Media, in partnership with The National Archives, the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit,^[4] FremantleMedia and the BBC, makes programmes available online through 'InView' as "examples of how some of Britain's key social, political and economic issues have been represented and debated".^[5]

In 2010 the Open Media series Opinions and After Dark were praised as "two of the best talk-shows ever seen on British television" in a well-reviewed book of social and cultural history.^[6] In 2012 After Dark featured prominently in a number of two-page tributes in British newspapers on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Channel 4^[7] and in 2016 The Herald wrote "Unlike reality television live feeds today, After Dark was essential viewing, with some very serious talk enlivened even more by unexpected events."^[8] In 2020 The Guardian listed After Dark as one of the "jewels" in the history of television.^[9]

The company recently announced it had digitised its archive to make extracts from all its programmes available to the film, television and advertising industries: "Interviews, talk shows, magic and entertainment shows featuring hundreds of hours of personalities from all over the world who made rare appearances on our programmes, rare because they did not appear elsewhere on television; or only very occasionally and not at such length; or they weren't subject to such focussed scrutiny as our formats gave them."^[10]

Stars

After Dark featured appearances by such well-known figures as Buzz Aldrin, Andrea Dworkin, Patricia Highsmith, Shere Hite, David Irving, Bianca Jagger, Christine Keeler, Adnan Khashoggi, Bruce Oldfield, Edward Teller and Peter Ustinov.

The two series of Is This Your Life? featured extended and in-depth interviews with among others Jeremy Beadle, Morris Cerullo, Max Clifford, Germaine Greer, Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Savile,^[11] and Peter Tatchell: "a must-see, the most incisive chat show on the box".^[12]

Open Media has produced talks by such figures as Edward de Bono, Brian Cox, Linda Colley, James Goldsmith, Paul Hill, Dusan Makavejev, G.F. Newman, Andrew Roberts, George Soros and Norman Stone. One such – an Opinions talk for Channel 4 in 1993 by Alan Clark – was described in his diary (later published) as "It was good. Clear, assured, moving. I looked compos and in my 'prime'. Many people saw it. All were enthusiastic. Today acres of coverage in The Times."^[13] Another Opinions talk – by Dennis Potter, also in 1993 – was given a cinema screening by the BFI in July 2014.^[14]

Among those appearing in a Channel 4 Opinions debate in Westminster Central Hall about democracy in Britain chaired by Vincent Hanna were Zaki Badawi, Christopher Hitchens, Paul Kennedy, Michael Mansfield, Geoff Mulgan, Vincent Nichols, Jonathan Sacks, Nancy Seear and Crispin Tickell.^[15]

Sportspeople appearing on Open Media programmes include Ian Botham, Fatima Whitbread and John Fashanu. Musicians appearing include Harry Belafonte, Eartha Kitt, Yehudi Menuhin, Sinéad O'Connor and Abdullah Ibrahim. Comedians appearing include Harry Enfield, Jerry Sadowitz, Sandi Toksvig, Ian Hislop, Tony Slattery, Barry Cryer and John Wells. Magicians include Simon Drake, Ricky Jay and James Randi. Politicians appearing include Edward Heath, Richard Perle, Edwina Curry, Albert Reynolds, David Miliband, David Steel, Roy Jenkins, Denis Healey, Peter Hain, David Mellor, Teresa Gorman, Roy Hattersley, Paul Boateng, Gerald Kaufman, Enoch Powell, Merlyn Rees, Tony Benn and Bernadette McAliskey.

Mary Beard made an early television appearance in 1994 on an Open Media discussion for the BBC, Weird Thoughts.^[16]

Productions

Entertainment

Entertainment series include The Secret Cabaret and Don't Quote Me, hosted by Geoffrey Perkins and described as "forerunner to Have I Got News For You and every other comedy panel show thereafter".^[17]

Factual

Factual series and specials include

After Dark
Brave New World
The Great Pot Debate
The Greatest F***ing Show on TV ("comic Jerry Sadowitz argues for more bad language on TV",^[18] "probably contains the greatest number of swear words ever uttered on British TV"^[19])
Is This Your Life?^[20]
James Randi: Psychic Investigator
John Wells and the Three Wise Men^[21]
Natural Causes^[22]
Opinions
Orient: Club for a Fiver^[23]
The Spy Machine
Suez: A Personal View by historian Andrew Roberts^[24]
The Talking Show with Sandi Toksvig

as well as various films for Channel 4's Equinox, e.g. Secrets of the Super Psychics, Superpowers?^[25] and Theme Park Heaven.^[26] Another Open Media film for Equinox - The Big Sleep^[27] - was the subject of a lengthy article in 2022.^[28]

The company mounted an unusual discussion - Weird Thoughts^[16] for BBC2 - in 1994. This was characterised in an article in 2021 as follows: "Weird Thoughts, where Tony Wilson chairs a panel of experts debating why the 1990s seem so very strange. There are a lot of familiar faces here – the late James Randi, Fortean Times founder Bob Rickard, esoteric scholar Lynn Picknett – but today the biggest name is the one hovering around the back of the gathering: a young Mary Beard."^[29]

One of the company's documentary specials – The Mediator^[30] – was described in the British Medical Journal as providing "a new clinical role for a community psychiatrist – namely, healing rifts between gangs of aggressive young men in two neighbourhoods...a lively and well reasoned example of what can be done by a professional with group and family mediation skills."^[31] A documentary on advertising agency M&C Saatchi required two months filming: "The brief was to expand on ideas from the company's manifesto...It's the first time the Saatchi breakaway has allowed unrestricted access behind scenes."^[32]

References

^ Angela Lambert, 'A modern twist to an old, old story', The Independent, 15 September 1991.
^ "Channel 4 at 25 – Page 5 – TV Forum". Tvforum.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
^ "Channel 4 at 25 – After Dark – TV Shows: UK – Digital Spy Forums". Digital Spy. 27 October 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
^ The Committee Office, House of Commons. "House of Commons – Broadcasting – First Report". Parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ "Home | BFI InView". Bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ Alwyn W. Turner, Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s, Aurum Press, 2010, ISBN 978-1781310724
^ Just don't f*** it up, The Guardian, 1 December 2012, and The Sunday Times and The Observer, 2 December 2012
^ "An instinctive look at the world is taken through a glass darkly", The Herald, Neil Cooper, 5 January 2016, accessed 13 September 2017
^ Rerun the jewels, Jack Seale, The Guardian, 18 April 2020, accessed 25 November 2020
^ Jerome Kuehl and Open Media, FOCAL newsletter, accessed 18 November 2020.
^ "IsThisYourLife". 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2016 – via YouTube.
^ A. A. Gill, The Sunday Times, 6 August 1995
^ Alan Clark, The Last Diaries, Weidenfeld, 2002, entry for 22 February 1993, ISBN 9780753816950
^ Dennis Potter: The Outsider Inside, BFI website. Retrieved 4 July 2014
^ The Opinions Debate, transmitted by Channel 4 on 28 March 1993 (the eve of the 50th birthday of the then Prime Minister John Major)
^ ^a ^b "Weird Thoughts (1994) @ EOFFTV". Eofftv.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
^ "Geoffrey Perkins RIP". Ilxor.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ Evening Standard, 15 March 1994
^ The Times, 26 March 1994
^ "Is This Your Life? (TV series) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ "John Wells and the Three Wise Men (1988) | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
^ "Natural Causes (1996) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ "Shows with Olivia Newton-John, James Goldsmith, George Soros and Andrew Neil". Openmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ Radio Times, 23 October 1996
^ "Superpowers? (2001) – Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ "Theme Park Heaven (1992) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ "Hypnosis – The Big Sleep (1994) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ HYPNOSIS ON THE SMALL SCREEN by Kev Sheldrake, accessed 16 June 2022
^ Weird ’90s – Weird Night, article in Horrified magazine, 17 May 2021, accessed 10 November 2021
^ "The Mediator (1995) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ A new role for a psychiatrist?, review by Richard Morriss, British Medical Journal, October 1995
^ Open Media gets inside story on M&C Saatchi, Televisual magazine, September 1998

External links

[1] Angela Lambert, 'A modern twist to an old, old story', The Independent, 15 September 1991.

[2] "Channel 4 at 25 – Page 5 – TV Forum". Tvforum.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

[3] "Channel 4 at 25 – After Dark – TV Shows: UK – Digital Spy Forums". Digital Spy. 27 October 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

[4] The Committee Office, House of Commons. "House of Commons – Broadcasting – First Report". Parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[5] "Home | BFI InView". Bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[6] Alwyn W. Turner, Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s, Aurum Press, 2010, ISBN 978-1781310724

[7] Just don't f*** it up, The Guardian, 1 December 2012, and The Sunday Times and The Observer, 2 December 2012

[8] "An instinctive look at the world is taken through a glass darkly", The Herald, Neil Cooper, 5 January 2016, accessed 13 September 2017

[9] Rerun the jewels, Jack Seale, The Guardian, 18 April 2020, accessed 25 November 2020

[10] Jerome Kuehl and Open Media, FOCAL newsletter, accessed 18 November 2020.

[11] "IsThisYourLife". 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2016 – via YouTube.

[12] A. A. Gill, The Sunday Times, 6 August 1995

[13] Alan Clark, The Last Diaries, Weidenfeld, 2002, entry for 22 February 1993, ISBN 9780753816950

[14] Dennis Potter: The Outsider Inside, BFI website. Retrieved 4 July 2014

[15] The Opinions Debate, transmitted by Channel 4 on 28 March 1993 (the eve of the 50th birthday of the then Prime Minister John Major)

[eofftv1-16] "Weird Thoughts (1994) @ EOFFTV". Eofftv.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.

[17] "Geoffrey Perkins RIP". Ilxor.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[18] Evening Standard, 15 March 1994

[19] The Times, 26 March 1994

[20] "Is This Your Life? (TV series) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[21] "John Wells and the Three Wise Men (1988) | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

[22] "Natural Causes (1996) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[23] "Shows with Olivia Newton-John, James Goldsmith, George Soros and Andrew Neil". Openmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[24] Radio Times, 23 October 1996

[25] "Superpowers? (2001) – Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[26] "Theme Park Heaven (1992) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[27] "Hypnosis – The Big Sleep (1994) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[28] HYPNOSIS ON THE SMALL SCREEN by Kev Sheldrake, accessed 16 June 2022

[29] Weird ’90s – Weird Night, article in Horrified magazine, 17 May 2021, accessed 10 November 2021

[30] "The Mediator (1995) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[31] A new role for a psychiatrist?, review by Richard Morriss, British Medical Journal, October 1995

[32] Open Media gets inside story on M&C Saatchi, Televisual magazine, September 1998

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|British television production company}}
 {{EngvarB|date=February 2018}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
 {{other uses}}
 [[Image:After Dark 11th June 1988.jpg|400px|right|thumb|''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' with [[:en:Harry Belafonte|Harry Belafonte]], [[:en:Denis Worrall|Denis Worrall]], [[:en:Breyten Breytenbach|Breyten Breytenbach]] and others]]
-'''Open Media''' is a [[British television]] [[production company]], best known for the discussion series ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'', described in the national press as "the most original programme on television".<ref>{{Cite news|first=Angela|last=Lambert|title=A modern twist to an old, old story|publisher=[[The Independent]]|date=15 September 1991}}</ref>
+'''Open Media''' is a [[British television]] [[production company]], best known for the discussion series ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'', described in the national press as "the most original programme on television".<ref>Angela Lambert, 'A modern twist to an old, old story', ''[[The Independent]]'', 15 September 1991.</ref>
 The company was founded in 1987 and has produced more than 400 hours of television for major UK broadcasters, including the [[BBC]], [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] and [[Channel 4]]. It has made entertainment series and factual specials which have sold all over the world. It also produces communications and corporate media for some of Britain's most important businesses.
@@ Line 13: / Line 14: @@
 In 2009 the [[British Film Institute]] announced that Open Media, in partnership with [[The National Archives]], the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit,<ref>{{cite web|author=The Committee Office, House of Commons |url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmbroad/642/64205.htm |title=House of Commons – Broadcasting – First Report |website=Parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> [[FremantleMedia]] and the [[BBC]], makes programmes available online through 'InView' as "examples of how some of Britain's key social, political and economic issues have been represented and debated".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/inview |title=Home &#124; BFI InView |website=Bfi.org.uk |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref>
-In 2010 the Open Media series ''[[Opinions (TV series)|Opinions]]'' and ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' were praised as "two of the best talk-shows ever seen on British television" in a well-reviewed book of social and cultural history.<ref>{{cite book|first=Alwyn W.|last=Turner|title=Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s|publisher=[[Aurum Press]]|year=2010|isbn=978-1781310724}}</ref> In 2012 ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' featured prominently in a number of two-page tributes in British newspapers on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Channel 4<ref>{{cite news|title=Just don't f*** it up|publisher=[[The Guardian]]|date=1 December 2012}}{{cite news|title=Just don't f*** it up|publisher=[[The Sunday Times]] and [[The Observer]]|date=2 December 2012}}</ref>
+In 2010 the Open Media series ''[[Opinions (TV series)|Opinions]]'' and ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' were praised as "two of the best talk-shows ever seen on British television" in a well-reviewed book of social and cultural history.<ref>Alwyn W. Turner, ''Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s'', [[Aurum Press]], 2010, {{ISBN|978-1781310724}}</ref> In 2012 ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' featured prominently in a number of two-page tributes in British newspapers on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Channel 4<ref>''Just don't f*** it up'', ''[[The Guardian]]'', 1 December 2012, and ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' and ''[[The Observer]]'', 2 December 2012</ref>
-and in 2016 ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]'' wrote "Unlike reality television live feeds today, ''After Dark'' was essential viewing, with some very serious talk enlivened even more by unexpected events."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/14181370.display/ |title=An instinctive look at the world is taken through a glass darkly|publisher=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]|first=Neil|last=Cooper|date=5 January 2016|access-date=13 September 2017}}</ref> In 2020 ''[[The Guardian]]'' listed ''After Dark'' as one of the "jewels" in the history of television.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/apr/18/rerun-the-jewels-the-tv-shows-wed-like-to-see-back-on-the-box |title=Rerun the jewels|first=Jack|last=Seale|publisher=The Guardian|date=18 April 2020|access-date=25 November 2020}}</ref>
+and in 2016 ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]'' wrote "Unlike reality television live feeds today, ''After Dark'' was essential viewing, with some very serious talk enlivened even more by unexpected events."<ref>[http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/14181370.display/ "An instinctive look at the world is taken through a glass darkly"], ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]'', Neil Cooper, 5 January 2016, accessed 13 September 2017</ref> In 2020 ''[[The Guardian]]'' listed ''After Dark'' as one of the "jewels" in the history of television.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/apr/18/rerun-the-jewels-the-tv-shows-wed-like-to-see-back-on-the-box Rerun the jewels], Jack Seale, ''The Guardian'', 18 April 2020, accessed 25 November 2020</ref>
-In November 2020, the company announced it had digitised its archive to make extracts from all its programmes available to the film, television and advertising industries: "Interviews, talk shows, magic and entertainment shows featuring hundreds of hours of personalities from all over the world who made rare appearances on our programmes, rare because they did not appear elsewhere on television; or only very occasionally and not at such length; or they weren't subject to such focussed scrutiny as our formats gave them."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://focalint.org/news-and-events/news/jerome-kuehl-and-open-media|title=Jerome Kuehl and Open Media|publisher=[[FOCAL International|FOCAL]] newsletter|access-date=18 November 2020}}</ref>
+The company recently announced it had digitised its archive to make extracts from all its programmes available to the film, television and advertising industries: "Interviews, talk shows, magic and entertainment shows featuring hundreds of hours of personalities from all over the world who made rare appearances on our programmes, rare because they did not appear elsewhere on television; or only very occasionally and not at such length; or they weren't subject to such focussed scrutiny as our formats gave them."<ref>''[https://focalint.org/news-and-events/news/jerome-kuehl-and-open-media Jerome Kuehl and Open Media]'', [[FOCAL International|FOCAL]] newsletter, accessed 18 November 2020.</ref>
+==Stars==
+[[File:Alan Clark on Channel 4 Opinions 21 February 1993.jpg|thumb|230px|[[Alan Clark]] - ''[[Opinions (TV series)|Opinions]]'']]
+[[File:Publicity_material_for_the_tv_series_"James_Randi,_Psychic_Investigator".jpg|thumb|270px|right|[[James Randi]] - [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] series]]
+''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' featured appearances by such well-known figures as [[Buzz Aldrin]], [[Andrea Dworkin]], [[Patricia Highsmith]], [[Shere Hite]], [[David Irving]], [[Bianca Jagger]], [[Christine Keeler]], [[Adnan Khashoggi]], [[Bruce Oldfield]], [[Edward Teller]] and [[Peter Ustinov]].
+The two series of ''Is This Your Life?'' featured extended and in-depth interviews with among others [[Jeremy Beadle]], [[Morris Cerullo]], [[Max Clifford]], [[Germaine Greer]], [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[Jimmy Savile]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mJ4a0ODPBM  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/-mJ4a0ODPBM| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=IsThisYourLife |via=YouTube |date=22 October 2012 |access-date=17 January 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and [[Peter Tatchell]]: "a must-see, the most incisive chat show on the box".<ref>[[A. A. Gill]], ''[[The Sunday Times]]'', 6 August 1995</ref>
+Open Media has produced talks by such figures as [[Edward de Bono]], [[Brian Cox (poet)|Brian Cox]], [[Linda Colley]], [[James Goldsmith]], [[Paul Hill (Guildford Four)|Paul Hill]], [[Dusan Makavejev]], [[G.F. Newman]], [[Andrew Roberts (historian)|Andrew Roberts]], [[George Soros]] and [[Norman Stone]]. One such – an ''[[Opinions (TV series)|Opinions]]'' talk for [[Channel 4]] in 1993 by [[Alan Clark]] – was described in his diary (later published) as "It was good. Clear, assured, moving. I looked compos and in my 'prime'. Many people saw it. All were enthusiastic. Today acres of coverage in ''[[The Times]]''."<ref>Alan Clark, ''The Last Diaries'', Weidenfeld, 2002, entry for 22 February 1993, {{ISBN|9780753816950}}</ref> Another ''[[Opinions (TV series)|Opinions]]'' talk – by [[Dennis Potter]], also in 1993 – was given a cinema screening by the [[British Film Institute|BFI]] in July 2014.<ref>[https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=A059211E-0DE9-4934-BF82-FE2B1924842C&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=1161FDF7-B55C-4A49-8A22-1417E7F34B1D ''Dennis Potter: The Outsider Inside''], [[British Film Institute|BFI]] website. Retrieved 4 July 2014</ref>
+Among those appearing in a Channel 4 ''[[Opinions (TV series)|Opinions]]'' debate in [[Westminster Central Hall]] about democracy in Britain chaired by [[Vincent Hanna]] were [[Zaki Badawi]], [[Christopher Hitchens]], [[Paul Kennedy]], [[Michael Mansfield]], [[Geoff Mulgan]], [[Vincent Nichols]], [[Jonathan Sacks]], [[Beatrice Seear, Baroness Seear|Nancy Seear]] and [[Crispin Tickell]].<ref>''The Opinions Debate'', transmitted by [[Channel 4]] on 28 March 1993 (the eve of the 50th birthday of the then Prime Minister [[John Major]])</ref>
+Sportspeople appearing on Open Media programmes include [[Ian Botham]], [[Fatima Whitbread]] and [[John Fashanu]]. Musicians appearing include [[Harry Belafonte]], [[Eartha Kitt]], [[Yehudi Menuhin]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]] and [[Abdullah Ibrahim]]. Comedians appearing include [[Harry Enfield]], [[Jerry Sadowitz]], [[Sandi Toksvig]], [[Ian Hislop]], [[Tony Slattery]], [[Barry Cryer]] and [[John Wells (satirist)|John Wells]]. Magicians include [[Simon Drake]], [[Ricky Jay]] and [[James Randi]]. Politicians appearing include [[Edward Heath]], [[Richard Perle]], [[Edwina Curry]], [[Albert Reynolds]], [[David Miliband]], [[David Steel]], [[Roy Jenkins]], [[Denis Healey]], [[Peter Hain]], [[David Mellor]], [[Teresa Gorman]], [[Roy Hattersley]], [[Paul Boateng]], [[Gerald Kaufman]], [[Enoch Powell]], [[Merlyn Rees]], [[Tony Benn]] and [[Bernadette McAliskey]].
+[[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]] made an early television appearance in 1994 on an Open Media discussion for the BBC, ''Weird Thoughts''.<ref name="eofftv1">{{cite web|url=https://www.eofftv.com/index.php?title=Weird_Thoughts_(1994)|title=Weird Thoughts (1994) @ EOFFTV |website=Eofftv.com |access-date=18 March 2020}}</ref>
 ==Productions==
 ===Entertainment===
-[[File:Sideshow attraction featured in The Secret Cabaret.jpg|thumb|left|''[[The Secret Cabaret]]'']]
+[[File:Sideshow attraction featured in The Secret Cabaret.jpg|thumb|''[[The Secret Cabaret]]'']]
-[[Image:Don't Quote Me with guests Austin Mitchell and Carol Thatcher.jpg|thumb|''[[Don't Quote Me (TV series)|Don't Quote Me]]'', [[Geoffrey Perkins]] with guests including [[Austin Mitchell]], [[Carol Thatcher]] and [[Simon Williams (actor)|Simon Williams]], [[Channel 4]] 1990]]
+[[File:Don't Quote Me with guests Austin Mitchell and Carol Thatcher.jpg|thumb|''[[Don't Quote Me (TV series)|Don't Quote Me]]'', [[Geoffrey Perkins]] with guests including [[Austin Mitchell]], [[Carol Thatcher]] and [[Simon Williams (actor)|Simon Williams]], [[Channel 4]] 1990]]
-Entertainment series include ''[[Secret Cabaret|The Secret Cabaret]]'' and ''[[Don't Quote Me (TV series)|Don't Quote Me]]'', hosted by [[Geoffrey Perkins]].
+Entertainment series include ''[[Secret Cabaret|The Secret Cabaret]]'' and ''[[Don't Quote Me (TV series)|Don't Quote Me]]'', hosted by [[Geoffrey Perkins]] and described as "forerunner to ''[[Have I Got News For You]]'' and every other comedy panel show thereafter".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=40&threadid=60167 |title=Geoffrey Perkins RIP |website=Ilxor.com |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref>
 ===Factual===
@@ Line 44: / Line 60: @@
 *
-{{div col end}}as well as various films for Channel 4's [[Equinox (TV programme)|Equinox]], e.g. ''[[Secrets of the Super Psychics]]'', ''Superpowers?''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=475347&category=Full%20Credits |title=Superpowers? (2001) – Overview |website=TCM.com |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> and ''Theme Park Heaven''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/477081 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527110107/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/477081 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2009 |title=Theme Park Heaven (1992) &#124; BFI |website=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=2 July 2015 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> Another Open Media film for Equinox - ''The Big Sleep''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/516396 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527110214/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/516396 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2009 |title=Hypnosis – The Big Sleep (1994) &#124; BFI |website=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=2 July 2015 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> - was the subject of [https://www.cosmic-pancakes.com/blog/big-sleep a lengthy article] in 2022.<ref>[https://www.cosmic-pancakes.com/blog/big-sleep HYPNOSIS ON THE SMALL SCREEN] by Kev Sheldrake, accessed 16 June 2022</ref>
+{{div col end}}as well as various films for Channel 4's [[Equinox (TV programme)|Equinox]], e.g. ''[[Secrets of the Super Psychics]]'', ''Superpowers?''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=475347&category=Full%20Credits |title=Superpowers? (2001) – Overview |website=TCM.com |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> and ''Theme Park Heaven''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/477081 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527110107/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/477081 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2009 |title=Theme Park Heaven (1992) &#124; BFI |website=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=2 July 2015 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> Another Open Media film for Equinox - ''The Big Sleep''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/516396 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527110214/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/516396 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2009 |title=Hypnosis – The Big Sleep (1994) &#124; BFI |website=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=2 July 2015 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> - was the subject of a lengthy article in 2022.<ref>[https://www.cosmic-pancakes.com/blog/big-sleep HYPNOSIS ON THE SMALL SCREEN] by Kev Sheldrake, accessed 16 June 2022</ref>
-The company mounted an unusual discussion - ''Weird Thoughts''<ref name="eofftv1"/> for BBC2 - in 1994. This was characterised in an article in 2021 as follows: "''Weird Thoughts'', where [[Tony Wilson]] chairs a panel of experts debating why the 1990s seem so very strange. There are a lot of familiar faces here – the late [[James Randi]], Fortean Times founder [[Bob Rickard]], esoteric scholar [[Lynn Picknett]] – but today the biggest name is the one hovering around the back of the gathering: a young [[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk|title=Weird ’90s – Weird Night|publisher=Horrified|date=17 May 2021|access-date=10 November 2021}}</ref>
+The company mounted an unusual discussion - ''Weird Thoughts''<ref name="eofftv1"/> for BBC2 - in 1994. This was characterised in an article in 2021 as follows: "''Weird Thoughts'', where [[Tony Wilson]] chairs a panel of experts debating why the 1990s seem so very strange. There are a lot of familiar faces here – the late [[James Randi]], Fortean Times founder [[Bob Rickard]], esoteric scholar [[Lynn Picknett]] – but today the biggest name is the one hovering around the back of the gathering: a young [[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]]."<ref>''[https://www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk  Weird ’90s – Weird Night]'', article in ''Horrified'' magazine, 17 May 2021, accessed 10 November 2021</ref>
 One of the company's documentary specials – ''The Mediator''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/536006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129182807/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/536006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 January 2009 |title=The Mediator (1995) &#124; BFI |website=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=2 July 2015 |access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref> – was described in the [[British Medical Journal]] as providing "a new clinical role for a community psychiatrist – namely, healing rifts between gangs of aggressive young men in two neighbourhoods...a lively and well reasoned example of what can be done by a professional with group and family mediation skills."<ref>''A new role for a psychiatrist?'', review by Richard Morriss, ''[[British Medical Journal]]'', October 1995</ref> A documentary on advertising agency [[M&C Saatchi]] required two months filming: "The brief was to expand on ideas from the company's manifesto...It's the first time the Saatchi breakaway has allowed unrestricted access behind scenes."<ref>''Open Media gets inside story on M&C Saatchi'', ''Televisual'' magazine, September 1998</ref>
-==See also==
+== See also ==
 {{div col|colwidth=22em}}
 *''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]''
@@ Line 62: / Line 78: @@
 *[[Jonathan Kaplan (writer)|Jonathan Kaplan]]
 *[[Helena Kennedy]]
-*[[Sinéad O'Connor]]
+*[[Sinéad O'Connor#After Dark appearance|Sinéad O'Connor]]
 *[[Dennis Potter#The media and Rupert Murdoch|Dennis Potter]]
 *[[James Randi]]
@@ Line 77: / Line 93: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.openmedia.co.uk Open Media]
-* [https://www.openmedia.co.uk/about-us Open Media staff – past & present]
+* [http://www.openmedia.co.uk/the-team Open Media staff – past & present]
 * [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/632c2daf5021233f393b0357/t/6350629f265f097313a76b97/1666212512429/Open+Media+archive+collection.pdf Details of all programmes in the Open Media catalogue]
 * [https://www.imdb.com/company/co0181338/ IMDB]