[lookoutwales]

On the same lines of regional continuity I've uploaded what appears to be the only video on Youtube of the later incarnation of ITV Westcountry's 'Birthday People', featuring the puppets Flotsam and Jetsam from June 2001 - a few hours before the infamous BBC power failure that evening!

www.youtube.com 

Westcountry's version of this isn't remembered as much as the Gus Honeybun days of Westward and TSW, but it did stay throughout the Carlton era and seems to have ended in 2004, but that is based on a slightly oddly worded Wikipedia article about the show that I don't completely trust.

Always surprised me they managed to persevere with it in the post-Gus era for as long as they could (McDonald's was apparently a sponsor during the early years) - but then, Westcountry did at least try to maintain such elements for as long as they could.

Used to think Birthday People's axing coincided with the end of the 3pm regional news but it probably preceded that?

IIRC, Puffin's Pla(i)ce continued on Channel but simply moved to the extended regional slot in the ITV Lunchtime News, of all things (Channel always being an area where even trying to fill 15 minutes with news could be a challenge)