[720p/50p] ITV Thames | closedown and transmitter shutdown | 26th July 1982 

No

Channel 4 was not even launched when this was recorded, Channel 4 would not launch until November 2nd 1982. And when they did, they had a strict budget, which meant a 4.45pm start each weekday with an end time of around midnight. At weekends they stayed on air slightly longer until around 2am on Saturday morning for example which was rare.

You have to remember, the old style of ITV back then had individual companies controlling each region, such as Thames here controlling London weekdays. Once they had finished their programmes, it was up to the IBA engineers at the transmitters in the Thames region to shut down the ITV frequencies, for example at Crystal Palace transmitter in London. This would be the same for the other regions across the country. Each region had different close downs, as unlike the BBC, ITV was not a properly linked network like BBC 1. Very different structure.

@@johnking5174 Test transmissions actually started for Channel 4 in May from Hannington and then tests began on 75% of the transmitters by August 1982, so a week later!!!!

@@christopherwilliams2093 But no full programme service was on air.

@@johnking5174 True, but I do remember as a five-year-old tuning hoping to find BBC2 when it should have come on at 3.20pm but got Channel 4 instead...