1980s Repeats of Thriller on HTV (Wales)

The HTV region was split into two parts - Wales and West (covering areas of Western England such as Bristol and Somerset) with each able to repeat all the episodes of Thriller. However their repeat schedules are the most complicated of all because they sometimes broadcast the same episode of Thriller, other times screened different episodes and on others still only one region aired a repeat while the other broadcast different programming. Both were below average in their number of Thriller repeats - particularly Wales - although it is possible others appeared and will eventually be traced.

ITC's new title for A Coffin for the Bride, HTV Wales's first Thriller repeat

Episode	Date	Day	Time
Kiss, Kiss, Kill, Kill	27.9.81	Sunday	11.15pm-12.30am
Melody of Hate	4.10.81	Sunday	11.30pm-12.50am
Killer with Two Faces	11.10.81	Sunday	11.00pm-12.15am
Screamer	7.12.81	Monday	11.00pm-12.20am
One Deadly Owner	9.4.82	Friday	11.20pm-12.45am
Color Him Dead	3.7.82	Saturday	11.15pm-12.45am
A Killer in Every Corner	16.7.82	Friday	10.30pm-12.00am
A Place to Die	23.7.82	Friday	11.15pm-12.45am
The Double Kill	30.7.82	Friday	10.30-11.50pm
The Fear Is Spreading	13.8.82	Friday	11.00pm-12.20am
Anatomy of Terror	20.8.82	Friday	11.00pm-12.25am
If It's a Man - Hang Up!	3.9.82	Friday	11.00pm-12.30am
Death in Deep Water	20.9.82	Monday	10.30pm-12.00am
The Devil's Web	27.9.82	Monday	10.30pm-12.00am
The Eyes Have It	11.10.82	Monday	10.30-11.50pm
I'm the Girl He Wants To Kill	18.10.82	Monday	11.00pm-12.20am
Death in Small Doses (postponed 19820723)	25.10.82	Monday	10.30-11.50pm
Mirror of Deception	15.11.82	Monday	11.00pm-12.20am
Murder on the Midnight Express	13.12.82	Monday	10.30-11.50pm
The Next Victim	7.1.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Not Guilty	21.1.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Once the Killing Starts	28.1.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Only a Scream Away	4.2.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Possession	11.2.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
The Savage Curse	18.2.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Terror from Within	25.2.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Dial a Deadly Number (postponed 6.9.82)	11.3.83	Friday	11.00pm-12.20am
Sleepwalker	18.3.83	Friday	11.00pm-12.20am
Someone at the Top of the Stairs	25.3.83	Friday	11.00pm-12.20am
Cry Terror!	20.5.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
File It under Fear	27.5.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
Appointment with a Killer	3.6.83	Friday	11.15pm-12.35am
The Killing Game	20.6.83	Monday	11.00pm-12.20am
The Carnation Killer	No record of broadcast
Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are	No record of broadcast
In the Steps of a Dead Man	No record of broadcast
Look Back in Darkness	No record of broadcast
Murder in Mind	No record of broadcast
Murder Is a One Act Play	No record of broadcast
Murder Motel	No record of broadcast
Sign It Death	No record of broadcast
Spell of Evil	No record of broadcast
The Death Policy	No record of broadcast

Doubt surrounds two repeats in particular. In The Steps of a Dead Man has also been credited for 25.10.82 (it was being aired by HTV West) rather than Death in Small Doses. The latter was listed by The Liverpool Echo which carried HTV listings as some of its readers lived in North Wales or could receive Wales broadcasts) and was rearranged from 23.7.82. It would seem odd (though not impossible) for a rearranged repeat to be listed in error. It's difficult to be sure what happened in these cases.

Listing for the possible and rearranged repeat of Death in Small Doses on HTV Wales, 25th October 1982 (also not billed as Thriller and with a new title to the ATV version, both of which could have foxed viewers

Another mystery (not a Monday one in this instance!) concerns the possible repeat of File It Under Fear on 27.5.83. This was listed in some Irish papers (HTV Wales could be received in some parts of Ireland) but not by UK publications. While it is possible this never took place it would be very unusual for a Thriller repeat to be listed, cancelled and then not be rearranged. Newspapers can give conflicting answers and the best evidence would come from any viewers who had seen the episodes on the channel but that is hard to come by.

Ultimately HTV Wales seemed to leave a large number of episodes unscreened while also not showing any repeats after June 1983 - a year before the deadline. It seems odd for the station to end them so early with so many apparently not broadcast. Maybe it felt it had shown enough by June 1983 and had enough alternative programming to show instead of Thriller? Or perhaps there were some unexpected broadcasts in that final year? These are intriguing questions but probably ones unlikely to be decisively answered after so many years.

Many thanks to Martin Marshall for some of these details including transmission times