Ulster in Focus
Ulster in Focus is a BBC schools TV series from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, covering various topics for primary school pupils.
Films about life in Northern Ireland, designed to stimulate the interest and experience of viewers in the province on the geography, hstory and science of their local environment.
Episodes are typically sensitively crafted films giving an impression of an area, a craft or an industry in Northern Ireland, sometimes visited by a presenter but often simply showing footage with narration, always giving a strong sense of the place being explored. Profiles of notable individuals are given, including noted poets or artists but also local people able to evoke folk memories. The programmes create opportunities for teachers to explore topics with the expanded experience provided by the programmes.
The programmes have freedom to explore any interesting elements of the local area, organised into units such as Exploring the Countryside (autumn 1973), The Irish Abroad (summer 1978, inter alia) and simply Reminiscence (summer 1972).
The great Northern Ireland landmark the Giant's Causeway was visited several times across the decades, appearing in episodes on The Giant's Causeway (broadcast 17/10/1973 and repeated for several years), The Ulster Way Part 2 (31/01/1985) and Rocks (28/04/1993 and repeated until 2002).
History programmes tend to focus on Early Days and frequently cover the Normans and the Vikings.
In the 1990s Ulster in Focus was replaced by the more traditionally documentary, unit-based series Primary Focus, but Ulster in Focus programmes continued to be repeated for schools, under their original title and not subsumed into the replacement series, until the early 21st Century.
In 2025 a retrospective season for adults on BBC Four brought many archive treasures to national TV screens.
Presenters
In its early studio-bound days the series used local newsreaders including Arthur Murphy and Larry McCoubrey as presenters.
Many celebrated Northern Irish broadcasters were involved with Ulster in Focus and presented or narrated episodes including the novelist Sam Hanna Bell and musician Tony McAuley, also the series' producer for many years.
Regular presenters in the 1980s and 90s include Maurice Todd and Diane Harron.
Academics, artists and experts were often used to introduce individual episodes, for example:
- The noted poet Seamus Heaney was closely involved with Ulster in Focus for over a decade and presented several episodes from A Christmas Garland (09/12/1970) to the concuding part of a trilogy on The Boyne Valley (11/05/1982), and later wrote a fond retrospective of these experiences for a BBC exhibition.
- Archbishop Dr George Simms prepared a programme on The Book of Kells (12/01/1972, and repeated until at least 1979)
- Novelist John McGahern explored Leitrim and Roscommon (A Quiet Watered Land, 12/01/1982)
- Professor of Modern History Dr Lewis Warren wrote and presented The Normans in Scotland (13/01/1988)
- Musician Stephanie Hughes interviewed and profiled the composer and conductor Havelock Nelson (22/01/1991)
Titles & Theme Music
Each episode is introduced simply with the title shown over the start of the film. Many different typefaces and designs were used, though letters with decorations and uncial script were common, evoking tradition and history.
1993 opening title sequence
Only in its very last year of production, in 1993-94, did Ulster in Focus introduce a regular opening title sequence and logo.
Composite images of investigations show hand holding a fossil, a magnifying glass examining sea creatures, children hiking, exploring and consulting maps. The stylised words ulster in focus appear over a desk filled with equipment including a magnifying glass, ruler and protractor.
Broadcasts
| Year | Term | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Channel | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-68 | Autumn 1967 | Thursday, 2:30pm | BBC1 NI | from 21 Sep | ||||
| 1968-69 | Autumn 1968 | Wednesday, 10:25am | Thursday, 2:30pm | BBC1 NI | from 25 Sep | |||
| 1969-70 | Autumn 1969 | Wednesday, 10:25am | Thursday, 2:30pm | BBC1 NI | from 24 Sep | |||
| 1970-71 | Autumn 1970, Spring & Summer 1971 | Wednesday, 10:25am | Thursday, 2:30pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 23 Sep, 13 Jan, 28 Apr | |||
| 1971-72 | Autumn 1971, Spring & Summer 1972 | Wednesday, 10:25am | Thursday, 2:30pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 22 Sep, 12 Jan, 26 Apr | |||
| 1972-73 | Autumn 1972, Spring & Summer 1973 | Wednesday, 10:25am | Thursday, 2:30pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 20 Sep, 17 Jan, 2 May | |||
| 1973-74 | Autumn 1973 & Spring 1974 | Wednesday, 10:23am | Thursday, 2:35pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 19 Sep, 16 Jan | |||
| 1974-75 | Autumn 1974, Spring & Summer 1975 | Wednesday, 10:23am | Thursday, 2:35pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 25 Sep, 15 Jan, 23 Apr | |||
| 1975-76 | Autumn 1975, Spring & Summer 1976 | Wednesday, 10:23am | Thursday, 2:40pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 24 Sep, 14 Jan, 28 Apr | |||
| 1976-77 | Autumn 1976, Spring & Summer 1977 | Wednesday, 10:23am | Thursday, 2:14pm | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 22 Sep, 12 Jan, 27 Apr | |||
| 1977-78 | Autumn 1977, Spring & Summer 1978 | Thursday, 11:30am | Friday, 10:23am | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 22 Sep, 12 Jan, 20 Apr | |||
| 1978-79 | Autumn 1978, Spring & Summer 1979 | Thursday, 11:30am | Friday, 10:23am | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 21 Sep, 18 Jan, 3 May | |||
| 1979-80 | Autumn 1979, Spring & Summer 1980 | Tuesday, 10:38am | Thursday, 11:30am | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 18 Sep, 15 Jan, 22 Apr | |||
| 1980-81 | Autumn 1980, Spring & Summer 1981 | Tuesday, 10:38am | Thursday, 11:30am | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 23 Sep, 20 Jan, 5 May | |||
| 1981-82 | Autumn 1981, Spring & Summer 1982 | Tuesday, 10:38am | Thursday, 11:30am | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 22 Sep, 12 Jan, 27 Apr | |||
| 1982-83 | Autumn 1982, Spring & Summer 1983 | Tuesday, 10:35am | Thursday, 11:30am | BBC1 NI | Fortnightly from 21 Sep, 11 Jan, 26 Apr | |||
| 1983-84 | Autumn 1983, Spring & Summer 1984 | Tuesday, 10:35am | Thursday, 11:30am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 22 Sep, 19 Jan, 10 May now Thu 1st, rpt Tue | |||
| 1984-85 | Autumn 1984, Spring & Summer 1985 | Tuesday, 1:38pm | Thursday, 11:30am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 20 Sep, 17 Jan, 2 May | |||
| 1985-86 | Autumn 1985, Spring & Summer 1986 | Tuesday, 11:17am | Thursday, 1:38pm | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 24 Sep, 7 Jan, 22 Apr | |||
| 1986-87 | Autumn 1986, Spring & Summer 1987 | Wednesday, 11:40am | Friday, 10:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 24 Sep, 21 Jan, 29 Apr | |||
| 1987-88 | Autumn 1987, Spring & Summer 1988 | Wednesday, 10:38am | Friday, 10:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 23 Sep, 13 Jan, 27 Apr | |||
| 1988-89 | Autumn 1988, Spring & Summer 1989 | Wednesday, 10:40am | Friday, 10:25am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 21 Sep, 11 Jan, 19 Apr | |||
| 1989-90 | Autumn 1989, Spring & Summer 1990 | Wednesday, 10:40am | Friday, 9:45am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 20 Sep, 17 Jan, 2 May | |||
| 1990-91 | Autumn 1990, Spring & Summer 1991 | Tuesday, 11:15am | Thursday, 11:20am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 18 Sep, 8 Jan, 23 Apr | |||
| 1991-92 | Autumn 1991, Spring & Summer 1992 | Wednesday, 10:40am | Friday, 11:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 18 Sep, 15 Jan, 29 Apr | |||
| 1992-93 | Autumn 1992, Spring & Summer 1993 | Wednesday, 10:40am | Friday, 11:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 16 Sep, 13 Jan, 28 Apr | |||
| 1993-94 | Autumn 1993, Spring & Summer 1994 | Wednesday, 10:40am | Friday, 11:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 22 Sep, 12 Jan, 20 Apr | |||
| 1994-95 | Autumn 1994, Spring & Summer 1995 | Wednesday, 10:40am | Thursday, 11:10am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 9 Nov, 22 Feb, 26 Apr | |||
| 1995-96 | Spring & Summer 1996 | Wednesday, 11:00am | Thursday, 11:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 17 Jan, 17 Apr | |||
| 1996-97 | Spring 1997 | Wednesday, 11:00am | Thursday, 11:15am | BBC2 NI | Fortnightly from 8 Jan | |||
| 1997-98 | Spring 1998 | Wednesday, 11:00am | BBC2 NI | from 18 Feb | ||||
| 1998-99 | - | |||||||
| 1999-2000 | - | |||||||
| 2000-01 | Spring & Summer 2001 | Monday, 1:10pm | BBC2 NI | from 26 Feb, 9 May | ||||
| 2001-02 | Autumn 2001, Spring & Summer 2002 | Monday, 1:40pm | BBC2 NI | from 3 Dec, 21 Jan, 15 Apr | ||||
Broadcasts outside Northern Ireland
Ulster in Focus was produced and broadcast locally in Northern Ireland, but on three occasions episodes have been broadcast for schools elsewhere in the UK.
In Autumn 1978 a series called Landscape presented episodes from schools TV series originally broadcast in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to an audience throughout the United Kingdom (except for Wales, which didn't carry the series). The Northern Ireland contribution to Landscape consisted of three episodes from Ulster in Focus on the theme of 'Landscapes and People':
- The Loughsiders (14/06/1972, repeated 11/10/1978)
- The Tern and the Swallow (24/09/1975, repeated 18/10/1978)
- Bogland (11/02/1976, repeated 25/10/1978 & 01/11/1978)
In the 1990s, episodes of Ulster in Focus were added to the national BBC2 schools schedules at the end of summer terms when extra broadcasts time became available.
In Summer 1991 three episodes from the mid-1980s were shown on BBC2 between 14th-19th June 1991 around 11:35am.
Then in Summer 1993 a further six episodes were shown on BBC on Wednesdays & Fridays around 10:20am between 2nd-18th June 1993. This selection encompassed more recent episodes from the early 1990s including the new Rocks episode shown in Northern Ireland in the same term just a few weeks earlier (originally 28/04/1993).
Adult broadcasts
In Northern Ireland the Ulster in Focus films were well regarded and often repeated for a general audience outside of schools.
The 18th April 1973 edition of BBC1 Northern Ireland's late evening arts series Gallery was in fact a repeat of the Ulster in Focus episode Painter (originally broadcast 14/02/1973) following the contemporary artist T. P. Flanagan.
Gallery championed the series again a few years later as the edition on 13th May 1977 consisted of extracts from recent episodes of Ulster in Focus and Green Peas and Barley-O.
In the 1980s editions of Ulster in Focus were occasionally broadcast in Northern Ireland during the early evening regional programmes slots on BBC1. The four parts produced to date of Maurice Todd's exploration of The Ulster Way were shown in 1986 (26-29/08/1986, 18:35), and a selection of other recent and archive episodes were shown in subsequent years.
In the 1990s the series was a feature of on Sunday afternoons on BBC1 Northern Ireland, often showcasing new episodes broadcast for schools earlier in the same year, beginning in 1989 and with a notable sequence of Sunday afternoon broadcasts from February to June 1994. Early evening repeats of recent episodes were also broadcast on BBC2 Northern Ireland between at least 1991 (Havelock Nelson, 12/12/1991, 19:30) and 1997 (Linen, 28/04/1997, 19:10).
In autumn 1990 BBC1 Northern Ireland marked "25 years of schools television from BBC Northern Ireland" (on what was actually the 23rd anniversary of Ulster in Focus beginning that tradition) with a season of late night repeats (07-30/10/1990 plus 03-10/12/1990, around 22:25) encompassing episodes from the entire history of Ulster in Focus plus the Dusty Bluebells film and at least one episode of Green Peas and Barley-O all presented under the Ulster in Focus banner.
In early 2025 BBC4 presented a selection of seven Ulster in Focus films from the 1970s to a national, adult audience on Saturday evenings at 7pm (11/01-22/02/2025).
Credits
| Presenters include | Arthur Murphy Larry McCoubrey |
| Directors include | Robin Harris |
| Producers | James Hawthorne (1967-68) David Hammond (1969-74) |
These credits are incomplete, and dates for producers are approximate. If you can help with any further information please get in touch by email.
Resources
Teacher's Notes
Each term of broadcasts was accompanied by a booklet of notes for teachers giving background information on the topics covered and suggestions for follow-up activities.
When the series moved to full year, fortnightly transmission from 1970 there were two booklets published each year, one covering the autumn term programmes and the second the combined spring & summer term programmes.
From 1994 onwards the notes were integrated with the replacement series Primary Focus where relevant. If the majority of broadcasts in a term were for Primary Focus then a booklet was issued for Primary Focus integrating notes on the Ulster in Focus repeats - for example in spring/summer 1995. If the term consisted only od Ulster in Focus repeats then an Ulster in Focus booklet was issued - for example in spring/summer 1996.
1993 notes
1996 notes
Links
Topics
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