ONE thousand guests enjoyed a glittering party to mark Meridian's departure from its Southampton studios.

Current Meridian staff and hundreds of past employees of Southern Television and TVS, the previous owners of the station which first graced the south's living rooms in 1958, attended the bash at Radcliffe Road, Northam.

Guests included the likes of Martin Muncaster, whose voice was the very first voice to be heard on independent television in the south, James Montgomery, Greg Dyke, Trevor Baker, Debbie Thrower, Nick Knowles and David Wilson, chairman of Southern Television and the man behind the building of the Northam studios.

Every guest was given a goody bag on arrival which included a copy of The Dream Factory - the Daily Echo's history of independent television in the south.

All three studios were open for the evening, offering food and drink and a place to dance the night away. Studio three, where Meridian Tonight was filmed until two weeks ago when the new Whiteley studios finally took over, was transformed into a cinema showing a selection of programmes made during the past 46 years.

Fred Dinenage, the man today most readily associated with Meridian and a guest at the party said: "It is a lovely evening. There are people here who were here when I first came. It is extraordinary to see them again."

The Daily Echo has helped to create a special 132-page book commemorating independent television in Southampton, looking at the Southern Television, TVS and Meridian years.

Filled with interviews, personality pieces, behind-the scenes pictures and many previously unseen images of all your favourite local TV faces over the years, The Dream Factory has been published to coincide with Meridian's move to their new state-of-the-art studios in Whiteley.

Buy your copy of The Dream Factory - costing £10 - from selected local newsagents, head office and branch offices of the Southern Daily Echo. Or click the link on the 'This is Southampton' homepage. (Copies ordered on the Internet will incur a postage and packing fee.) Or contact Val Morgan at the Southern Daily Echo on 023 8042 4707.