Editing Lew Grade (section)

===Later television productions===
The following year, ATV lost its London franchise to what would become [[London Weekend Television]] (LWT);<ref name="Elen">Richard G. Elen; [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/459509/index.html ATV], BFI screenonline.</ref> at the same time, however, ATV's Midlands franchise was expanded to run throughout the week from July 1968. Through ATV Music, Grade acquired [[Northern Songs]], gaining control of the [[Lennon–McCartney]] song catalogue.<ref>Philip Norman [https://books.google.com/books?id=l2I0twz__BIC&pg=PA422&lpg=PA422 ''Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation''],  New York: Fireside, 2005, pp. 422–24</ref>

Foreign sales remained strong for a time (valued at $30&nbsp;million in 1970)<ref name="Time">[https://web.archive.org/web/20081221205506/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905454,00.html Entrepreneurs: Top Grade], ''TIME'', 4 October 1971.</ref> and the ACC received the [[Queen's Awards for Enterprise|Queen's Awards for Export]] in both 1967 and 1969.

Some of the 1970s distributions performed poorly: these included ''[[The Julie Andrews Hour]]'' (1972–73), which aired for only one season on the [[ABC Television Network]] in the United States. This received positive reviews and seven [[Emmy Award]]s, including the title of 'Best Variety Series'. The action series ''[[The Protectors]]'' (1972–74) and ''[[The Persuaders!]]'' (1971–72),<ref name="AngeliniITC" /> were not especially successful. Gerry Anderson moved to live action [[British television science fiction|science fiction]] shows ''[[UFO (British TV series)|UFO]]'' (1969–71) and ''[[Space: 1999]]'' (1975–77). After ''Space: 1999'', Anderson made no new series for ITC, but maintained a connection with Grade until Grade lost control of his companies in 1982.

In the mid-1970s, Grade approached American puppeteer [[Jim Henson]], who was in need of assistance for his latest television project. Henson wanted to create a new [[variety show]] starring his [[The Muppets|Muppet]] characters, but had been dismissed by American networks on account of his contributions to children's programmes such as ''[[Sesame Street]]'' (1969–present).{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} [[CBS]] came close to agreeing to broadcast ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', but only if it was during a [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated block]] of its programming.{{clarify|date=June 2018}} After watching one of Henson's pilots and recalling a special made in one of his studios, Grade allowed Henson to realise his project in Britain (the series was recorded at the [[ATV Elstree Studios]], later bought by the BBC, primarily used for ''[[EastEnders]]'') and distributed internationally by ITC. Grade's action was instrumental in bringing ''The Muppet Show'' to the screen in 1976 and ensuring its success; it ran until 1981.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

Grade's other accomplishments in television included the mini-series ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (film)|Jesus of Nazareth]]'' (1977), which was successfully sold to the American market and secured a record-breaking $12&nbsp;million in revenue. Several years in preparation, the deal with the Italian broadcaster [[RAI]] and director [[Franco Zeffirelli]] had been announced three years previously.<ref>Martin Sullivan [http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/24th-august-1974/15/religion " A television Jesus"], ''The Spectator'', 23 August 1974, p. 15</ref>