In the field of news and current affairs, Central had enhanced and bettered on ATV's reputation as a regional news provider by becoming the first British television station to offer three distinct services for different parts of the transmission area. It was also a major contributor to current affairs locally and nationally – from its documentary output such as "Viewpoint", "30 Minutes" and "England Their England" to more populist series, including "The Cook Report" and the long-running debate show "Central Weekend", which ran for 15 years in the Midlands on Friday nights. The programme was also the first on British television to examine seriously the AIDS virus, leading to a drama series on the topic, called "Intimate Contact". Central also first reported on the Ethiopian famine in July 1984 with the documentary "Seeds of Despair". In the same year, the company completed production on one of its more controversial programmes "Question of Leadership", a four-part series directed by Ken Loach about trade unions' responses to government actions. The IBA was concerned it breached balance guidelines, while the unions criticised it as defamatory. Even after several re-edits, the series was never transmitted, which was described as political censorship.