SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported) September 30, 1998
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Telewest Communications plc
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
England and Wales
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
0-26840 Not Applicable
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(Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
Genesis Business Park, Albert Drive, Woking, Surrey GU21 5RW, United Kingdom
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
011-44-1483-750-900
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(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On September 30, 1998, Telewest issued a press release relating to
certain changes in its Board of Directors and other matters. The text of this
press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by
reference.
ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
(c) Exhibits
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Exhibit 99.1 Text of Press Release issued by Telewest on
September 30, 1998 (filed herewith).
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
TELEWEST COMMUNICATIONS PLC
Date: September 30, 1998 By: /s/ Charles Burdick
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Name: Charles Burdick
Title: Group Finance Director
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit No. Description Page No.
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99.1 Text of Press Release issued by Telewest on September 30, 1998
(filed herewith).
EXHIBIT 99.1
TELEWEST COMMUNICATIONS PLC
("TELEWEST" OR "COMPANY")
BOARD CHANGES
Telewest announces the following Board changes which took effect today:
o Anthony Illsley has been formally appointed as Chief Executive Officer
and an Executive Director of Telewest.
o Victoria Hull has been appointed as an Executive Director of the Company.
o Tony Rice has been appointed as a non-executive Director of the Company.
o Miranda Curtis has been appointed as a non-executive Director of the
Company representing Tele-Communications International, Inc ("TINTA"), in
place of David Evans, who has resigned.
Mr. Illsley has today acquired 55,495 Telewest shares at a price of 136.25p per
share. In addition, he has today been granted options under the Telewest
Executive (No.1) Share Option Scheme over 22,388 Telewest shares and under the
Telewest Executive (No.2) Share Option Scheme over 1,306,273 shares; he has also
been awarded options under the Telewest Long Term Incentive Plan over 326,323
Telewest shares. These options are exercisable at prices of between 134p and
137.9p per share.
As a result of these Board changes, Telewest qualifies as a "foreign private
issuer" under the US securities laws. In the future, Telewest intends to comply
with the periodic reporting and other requirements applicable to a foreign
private issuer rather than to continue to be treated as a domestic US issuer.
However, Telewest intends to continue to publish audited annual and unaudited
quarterly financial statements prepared under both UK GAAP and US GAAP.
30 September 1998
Notes to Editors:
Mr. Illsley has been with PepsiCo, Inc. since 1984 and has been President of
Walkers Snack Foods Limited since 1995. Walkers Snack Foods is one of PepsiCo's
leading business units with a turnover of more than (pound)500 million and
employing approximately 4,000 people. Mr Illsley was previously President of
Pepsi-Cola Asia Pacific and spent 5 years as Pepsi-Cola's President in Japan,
restructuring the company's operations in this market and improving the
company's market share and profitability.
Ms. Hull has served as General Counsel and Company Secretary of Telewest since
July 1994. Prior to joining Telewest she was a solicitor in the corporate
department of Clifford Chance, where she qualified in 1987.
Mr. Rice has served as a non-executive director of General Cable PLC since
October 1997. He has recently been appointed Group Managing Director -
Commercial Aircraft at British Aerospace Plc ("BAe"), responsible for all of the
commercial aircraft activities of BAe, encompassing the Airbus, Avro and
Jetstream and Asset Management businesses. He is also a member of the BAe Group
Executive.
Ms. Curtis has been Executive Vice President of TINTA since September 1996 and
is responsible for overseeing TINTA's investments in cable networks, telephony
and programming in Japan, the UK and Continental Europe. Before joining TINTA in
1992, Ms Curtis worked for several years in the UK cable industry. Ms. Curtis is
also a non-executive director of Flextech plc.
For the time being, MJC Villaneau has elected not to be appointed to the Board
of Telewest.
Ends
30 September 1998
