Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee

What a joyous delight to see Paddington Bear at tea with the Queen – and eating marmalade sandwiches.

There was a rumour that the Queen herself was to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars.

It was Mike Bond, of course, late of this parish, who created the lovable bear.

 

Fiction to Fact – and Fact to Fiction

March 1919 … One hundred and three years ago … they knew what personal phones would be do to our lives …

All the drama series on TV and many films have been set in London – but where would their tube stations be?

 

Guns In Productions

Halyna Hutchins was shot while working on the set of the 19th Century western “Rust” as director of photography when actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on this New Mexico film set

There were guns and gunshots in many TV productions over the years – here are your comments.

 

BBC News New Look

BBC News moved to a new studio in New Broadcasting House with new robotic cameras and a new wide screed and also adopted a new style of presentation. There were comments…

And there was a new distraction: what shoes are the weatherperson wearing today?

 

 

Betting Slips

What are the odds on your reading this?

 

A Century of Cinema and Cinema Plaques

Dave Newbitt visited Fishguard, and he found a plaque identifying the town as the setting for a 1971 film of “Under Milk Wood”, set in a large irregular block of stone at the head of the Quay. It turns out that the plaque is one of 126 erected by the British Film Institute (BFI).

 

Comics

The comics we read as children.

 

Where is the …. Found!

Bernie found lots and lots of stuff at the back of  a cupboard, and here is just one photo – Bernie thinks that it is at Evesham…

 

More Eurovision Memories

Whenever it is time for the Eurovision Song Contest, it’s impossible for the British media to cover it without mentioning ABBA winning in 1974 – and Alan Taylor was there, scanning for suitable washers to get his mic stands vertical.

Mike Jordan was at Wembley Conference Centre 1n 1977 with, yes, Stewart Morris producing.

Bernie blazed the trial for Bucks Fizz in 1988, when the juries took no time in making their minds up – and of course, the BBC had to host Eurovision the next year, 1982, and Colin Hassell was there.

 

 Glastonbury 2022 and Outside Broadcasts

And so we will go directly from one set of music outside broadcasts to another music festival outside broadcast event and discussions as to scanners and their placements.

 

Exciting Important Historic Outside Broadcasts

A picture came by way of Facebook of a cameraman perched on the control tower at Farnborough Air Show in 1953 – and by the looks of it, it had a zoom lens.

Of course, there was an historic, more famous outside broadcast in June 1953 – the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

 

Another picture came our way: this is MCR 21 at Wembley for the 1966 World Cup. MCR 21 has been restored: Wembley has been completely rebuilt.

 

More about “Gemini”

“Gemini” (or the similar 35mm film version “Add-A-Vision” ) was a system that aimed to combine the speed and ease of video recording with the quality of 16mm film. Essentially, a 16mm film camera was mounted alongside a standard television electronic camera. Edit marks were automatically added to the film by a remote feed from the vision mixer’s desk, enabling a film editor to exactly match the video version of the show. This page discusses the Beeb’s cautious approach to this technology and the TO response to it.

 

Life after the Beeb

Some tales of some people’s life after leaving the BBC.

 

Yet more about “Our World”

we now have TWO numbered photographs Of the crew in TC1 and TC2 for the live transmission of “Our World”, but still less than half of the people in the photos have bEen identified as yet. This is the latest list!

 

Roger Bunce’s 1981 Calendar for Crew 6

More of Roger Bunce’s art and wit! Beware, it is of it’s time …

 

Triumphs and failures

Triumph Heralds and Courier vans, moonlighting and more.

 

Wimbledon – but When?

My First Electronic Build

The first electronic builds made by some BBC Technical Operators, and discussion abut the first tape recorders that they used.

 

The Wrong Job

Some of us felt that we had been assigned to the wrong job when we first joined the Beeb, and then were able to transfer within the BBC to a position which seemed correct for us.

Also, when we look to see what money others were making using the skills we possessed – well, we were definitely in the wrong job!

[Ed: sometimes it takes until later in life before you fall into a job which simply is just made for you …]

 

Roger Bunce – Taking aim at Management and at Models

A page of two halves. The first is Roger taking the mickey out of Management. The seconf half is a collection of pictures found by his son, Robin, showing Roger at work with a model set.

As one of our correspondents says, “…[Roger] was clearly in a class of his own for inventiveness, use of language, sharp observation and all-round ability to make a point in an incredibly effective way. It is humbling to see such ability..”

 

Remembering NICAM

Back in the mid nineteen-eighties BBC research invented a digital sound system – NICAM. France and Italy produced similar stereo line transmission systems at the same time, and they were all to do with digital transmission of audio.

 

The Blue Peter Book of Television

Following a lot of discussion about “The Blue Peter Book of Television” on a Facebook group (and not all very accurate), comments centred on who was on the front of the camera crane.

 

Some Aspects of Technical Operations

After some nearly 55 years, it is tricky to remember everything that was part of Technical Operations inthe studioes when going live with a weekly theatrical style, multicamera drama seriessuch as “Z Cars”, “Dixon” or “Softly Softly”, Here are some responses to a quick questionnaire sent out to te Tech Ops group.

 

1966 and all that …

It was the time of the World Cup and the new MCR 21 was there to show it. It was also the year of (yet)(another) General Election, and this is the start of the coverage on the Friday morning after the Thursday night before.

 

Canalside Outside Broadcast 1939

An very interesting picture came Alasdair Lawrance’s way – the problem being to identify the type of Camera in use!

 

A. P. Herbert

The M.P. , TV interviewer, author – “Misleading Cases” – and some quotes from Winston Churchill and Herbert.

 

March of Time and Technology Evolution

An interesting idea may not be supported by the existing technology. Only when the technology has evolved sufficiently can the idea find that its time has come, can be implemented, and so improve the experiences for everyone involved.

 

Operations Contribution to Programmes

Technical Operators used the equipment, and their skills in using that equipment, to help tell a story for the viewers, to communicate an idea, to turn the director’s, actors , authors, designers vision into coherent pictures and sound in the viewers’ living rooms.…

 

Expenses – and their claims

Expenses – to some, it is petty cash, to some it is pretty cash. Is there anyone who has not, at some time or another, tried it on with the expense claim? Thought not…

 

Remembering Those who have left us

• Martin Eccles
• Olivia Newton John
• Lance Andrews