“Here’s six stories for your site that deserve recording for posterity.
The scene: Studio G Lime Grove, late 60s/early 70s. Bill Cotton (still Jr in those days) is sitting at the back of the production gallery during a TX (I think he was Head of Variety at the time). He has the butt of a recently-smoked cigar in his hand and tosses it towards the bin. It misses and falls through a gap in the floor (this IS Studio G). Unfortunately it isn’t quite out and there is a conspiracy of silence while a slow curl of smoke rises before finally disappearing.
The scene: Television Theatre, mid-70s. An angelic-looking choirboy is singing a special solo feature. Stewart Morris (on talkback) to Ron Green who has to hold his camera steady while the Mole tracks slowly forward over the celebrated rut in the runway “get this shot for me, Ron, and you’ll go to Heaven”.
The scene: Again the Television Theatre, again mid-70s. The wonderful design of the production suite meant that the corridor from the stairs at first floor level went past the doors to the VAR, THROUGH the PCR, past the SCR and then on to the Circle. After a day in which there were a lot of sound faults to be fixed Stewart decided that he was fed up with the traffic of engineers through his gallery and jammed a broom handle through the door pulls. Dave Murphy was Studio Engineer, with me assisting. When Dave found out he couldn’t get through he started a dialogue with Stewart over the intercom to the PCR next door. Unfortunately, Dave had a really bad throat that day and could barely talk so his whispered requests for the opening of what was a fire exit were countered by that famous roar over talkback that, once heard, is never forgotten!
The scene: Television Centre, about 1994. John Latus (Studio Resources Manager) had booked the Technocrane and it should have been left after the previous show in TC3 on the studio floor near the runway doors. Unfortunately, due to a cockup it was left at the gallery end of the studio and the set went in around it. Problem – how to get it to TC8? John solved it brilliantly by having the crane manouvered though that little corridor from TC3 into the South Hall. He then got Pete Evans (ace crane driver) to start his run back at the centre circle doors and track at speed THROUGH the South Hall scenery lift with the front and rear doors open. Apparently the lift floor dipped a bit under the weight but he made it. When the story got out John was summoned before the powers that be but he survived and still maintains that it was the only valid solution to the problem.
The scene: Television Centre, 1960s. TC4 on a Maintenance Day. Studio Engineer Dave Robbins is testing talkback from the SCR . It’s always difficult to think of something to say after “One, two, three, testing, testing” so he recites “Mary had a little lamb, she kept it in a bucket. And every time she took it out the bulldog tried to put it back again”. Returning via the production gallery he finds he has been overheard by a party of shocked visitors!
The scene: Television Centre, 1970s. A mouse has been discovered living under the floor of the TC4 apparatus room. But what does it live on? Brian Langley (Studio Engineer) “I expect it gets a feed from CAR”. “
