Background
“Play School” was a British children’s television series produced by the BBC which ran from 21 April 1964 until 11 March 1988. Devised by Joy Whitby, it accidentally became the first ever programme to be shown on the fledgling BBC2 after a power cut halted the opening night’s programming (and later it became the first children’s programme to be shown in colour by that channel). “Play School” originally appeared on weekdays at 11am on BBC2 and later acquired a mid-afternoon BBC1 repeat. The morning showing was transferred to BBC1 in September 1983 when BBC Schools programming transferred to BBC2. It remained in that slot even after daytime television was launched in October 1986 and continued to be broadcast at that time until it was superseded in October 1988 by “Playbus”, which soon became “Playdays”.
A section of each episode was a filmed excursion into the outside world taken through one of three windows: the young viewers were invited to guess whether the round, square, or arched window would be chosen that day.
Each episode would also include a short story read from a book, introduced by checking the time on a clock. Normally the clock would show either an hour or a half hour and the young viewers were asked, "Can you tell what time the clock says today?”. This was all accompanied by a slightly eerie, yet undeniably catchy, clock-like tune.
[Wikipedia]
Pete Hales
I seem to remember that I was the Sound Supervisor (A) on that first “Play School”.
David Brunt
First week of “Play School” was presented by Virginia Stride and Gordon Rollins.Brian Cant arrived in the third week.
Roger Bunce
For those too young to remember, the standard shot through the “Play School” windows was as follows:
The camera would zoom in towards the chosen window, then defocus.
This was coordinated with a lighting change – darkening foreground and lightening background – and a mix through to some pre-recorded film.
The intent was to throw the viewer’s attention beyond the windows and imply that the filmed action was taking place outside. It was surprisingly effective.
In those days there was a quality control panel of Senior Engineers who would check a selection of programmes and comment on technical or operational shortcomings. According to legend, they saw the standard “Play School” windows shot and completely missed the point. Their outraged report said something like – "When the cameraman zoomed in, he completely lost focus! And then a premature lighting change was accidentally seen in shot!"
Misguided, but amazing to think that BBC Management once cared about technical and operational quality.
Peter Cook
My first ever zoom ‘on air’ was through the arched window (1963). I can’t recall if it was live or recorded, but I seem to remember it was at Riverside and the zoom was a Varotol 2 with combined zoom and focus handle via teleflex cable with lots of slack in it.
Alasdair Lawrance
That was my first, too, as I think “Play School” was used for training quite a lot of the time, as it wasn’t excessively complicated.
The Varotol 2 was perhaps 5:1, with a horrible combined zoom and focus thingie.
Alec Bray
I had my most complicated track ever on “Play School”. It started out as a wide shot, and then I had to go into a very tight CU on a crown (I think it was) in the presenter’s hand. No zoom for me! All done as a track.
Geoff Fletcher
The clock shot was my pet hate – I always seemed to have to arrive there in haste from another position, then I tended to find the rotating petals mesmerising while waiting for the zoom out to full clock and rotating disc shelf, then there was the zoom in and inevitable focus tweak as the camera head couldn’t be equidistant from clock and shelf because it had to be square to the clock face for correct initial framing, and finally there was frequently a brief and admittedly irrational moment of doubt as to which object was the target of the zoom. All the movements also had to be timed to a countdown and/or the clock music. Aaagh! – time for that lunchtime pint!
Barry Bonner
We sound people always played the music at the right time though! Usually after lunch at Riverside having done "Jackanory" in the morning with a two and a half hour lunch break spent checking the beer in the Blue Anchor and The River Bar…oh! and maybe the Dove!
Roger Bunce
The third window was the Arched Window. In case anyone’s interested, it was a Norman/Roman Arch, not a Gothic Arch, as though the top half of the Round Window had been stuck onto the bottom half of the Square Window
Alan Stokes
I was Gram Op. for Tony Philpott on "Playaway" a spin-off from “Play School”.
Earlier in the series Johnny Ball had visited the sound gallery for some reason and realised what we could do on Grams/tape. In a subsequent (possibly the next) week, there was a sketch which was of a husband and wife who applied for a job at the BBC SFX Department. At the board, (the sketch) they were told that the SFX dept had been computerised, "Look I’ll demonstrate." Presses button and all hell is let loose! I think I ended it with bits from the 1812 overture, the Hallelujah Chorus and goodness knows what else. Random picking from the library I would think.
It was my first ever screen credit "Gram Op…." I even managed to retain the roller and probably still have it in a cupboard!
It wasn’t the whole show and it was recorded but it certainly sticks out as a day to remember.
