TC3 On Air – Better Late?

Hugh Sheppard

Can anyone recall the early days of TC, before it officially opened?

My thoughts are that once TC3 was up and running, it was used just to have the place ticking over while TC4 and other studios were completed. One “hush-hush” event was the re-laying of the floor of TC4. Laurie Duley took me and someone else of Crew 9 from something we were doing in Lime Grove to man a Mole crane on the pristine new floor. As driver, it was soon apparent that the floor was too uneven to keep all 4 wheels on the ground at the same time. Whirrrrrrr! went the driving wheel on one side – so I assume it must have had a diff. drive.

Anyway, an argument broke out between the linoleum (?) company responsible for the top layer and the contractor who had floated the ‘flat’ bed underneath. Once it was proved that the discrepancy was greater than the thickness of the lino, the contractor had to admit to the error. It was months before the whole floor could be removed and replaced – and I’m sure it put back the opening of TC.

So, when did TC3 begin to contribute to the output of BBC TV? Long before 1960, I’ll be bound. Maybe in November 1958, when I recall "Better Late!" assuredly in TC3.

Crew 6
TM Sam Neeter
Producer Michael Mills

Cast included Una Stubbs and April Olrich as cabaret dancers and Duncan McRae as compere behind a desk. The compere right of frame, April Olrich’s legs in fishnets left of frame, as she was standing on the desk.

Enlivened on one episode (possibly the second?) by Mills coming over LS talkback saying: “I want to do x, y and z, but Colonel Neeter says we can’t. But we’re going to!"

Ooooh! how BRAVE we all thought!

David Brunt

From the Genome project, “BETTER LATE!” seems to fit most of the clues, although it was shown on Tuesday. Maybe it was pre-recorded on Fridays?

From the Genome project:

Better Late!

A light entertainment introduced by Duncan Macrae.

The Company:

Patricia Raine
Jimmy Thompson
April Olrich
Paul Whitsun-Jones
Joan Pethers
Salvatore Pantalona
Rita Cameron
John Howard
Katharine Feather
Teddy Green
Una Stubbs
Richard Garner
The Palette Orchestra (Leader. David McCullum)
directed by Eric ROBINSON
with special orchestrations by Arthur Wilkinson
Musical numbers staged by John Heawood

Produced by MICHAEL MILLS

Cliff White

Having joined Tech Ops in late 1958, my very first diary entry for working in TC3 is 12th July 1960. Entitled "Training Exercises" I am sure this was the day that Crew 7, under the stewardship of that wonderful pairing of senior cameraman Dave Hammond and TM1 Cyril Wilkins, were let loose to practise on all the unfamiliar equipment there.

Then, from 25th September 1960 onwards, my diary lists a regular Saturday night L.E. spectacular in TC3 – with Crew 7 – entitled "Showtime!"

SHOWTIME

BBC Television, 25 September 1960 19.30

In the first of the new series David Nixon introduced stars from some of the then current West End musical successes, together with the Showtime Dancers and the George Mitchell Singers.

Script by David Climie, David Whitaker and David Nixon.

Produced By Graeme Muir

From “British Heritage Television” (http://405-line.tv/):