Mike Jordan
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Peter Cook
Do you notice the different cameras each purported to be on photos from 1964 from Carols from Kings? The second photo captioned “2014” shows a Marconi Mk3. The first “1964” photo of a camera on Wembley dolly is earlier. It shows a Marconi Mk 2. I cannot imagine both Mks being used together on the same scanner. I would question the year anyway, as I was at Kings for the 1964 recording with London LO1 (MCR 21) which had PYE Mk 5 cameras. Crew Harry Coventry, Selwyn Cox, Andy Tallack and Bob Buttimere. Two reasons to doubt the captions.
I think that the photo of the ‘Towers’ that Mike posted is also more likely to be 1954 than 1964 as they were not around at Wembley in 1964. London OBs were in 1964 equipped with Pye Mk 6’s excepting one scanner (The Ice Cream Van) still running Pye Mk 3’s. The first encounter I remember with a Marconi Mk 3 was when sent as relief to cricket at Lords with a Midland unit. During line up orbit needed to be turned off. The engineer and I waited a couple of minutes for each other to do that. I was used to the Pye 6 where that was switched on the CCU. After an embarrassing pause, a voice in my ear said, “You haven’t switched it off!’ I had to admit I expected him to do that and had no idea where the switch was located on the camera.
Robin Sutherland
I would agree with Peter.
The programme shown on BBC 4 on Christmas Eve was of the first broadcast of Carols From Kings in 1954 and the pictures showing Marconi Mk2s would certainly have been from that era. The Marconi Mk 3 would be of the late 50s/early 60s. Bearing in mind this was [and still is] a regular annual OB I’m sure photos were taken on many occasions.
Ian Hillson
The Mk III is older than you think! From the definitive guide: "The Marconi Mk III 4.5 inch Image Orthicon 4-lens turret camera, appeared first in late 1954".
These were installed at Dickinson Road (from new?) in Studio A which the Beeb bought in 1954 from Mancunian Films, and they gave long service until the BBC moved to NBH in Oxford Road in the early 70’s – even being converted to work on 625, I see!
Ironically, the National Media Museum in Bradford has an ex-Thames TV example…
Geoff Fletcher
In 1980 when we were both at Anglia TV, Trevor Vaisey donated his own Marconi MkIII to go on Anglia’s Vinten dolly and this was then presented to the Bradford Museum. Here is a photo of same with the camera section prior to its despatch.
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A few ex BBC Tech Ops faces are evident, Jules Greenway extreme left in the coat, Chris Paine (Cardiff) fourth from left, Paul Markwell sixth from left at the back, Trevor Vaisey in the tie next to the greybeard ancient in centre of frame, me with arms folded fifth from right with Stan Thorpe’s son Steve on my right, and Nobby Noble on the seat of the Vinten. The greybeard figure was Anglia’s senior chargehand spark Russell wearing a Moses mask and wig – we included him for a laugh as one of Anglia’s management suits had recently accused us of being "a somewhat elderly department"!
Alex Thomas
I believe that before the arrival of digital standards converters, the ITV programme “Double Your Money” and others of that ilk were made using Marconi Mk III cameras on a line standard of around 1,000 lines.
This was tape-recorded on 35mm film and then could be used anywhere in the world on any standard using a telexing machine. I think that the studio might have been in Fulham. If this is true then the Mk III was a remarkable bit of kit. It was also robust.
We were at Aintree out in the sticks at Belcher’s Brook in the Sixties. Vandals got in to the racecourse in the night, climbed up one of the camera towers and threw a Mk III off the rostrum still attached to its camera cable. The camera was found next morning about 30 feet down hanging on the cable. To our surprise it was OK and survived its fall.
