Mike Cotton
I have been watching “To the Manor born” on the Drama channel and see that Crew 13 got a credit as did I think Colin Reed did in an earlier episode. Was this a one off ?, I think perhaps Jim Atkinson and Dave Mutton did get the occasional credit.
My one and only credit was a first for News and Current Affairs for “Watchdog” (I wait to be corrected) for a bog standard edition. Lino Ferrari was in the SCR and said “watch this space” as the credits rolled and grinned. I think he was proving a point and it never happened again in my lifetime.
Crew Mascots
TV cameramen never got a credit (well, hardly ever) whereas the few seconds worth of film insert into a TV programme always had the film cameraman credited (ACTT I guess). Some crews had mascots that they put somewhere on the set – at least the crew would be recognised by those in the know.
Crew 7
Doug Prior
For several years I used to make a wire frame “happy Xmas from crew 7” which we would hang In the set of the Christmas “TOTP”s.
Ron would select a spot at the end of a long track back and gently introduce it in the side of frame and throw focus.
They must still be on the archived Christmas stuff but I`ve not seen them again.
Peter Neill
I was on crew 7 when Ron returned from a Spanish holiday with a soft toy – Donald Duck dressed as a Matador. A figure 7 was crafted out of camera tape and stuck on his cape. He was named Septimus and became the crew mascot. He spent most of his time perched on the top of Ron’s camera, or attached to the Mole somehow, but he did appear in shot occasionally. I think he was on a mantlepiece or sideboard in “Softly Softly” once. I have no idea what became of him.
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(from elsewhere on the Tech Ops website – courtesy Bernie Newnham)
I believe that a cameraman (though I can’t remember who) used to drape his jacket casually in the set whenever he worked on a drama. I don’t think he tried it on period pieces though.
Crew 12
Roger Bunce
Not a mascot, as such, but when Crew 12 were working on “Playaway” circa 1979 we tried to work a number 12 into the set somewhere. On one occasion there was a cardboard-cut-out car, to which we added the number plate CRU 12.
Crew 13
Bill Jenkin
I suppose I daren’t mention the crew 13 mascot used on “Multi-Coloured Swap Shop” etc. Let’s just say it had a connection with Robinson’s jam.
Crew 15
Graeme Wall
For the last “Black and White Minstrels” we had “15” on George Mitchell’s tambourine.
Crew 17
Ian Norman
I was on Crew 17 for many “Multi-Coloured Swap Shops”. We had a mascot and it appeared on Noel’s desk.
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