Destruction at Television Centre

Philip Schofield (Twitter)

Digger parked on the floor of Studio 4 BBC TV centre, before they pull it down. Mad destruction of an iconic building.

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Peter Neill

For the sake of accuracy, I believe that this is TC8.

Jeff Booth, Philip Tyler, Barry Bonner

So much for the ‘soft soled shoes’ rule! But it’s got rubber shoes (OK, wheels) and they are soft (ish). However, they are going to have to do some track-laying to get rid of the footsteps! It’s not the first ‘digger’ that’s tried to destroy the BBC but this one looks like it’ll succeed! But brownie points must go to Phillip Schofield for criticising the whole stupid sale:

“.. It is utterly shocking, it’s outrageous, it’s a critically appalling decision. It’s an amazing building. London is desperately short of studio space. You can’t find a studio.

It’s purpose-built, it does everything you want television to do, so why don’t we pull it down. It’s criminal….”

– Phillip Schofield

Alasdair Lawrance

I find the photo of the digger in TC incredibly sad. A terrible comment on the philistines who now run our civic society, that they can destroy the organisation, and no-one cares, except a group of old gribles.

I thought it was bad enough when Pebble Mill became a pile of rubble, but this photo, in the same week that billions are being paid for football broadcast rights is heart breaking.

Patrick Heigham

Agreed, depressing.

And who was that Alistair Shaw – Managing Director of TVC (on the subtitle) – who said London needs an entertainment production centre. IT ALREADY WAS!!

Good for Schofield – but who listens to good advice?

I think it dates back to when the Accountants decided to charge productions for technical facilities, so producers went elsewhere to avoid cost implications – shooting in converted warehouses and hangers to the detriment of Sound (particularly) and Picture (rigging lighting etc).

Although it could have been thought of as a factory – how many employees of factory buildings up and down the UK would be so sad and affected as we are by the destruction of their workplace, where we learned and practised our trade? Staffed by brilliantly trained engineers, technicians and production teams – managed by dickheads.