Roger Francis

Some people didn’t enjoy the BBC as much as others. I do know an ex-colleague that just wants to forget the BBC. Doesn’t even want to get “Prospero”.

Albert Barber

All I can add is that there were some, hardly any, who didn’t like the days and fun we had at the BBC. What ever job you did it seemed to me that you were part of something wonderful that was there in the middle of the media, the news and the life of the times.

On the other hand, I know of some people that didn’t get boards, were disgruntled at not making any progress. Within the meritocracy that was a way of moving up through the ranks: boards were not perfect but pretty good. Of course, if you wanted to apply for jobs, or just staying where you were because it was the job you always wanted was up to you.

Often those people that didn’t fit in, left. I have to admit it was a club and those that didn’t fit in were so out of place, either incompetent or unpleasant, who left whilst moaning that they hadn’t been recognised as brilliant. That’s not to say there were characters who, whilst not perfect were fun to be with and made a team work. We always said there were some with so many brownie points that you could forgive them anything. Most, if not all I ever worked with, were great and made a contribution to the team even by their good humour when all was falling about your ears.

In fact writing this makes me realise that amongst human beings generally, I worked with some of the finest. Testimony to this site of Bernie’s is that I enjoy still that company which is the tech ops site. I know many who do not add to these blogs but enjoy something of that joy we all had at the BBC.

There were not many duds, but I had a First who was chatting up Make Up or the Seconds (something that we all did) BUT didn’t concentrate on the job either and often stopped the production as he hadn’t done this or that or his homework. He always felt he should be a Director as he thought himself better than most directors he worked with.

I asked him into the office and told him off and he replied that I was enjoying it too much and didn’t take it seriously. After several awards I wasn’t too bad and it was fun doing my job. He didn’t seem to know that you had to work into the night the day before to get the next day organised so that the next day was fun. He left disgruntled shortly after.

There was someone in VT who thought he was brilliant and did an attachment which didn’t go well for him. On his return he still thought he was brilliant and grumbled that his failure was nothing to do with him and he was still brilliant. He also left soon after.

Graham Maunder

An engineer who was on our ‘A’ course at Evesham (A51) was ‘terminated’ before the end as he was way too much of a maverick/genius as an engineer (what he wanted to do), but couldn’t do very well in the camera/sound tests (which he DIDN’T want to do).

Whilst we were there he built an incredibly bright and powerful torch (running on a car battery I think, then!) that he proceeded to be able shine a long, long way over the hills from the top of Wood Norton in a very narrow beam.

He also, amongst other things, built an RF transmitter so that we could all tune into one person’s tape collection whilst in D Dorm, and (more amusingly) a switching device that meant we could interrupt the BBC 1 signal going into the caretaker’s house and play X rated movies down his co-axe!

I can’t for the life of remember his name but have attached a pick from our ‘team photo”.

     (Click on the picture below to see larger version:
     use your Browser’s BACK button to return to this page)

     

He almost certainly went on to design or invent something amazing I’m sure!