Bernie Newnham
Did anyone here work on the last eposode, where they go over the top?
I was just reading someone saying on a forum that the crew refused to do another take.
Did they? Seems unlikely.
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Geoff Fletcher
Wasn’t this covered in that documentary about the Blackadder series that went out a couple of years ago? (ie 2014-ish). I can’t recall any mention of the crew refusing to continue. I think it was down to the emotional mood of the cast or a lack of extra pyros for another take or else time to reset them. Or was it that after seeing it in slo mo playback the cast said that was the one? Something on those lines, but not the crew.
Gary Critcher
Yes, I thought it was down to the cast and not the crew; they were too emotional after the first take that they couldn’t/didn’t want to do another…
Ian Hillson
I remember too (from one of the many Blackadder documentaries) that it was cast, not crew.
And that the slo-mo was decided on at the edit – along with that poppy field slide from Central Stills Library.
Nick Way
I was privileged to work on “Blackadder Goes Forth” and finally received a credit on Episode 1 which was then removed because of complaints that someone else didn’t, but with a promise of one on the last show, which of course never happened as no credits were added! I was a Deputy Sound Supervisor then.
With regard to the shooting of the last episode, from memory, we went right up to time in the main studio, then transferred next door to a smaller studio at TVC to record the last shot. I believe we were asked for an overrun which we agreed but it was probably just 15 minutes. I’m sure there was only one take as the reset would have taken far too long. When I finally dig my diaries out, I’m sure I’ll have a note of the time.
David Brunt
For such an important part of the episode (and season), it’s remarkable that John Lloyd et al didn’t think to pre-record that final scene in the afternoon.
Mike Minchin
Our rehearsal schedule was so crammed that there was no way we could have fitted in a pre-recording. The only satisfactory set up for the final shot was in a separate studio. Yes, a "second unit" could have shot it, but would the actors have been available?
I worked on that last episode of “Blackadder Goes Forth”, with John Hoare’s crew. I was actually sitting on a Mole, ready to take them up to the lip of the trench. But then… I don’t think it was political, more likely that the production team were not satisfied with what we could achieve in ?TC4, and we were close to "out of time". The recording ground to a halt, and the "final shot" was abandoned. That was not the last recording of the series. And next week, we shot an earlier episode, conventionally, while another crew set up that final shot in TC6. Typically we filled our recording slot, and then, already in over-run time, the now famous shot in TC6 was recorded. If anyone refused to have a second take, then it would have been the Technical Manager, as we were well over our scheduled finish, but it may well have been because of the time it would have taken to reset the Pyros.
Nick Way
….thanks for the detail! I honestly couldn’t remember the studios or the shooting order.
Dave Whitaker
Pete Evans and I shot this. We had to change studios in order to shoot the final sequence, it was very late but we never refused to work. Pete and I had a bet who would have the last shot on the series, sadly Pete won!
Roger Bunce
I wasn’t there, but I don’t believe [the crew refused to do another take].
I read something similar on Facebook, saying that the crew refused to overrun at the end of Episode One of "The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy". I was there for that one, and it certainly finished abruptly, leaving some ragged edges, but not because of the crew. I assume it was the Producer who chose to halt recordings, because of his budget. The only other person who might have refused to allow an overrun would have been the Technical Manager (TOM, TM2, SRM, etc.), if there had been a very tight turnaround before the next programme in that studio.
I get fed up with these myths about stroppy crews. I can’t think of a single occasion when a Studio Camera Crew refused to overrun (unless anyone knows different?).
Dave Plowman
I can’t remember a crew refusing to go on either – except during a dispute where there would be warning this would happen anyway.
It’s one reason I left the BBC. Des O’Conner recorded in TVT each Sunday. We always started recording very late – and expected to over-run to make up the recording time needed. Basically, giving the finger to those who worked on the program.
So I was amused when he ‘followed’ me to Thames. There, they were told in no uncertain terms (by the powers on high) that the recording would start on schedule. And it always did.
Albert Barber
In my experience, all crews were excellent. They invest their skills and expertise into a project and stick to it. Nowadays it’s still the same. Sometimes the Director is a twit and they still hang on. But if he or she is a twit and is rude or ungrateful they might say “OK another 15 minutes”.
The problems of overruns are:
1. Producer’s Budget and
2. Start time next day
I did ask if anyone would be prepared to give me 15 minutes on "Family Affairs” (Someone had to work on rubbish sometimes!) and I understood any problem that they might have in getting home etc and only one man said he didn’t want to over run. I said I respected his decision and he didn’t stay.
On finishing I went into the sound gallery to thank them and he was standing there. I asked why he didn’t want to over run and he said he had to wait for someone to take him home from the crew that was working. He was the twit!
Graeme Wall
Not BBC, but Southern: we were doing the last episode of a drama series and management wanted to stop the overrun, the crew politiely (sic) invited them to sling their hook and we finished the show. If I recall correctly, the senior cameraman was Dicky Bunn.
Philip Tyler
The best ever announcement at the end of an over run was on a Catherine Tate I did.
The RC, after checking the recording, had announced over talkback: “Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the hostage situation has been resolved and you can all go home!”
