A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Roger Bunce
Just watched “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (TX 30th May 2016). The good news is that the actors didn’t mumble – I think – I can’t be certain, because I still couldn’t bloody hear them because they were drowned out by the bloody music! Why? I mean what’s the point of doing Shakespeare if you can’t hear the dialogue? That’s the only bit wot Shakespeare wrote – the dialogue! And they’ve drowned if with incessant bloody music! Doesn’t anyone listen to the sound before they transmit things these days?
I mean, I always wanted to do “Midsummer Night’s Dream” with lots of special effects, to give it a proper sense of magic, to make the Fairies look like real Fairies (if you know what I mean). And I enjoyed most of this one (apart from turning Theseus into an evil cyber-Nazi, for no obvious reason). The acting was good. The woodland scenes looked magical. I didn’t notice any crossed eyelines. So, why oh why oh why couldn’t they turn off the Bloody Music and let me hear the Bloody Dialogue!
Mr. Grumpy of Sidcup.
Nick Moore
Glad it wasn’t just me that struggled with the dialog in places, I had put it down to the fact that I am going deaf.
Mr. Grumpy of Dartford
Geoff Fletcher
Absolutely agree with you! Also, the producer (or whatever) cut out chunks of dialogue which he considered non PC and therefore untransmittable! Bloody disgrace!
Disgruntled of Aylsham
Roger Bunce
Cuts Shakespeare’s dialogue, because it’s not PC, but adds Nazis, gay scenes, forced marriage and lady in bondage suit! What’s wrong with setting it ancient Greece, the realm of myths and magic, with Hippolyta as a proper Amazon warrior queen. It could have been so good . . .
Geoff Fletcher
Many moons ago (1959 to be precise) we at Market Drayton County Grammar School (aka MDGS) put on A Midsummer Night’s Dream as our annual school play. As a member of the Science VI with minimal acting talent, my role in this epic was manning the lighting console (in actuality a dodgy set of ancient vertical faders which got very hot indeed by the end of each act), and bunging six inch nails into the school main fuses to take the load. I was aided and abetted in this task by my pal Ray Cole, who was possessed of a whimsical turn of mind. Towards the end of a boring bit with no lighting changes, we had the following whispered (but not quiet enough) conversation, which he later wrote down and gave to me. I still have it today.
Ray: “Where’sTitania?”
Me: “She’s Oberon the other side of the stage.”
Ray: “Oh? What’s Titaining her?”
Me: “She’s pumping hydrogen into a hippopotamus!”
Ray: “Why is that?”
Me: “She’s trying to make a Hippolyta.”
Ray: “Well, I hope she’s holding the Philastrate!”
Me: “There’s Snout wrong with it as far as I can see.”
Ray: “How much longer have we got? I’ve had no tea, so I’m Starvelling.”
Me: “I think we’ve reached rock Bottom now”
At this point we fell into a hopeless fit of the giggles and missed a major lighting change, resulting in a severe bollocking from Little Rid, our red headed Welsh Physics master of uncertain temper, (and Lighting Director for the duration), who suddenly and unexpectedly appeared through the curtain covering our snug little console cubby hole, having been listening outside.
Which only goes to prove that my humour was fairly excruciating even back then.
But I’ve always liked “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ever since (and been wary of LDs)!
Patrick Heigham
At school, I found Shakespeare hard going (in spite of a classmate reciting ‘Et tu BRUTE’ instead of ‘Et tu Brutay’).
The plays only came alive when with a girlfriend I ventured to Stratford to see Henry IV pt 1. remember Alan Howard – staged with a professional cast, it was so much better than reading the printed word.
A cheeky story – held up in traffic, we were a bit tight to curtain up. At the time I was working for Thames Film Unit, and happened to have a large case label in my car, saying Thames Television – I stuck it on the dashboard, and the commissionaire said, “Leave the car there, sir (right at the bottom of the steps!) I’ll keep an eye on it!”
It wasn’t a sprauncy vehicle, just a smart Triumph Herald, (the BMWs came later).
Maybe he thought I was a Director with his PA, come to view an actor!
Trainspotting Live
Ian Dow
Not quite what I was expecting. I can see why their main site was the Didcot Museum where they had a controlled environment, but frustrating that the main line was through the trees behind them where you got occasional glimpses of trains!
Presenters too excitable, but the inserts from Doncaster worked quite well and they managed to play in the loco they had been expecting earlier which came through when they were on a VT insert. But having asked everyone to look out for any Class 66s what a shame nobody told them in their earpiece that one was passing behind them which they ignored!
I was EM on the BBC “Railwatch” programmes from the East Coast main line many years ago – live three times a day for a week. I think we were more flexible in that if something occurred when we were on air we would stay with it, and as a rail enthusiast (and spare time Signalman!) they didn’t mind if I fed info direct to the Presenters earpiece on air. Tonight they had the usual problem with this type of programme where APs have lovingly made pre-recorded inserts which they insist on using even when there’s better action live!
Mike Jordan
As in this, Ian?
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Ian Dow
I don’t think that photo was from “Railwatch”.
The other live train OB where I was EM was 3 hours live from the Watercress Line on “Live and Kicking”. That looked more like that one, but I don’t remember Don on the crew.
More clues please!
Dave Mundy
I was on an OB PSC unit on the original “Railwatch” with the well-known OB camera-person, John Pilblad, who in a previous life, had a shop in Leeds selling, among other LPs, his own recordings of steam trains. We travelled from Kings Cross in the cab of an HS125, and I have never seen JP so happy on a shoot!
Ian Dow
I did the pre shoot for the titles on an HST, rigging 04.30 at the depot, then down to Kings X, then to York. Had three minicams clamped on to various bits of the loco and in the cab. We had 3 minutes to derig the lot during the York stop, threading cables out of the air intake, and reclaiming the cameras. Couldn’t undo the bolt holding one of them onto the bogie just above rail level. Had to jump down onto the track (with permission of the minder in the cab) and apply a scaffold bar to the spanner. Station Supervisor did his nut and we got a severe bollocking. Train got away just 90 seconds late! Our footage used to appear whenever News ran items on the HST in their bulletins for several years!
Mike Jordan
It was a shame that Peter Snow’s stick mic was so muffled compared with other presenters. Surely he could have been provided with his own separate personal and an interview stick and some clever person (are there any left now post KA or even SiS OBs?) could have chosen the best as necessary. It was particularly bad as he said “Goodbye” whilst climbing into the cab and the stick was in his steadying hand!
Ian Dow
I have looked back at the recording to make sure I remembered correctly. Peter Snow started with a personal, then I think there was some drop out towards the end of the programme, and next time we came to him he had the stick.
The inserts from the two other locations using real trainspotters were presumably on Skype? Actually worked quite well. Even seemed to play in a pre-record, but whether this was played in from the main site or the location wasn’t clear.
David Denness
Kendal Avenue and SiS were not the sole repository of ‘clever persons’.
I left the BBC in 1968 and gained a bit of a reputation as being half decent in sound, as well as two Emmy awards, along the way before I retired this year.
Andy James, at his first Wimbledon without KA or SiS facilities last year, said to me that he had not realised what a great pool of talented sound people, both young and not so young, existed that he had no previous knowledge of. He asked me why he might never have met them so I told him it was largely because of the appalling rates paid by his previous employers and the attitude of many of their staff members of all grades to outsiders.
Tony Crake
Us old “KA lot” do get a bit excited about our one time abilities and past successes ! Largely due to the fact we all worked together, were probably slightly overstaffed, and had masses of available kit in a well stocked camera-van ! Lots of very clever people out there who we rubbed up against at those large OBs like Wimbledon etc..
The “late and great” Barrie Hawes was legendary in his handling of huge shows like the Eurovision Song Contest (for example ) with a totally handpicked crew of vast proportion and truck loads of gear… but nothing went wrong and the results were always superb ! Producers loved him and he was the No 1 “go to” person. Not everybody approved, however: there were always grumblings that “Bazzer” had hoovered up all the staff and kit for his show!
At the other end of the scale is the modern, cheap at all costs, make it up as you go along, mobile phone linked ‘shambles’!
Ian Dow
In both the first and second programme, Peter Snow lost his personal mic at about the same time in the show.
We once spent a long time investigating camera breakup at Ascot which tended to happen just after the horses crossed the finish line. Couldn’t reproduce the fault and after several race meetings eventually traced it to an Ambulance service aerial which was mounted out of our sight on the grandstand roof directly above the finish line camera. The control room were transmitting a “clear to go to the pub” message to the ambulance which tracked alongside the horses, once they all had finished without falling over! Perhaps Didcot has a secret transmission on the radio mic frequency triggered by a timer…
I thought the second night’s show was much better. Willing to be more flexible and broke into an interview to go live to the featured loco arriving at the remote location. Sorry to see in today’s paper that one of the “trainspotters” videos featured as “recorded a few minutes ago” had been seen on YouTube several months earlier!
Must be quite a busy team behind the scenes processing the incoming pictures from viewers. Pity they couldn’t have spent some of the money on a second camera at the remote to give them more chance to cut in passing trains instead of offering static shots of the presenter with station buildings in the background!
Tony Scott, Ian Hillson
Later, the BBC admitted “Trainspotting Live” gaffe as viewers go loco over old footage (
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Tony Crake
Another show of crashing about all over the place… very mumbly-jumbly! The sound and vision faults and dire crackling mobile phone inserts made for “cringeworthy” viewing!
Ian Dow
Peter Snow’s personal mic made it to the end of the last show of the series of three – might have been better if it failed!
Peter Snow:
“… We’ve got our emus, we’re spotting tonight”
“… let’s have a few emus, electrical multiple units, those slightly boring things frankly…”
“… steam trains are much more interesting than all this stuff…”
Is this the right man for the job?
Tony Crake, Alasdair Lawrance, Ian Hillson
Peter Snow not quite right for the job… agreed… quite “lost it” in fact! And the other guy with the hair ! Was anything written in his little book he kept waving at us ?
Entertaining for the wrong reasons…
I thought Hannah Fry and the chap from the NRM (Bob Gwynne (Associate Curator – Collections and Research Team) who gets wheeled out on lots of telly train items, and rightly so as he’s good value and very knowledgeable) were the best, and Peter Snow and the Fungus Face a bit of a waste of time. I would have loved a bit more about how line capacity is planned.
On the credits, there was one ‘Filmed by’ and 3 ‘additional camera’ – and boy, did it show!
John Howell
I watched the “Trainspotting Live” this evening and concluded much the same as others. But then… a curse on you railway fanatics… I just had to watch “The Titfield Thunderbolt”! They must have been very efficient engines – I think I saw only one shovel of coal get into a firebox.
But what a lovely sound track, clear dialogue, rich music, and a multitude of sound effects. Brilliant stuff!
Alec Bray
“… one shovel of coal …”, perhaps because in some shots it was a plywood superstructure on a lorry chassis.
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You can just make out the road wheels inside the loco driving wheels. No CGI in those days! All done in the camera or with travelling matte.
Here is a picture of the driver of the Bedford Truck Chassis used in the scene where the loco goes careering down the streets.
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The “Titfield Thunderbolt” is famous for the best “this shot should have been retaken” shot: the bowler bowls as the train goes by, the ball is a foot wide of the stumps but the bails fly off and the batsman is out.
Dave Buckley
I’ve pulled out my copies of “On the Trail of ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’” (Simon Castens) and “Titfield Thunderbolt Then and Now” and in the latter are the attached then and now photos. The captions make interesting reading.
The sequence of the runaway engine was filmed in Woodstock, Oxon, while the end shot of the sequence, where the engine crashes into a tree, was (I think) in Richmond Park.
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Pat Heigham
Quite by chance, I discovered “The Titfield Thunderbolt” available on BBC iPlayer.
It’s a super transfer, but with possibly a huge continuity error. Early on the train arrives in the station, with the engine pulling backwards. Before departing, it’s miraculously turned round and is facing forward, going the other way. I suppose there was enough (real) time for it to have been repositioned at the other end of the train, as there was a parallel track for that.
The Proms 2016
Vernon Dyer
” ….. why was his mic so low that he had to stoop to use it? “
He didn’t! It seems that people are so used to phones, or using or at least seeing personal mics, that they think any mic more than a couple of inches from their mouth can’t be right. It always annoys me, for example on University Challenge and especially on awards ceremonies, to see people do this dip to the mic. But then, I’m just an (ex-)cameraman, what do I know? What do you sound people think?
Pat Heigham
Currently checking through a DVD copy of the BBC Prom 38: John Wilson Orchestra – Gershwin.
Good balance, and I’m still annoyed that the sound mixer is not given a personal name check.
I would love to know if the slung mic rig is permanent for the concert run, or could be modified for each performance. I would have been interested to shadow the mixer when planning the mic placements.
I had a job to cover a boxing match at the RAH, and couldn’t get an overhead mic over the ring, ‘cos, as usual, not enough lead time had been built in. It was a real bugger, as it was on 16mm Auricon SOF cameras and the playback hum level was really appalling. (I think it was for “Sportsview”).
Dave Mundy
After those last comments about the sound credits someone posted a link to a magazine article about the whole sound rig for the proms, and very complex it is too – I know I’ve helped in years gone by!
The Sound Alliance has also been explained at the same time! It consists mainly of a TV OBs SS Andy Payne, who took over the mantle one of our best OB SS, Graham Haines. Graham did the St. Matthew Passion in Lincoln Cathedral which would have been my all-time favourite program to work on if I had been in OBs at the time!
Mike Giles
Andy’s principal partner is my son-in-law, Matthew Charles – ex BBC TV OBs/SIS, but I believe they are becoming increasingly involved with radio people.
Bernie Newnham
Walking along the South Bank today passed a BBC Radio OB truck labelled Sound 10. So do Radio OBs continue as ever?
Tony Scott
Radio OBs (and Studios) have remained in house.
Dave Mundy
Years later, when I had joined OBs, I did the Coronation sequence from the ‘Prisoner of Zenda’ in the Cathedral. As an added perk I was elected to ride in the Coronation coach on a low-loader, on the floor, with a 416 radio mic! I almost got carried away with the pomp and ceremony and nearly waved to the assembled, cheering, NSAs!
Unfortunately, the venerable resident organist couldn’t quite manage the well-known Widor’s Toccata but the organ scholar could! However, precedence ruled and to my amazement, at the subsequent edit, they dubbed an electronic organ over the sequence! YUK! Andy’s partner is from Radio I believe, and they bought the OB sound truck when SIS gave up on OBs.
Also, on a night shoot in the grounds of Belvoir Castle (pronounced Beaver!) I was lying in the bushes, again with a 416, gathering first-class SFX of galloping horses until the early hours. I then had to high-tail it back to base for a quick shower before my DSS board! I retold my adventures of the past few hours and got the job! So they do have as sense of humour after all!
Peter Cook
Lincoln Cathedral, now that brings back memories. As well as a TVC operated Nike, the set up included two cameras mounted on Gully Dollies. Performers were dotted about the Cathedral, and as it was live we had to get cameras to them. Unfortunately there were steps up and down, for instance, between the chancel and the choir. Imagine the challenge presented by moving several hundred weight of kit and doing it quickly but also quietly. A Gully was a fairly primitive spring balanced ped. These involved Rigger drivers who were strong but not famous for understanding the wishes of the Sound department. But remarkably it all went well. We even gave the Bishop a ride on the Nike after a rehearsal, and we were offered a snifter by him in what was probably the Bishop’s Palace after the TX. Happy days. Graham, aka Happy High Speed Haines, ‘cos of his speech delivery system, had tremendous mixing skill, but also a great sense of humour. In about 1964 we were rigging in Southwark Cathedral. I was on a spell of sound training and was rigging slung mics from the triforium. Totally forgetting where I was I lit up. Graham directing operations from down on the floor promptly remarked ‘Oh look, one of the gargoyles is smoking!’. Sufficient bollocking and a quick extinguish.
Graeme Wall
I remember going up to Lincoln with the Nike on one occasion, can’t remember the programme though. The Citreon Safari, as used on the racing, was there and I had a ride round the close on it, getting a tracking shot of the cathedral.
Sitcom Season
Background
To mark the six decades since “Hancock’s Half Hour” made the leap from radio to TV, some “missing” episodes from classic sitcoms were reworked in late Summer 2016 with current comedians, and well-liked comedy characters were revisited in four brand new one-off episodes based on “Are You Being Served”, “Porridge”, “Goodnight Sweetheart” and a Prequel to “Keeping Up Appearances”.
Dave Plowman
A guilty confession – I actually enjoyed “Are You Being Served” and “Porridge”. I’d probably not even have watched them if there was something on I’d have preferred, since I’m not really a sitcom fan these days.And as with the originals, I liked “Porridge” out of the two. With better casting, as well as a stronger script. Perhaps easier to cast with fewer principles trying to copy the old.I was hoping I might see someone in the credits dating back from when I worked on them – but if there was, I missed it.But it was good to know Mrs Slocombe’s pussy could still get so many laughs.
Peter Neill
But there was a character named Lotterby in “Porridge”. Actually, looking at the “Porridge” credits, many of us will remember Julie Metzinger. And, of course, Hilary Breigel is also well known to a lot of people, likewise Nick Roast and Rob Butler-Biggs for “Are You Being Served”.
Roger Bunce
I quite liked them both. “Are You Being Served” was well cast, and the script contained a predictable amount of smut, but somehow failed to be funny. I’m sure Mrs. Slocombe’s pussy was normally mentioned only once a week. This time it became tediously repetitive.
“Porridge” also had a good cast, and the script was genuinely funny – but the Sound! Why were the laughs so much louder than the dialogue? Sometimes it drowned out the punch lines! – which suggests the audience were all psychic. Were these really recorded ‘as-live’ in front of a studio audience? The laughter sounded artificial, often following jokes which only deserved a smile. Or is it that once you’ve ‘film-looked’ the pictures they don’t look live, so any laughter immediately seems out of place?
Pat Heigham
I am also not keen on rehashes of old and loved programmes – never as good as the originals.
Which brings me on to the scheduling (if you can call it that) of the multiple digital channels that we are now blessed with receiving – WHAT! loads of repeats, and often with as many as 13 back-to-back episodes – I call that lazy programming, some poor individual is tasked with filling the airtime available. Of course it costs £££ to create new programmes.
Radio 4Extra is also guilty – a series of programmes put on early is repeated about 8 hours later, when I’ve already heard it the first time.
Oh! say the young and barmy broadcast executives, the listening/viewing audience is now choosing for themselves what they want via internet players etc. So looking to the future, would we enjoy a ‘build-it-yourself’ day’s entertainment from a shopping list, like ordering from Amazon – don’t laugh, it’s imminent.
Keith Wicks
Well, I do hope that I never have to rely on TV and radio for a full day’s entertainment. I never watch live TV, except for occasional news programmes and some football matches. But I do record anything I might be interested in so that I can watch it later, sometimes weeks later, when time is available and I’m in the right mood. I regard the ability to select what I want, when I want, as extremely valuable. It’s like ordering from Amazon – don’t laugh, it’s here! Much better than watching, or listening to, something some programme planner has chosen for me.
Railways: the making of a Nation
Graeme Wall
The sound levels are all over the place and the VOs are muffled and lower than the location sound.
The whole series went out conventionally weekly on BBC4.
Mike Jordan
All a bit difficult to catch the series as they were originally shown across several regions in the “opt-out” period. Have to search around for their repeats on BBC4 and I caught/recorded a couple of the originals via 2 Freesat receivers from the original TX. I guess they will all show up on network at some time. Regarding the audio, this is everywhere nowadays and I note from final credits that one George Henton Filmed (sic), Directed and Produced the show – busy boy – not enough time to place mics. Post Production in Leeds! That oddly haired presenter is an excess of what they all do nowadays with violently nodding head throughout to cover edits and very noticeable totally random video cutaways during interviews to cover the picture part whilst the single camera re-pans and audio continues to be recorded (somehow on what? 2 channels on camera? – presenter (mic under scarf or down front of dress/shirt) and interviewee?. I think I spotted Monty Don with mic/radio pack in top shirt pocket the other day! Quite often male presenters with tightish T shirts have strange lump inside at chest level – wonder what that is? Saves windshield and better than everyone wearing “Britney headsets”. A previous programme comment I made was presenter walking along riverbank with muffled audio under scarf and suddenly crystal(ish) clear audio cut in on post! Interesting show though!
Dave Lawson
I watched the edition on the southeast region, and it sounded like the “studio” recorded voiceover was replayed at a very low level or was it that the dubbing lineup wrong. If it was on a separate track, the replay lineup could have sorted it. What do they use for transmission these days and how many tracks do they have to play with?
Oh I forgot, was anyone there to make any adjustments?
Graeme Wall
Ironically the episode on New Commuters had a clip from a 1970s programme by John Betjeman. The sound on that was much better than the modern material.
Pat Heigham
Maybe there was a dedicated sound recordist there! This brings me on to a not very pleasant memory of a shoot at the French waterskiing championships one year.
Scenario: The USA guy tipped to win was about to make his run – his ‘mom’ and loved ones were in the audience, miked up for reaction. Our cam was to be on them, the event broadcaster would provide the ‘run’ footage.
Suddenly my cameraman yelled that he was out of battery, and legged it for the camera car. I could have run the camera from the BVU recorder (in those days), but he was too inexperienced to know.
As I needed to get a sound track from the audience, I picked up the cam to start the recorder, and having been trained by our wonderful BBC, knew how to frame a shot to get something like a useable picture.
Cameraman arrived back – late – and vociferously objected to me taking the shot: ” I’m the cameraman, I do the shots!” Later, he complained to the facility company which we were working for – I was re-assured that if I hadn’t done what I did there would have been repercussions from the client.
What pissed me off more than that was the fact that the cameraman had been known to me as a driver for Thames TV and I had given him much support in his strive to move into technical production. We shook hands after the spat, but he still complained as related above.
I had no respect for him after that. Perhaps he had no idea about ‘team’ work.
Antiques Road Show
Mike Jordan
A whole lot on Facebook about the latest series.
From Facebook: “… Vision friends, what has happened to Antiques Roadshow? Juddery pictures, poor contrast handling, out of lip-sync …”
Geoff Hawkes
I saw a bit of last night’s show (04/09/2016) and noticed one crab left and tighten from the establishing 2s to the punter on the right that I wouldn’t want to have been responsible for. I thought it was just bad luck with the Dolphin on uneven ground but perhaps not. I hope they aren’t going to use wobbly cam too much as it draws attention to the camerawork, not the content – which is what it’s all about.
Pat Heigham
I also hate handheld ‘wobblycam’, much noticed with cuts to properly mounted shots.
I worked lots with a freelance cameraman who delighted in the nickname of ‘rubber legs’ as he could hold a walking backwards shot perfectly steady, a sort of human Steadicam !
Poldark v Victoria
Geoffrey Hawkes
I was disgusted last Sunday when on BBC1 we were Being Served with warmed-over Porridge while ITV were victorious with a tasty new dish. I can’t understand auntie’s drooling over past successes rather than leaving them to UK Gold or whatever. At least she’s now getting her menu fixed with a fresh helping of “Poldark”, though I’ve not seen it yet as we kept on with “Victoria”.
Graeme Wall
“Poldark”, of course, is another hark back to the 1970s.
Nick Ware
It frustrates me too that the Beeb choose to serve us up with oldkraP (anag.) while ITV have “Victoria”, which in most respects, and sound in particular, is way better than any BBC drama we’ve seen since “The Night Manager”.
And that’s saying something – it takes a lot to persuade me it’s worth suffering tampon and toilet cleaner ads every ten minutes!
Strictly Come Dancing (aka Strictly)
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Mike Jordan
Some strict thing had audio problems. Just can’t get the (Wood Norton) trained staff!
[Daily Mail]
“…30 minutes into the prime time special, Twitter was awash with viewers complaining about the ‘wobbly’ listening experience, saying they were finding the show difficult to understand…
‘… What’s with the sound on #Strictly ? Presenter and judges sound like they’re underwater chewing gravel…’ …”
Peter Neill
I see the sound credits are for Tony Revell and Andy Tapley. Both very experienced with many (if not all) series of “Strictly” under their belts. Could it have been a TX problem?
John Howell
There is an extensive example at 45 min 11 sec into the programme lasting until about 47 mins in. I agree that it appears to be a sort of digital burbling (that’s the best an old analogue person can do as a description!) and it was present on music, pre-recorded material and the judges and presenters microphones.
I’m certain that if this occurred in the studio it could only have been a sound desk problem to have affected so many different sources, and with such obvious artifacts proceedings would have halted immediately. Similarly if it appeared during the VT edit.
I await the explanation!
Television’s Opening Night: How The Box Was Born
TX BBC 4 21:00 Wednesday 2nd November 2016
” …In a unique experiment, Dallas Campbell, Professor Danielle George and Dr Hugh Hunt join forces in an attempt to re-stage the very first official broadcast on British television, exactly 80 years after it made history…”
and, perhaps, the birth of BBC TV Technical Operations…
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These comments were made before the programme …
John Howell
It’s one of those programmes that’s often difficult to get right.
Graeme Wall
If it is “The Man with a Flower in his Mouth”, I remember doing that back in 1976 in TC4(?) with a functioning Baird 50 line camera. The output was fed to a modified monitor that had an EMI 2001 looking at it to get it on air.
Simon Vaughan (APTS Archive)
it was interesting being at old Hornsey Town Hall for some of the filming, and watching them construct the Spotlight studio. But that didn’t really give me much insight into the programme.
Having attended the preview at the BFI I’m not sure what I thought. The programme is very much centred on the technology of the Baird Spotlight scanner and the difficulties in recreating it. It is very much in the “Christmas Lectures’ vein making Dr Hunt and Prof George very at home. Dallas Campbell on the other hand!!
The interviews with Lily Beaumont, now 93 (pre-war child performer), and Paul Reveley, now 104 (John Logie Baird’s assistant), were great to see and gave a personal touch to the programme.
Do not expect an accurate recreation of the opening ceremony. If anything the programme showed how impractical the Baird system was in terms of programme production, and gave a modern perspective on the events of the opening day.
