Robin Barnes
Dave Mundy
Robin Barnes and I survived S.T.O. Course (Tel.) No. 20, (31st. Jan.-22nd. April 1966) – together with many other distinguished people!
(Click on the picture below to see a larger or clearer version of this picture:
Click the “X” button (top right) to close the newly opened picture.)
Bernie Newnham
Mike Cotton and Robin Barnes:
(Click on the picture below to see a larger or clearer version of this picture:
Click the “X” button (top right) to close the newly opened picture.)
Geoff Fletcher
Robin was No.2 on Crew 14 in 1968 and when I joined that merry band, we became good friends. Carole (Mrs F at the time) and I often visited him and Sally at their home in Old Windsor, and we kept in touch for several years later on after I left the BBC. He and Sally also met us when up in Norfolk on Broads holidays. In 1969 he had a hamstring snap while playing tennis and it took several weeks of R & R to recover. Here is Robin still with his crutches taking it easy up on the Broads in May of that year.
(Click on the picture below to see a larger or clearer version of this picture:
Click the “X” button (top right) to close the newly opened picture.)
Andy Tallack
Peter Hider
Andy Tallack moved from TVC to OBs in the mid-sixties. I was with him on shows like “Z Cars” along with Hugh Shepherd and Senior Cameraman Mark Lewis.
Robin Sutherland
Andy moved from cameras in the late 1960s to a distinguished career as an OB Stage Manager. Retired some time and lives near Bognor Regis. He had a serious brush with cancer but seems ok now and as Dave mentioned attends the TelOBians reunions.
A lovely chap and an OB legend.
Here’s a shot of Andy with another OB icon John Pilblad at Andy’s favourite activity – motor racing.
(Click on the picture below to see a larger or clearer version of this picture:
Click the “X” button (top right) to close the newly opened picture.)
Peter Cook
Andy used to restore and race Morgan 3 wheelers.
John Adcock
Peter Hider
Welcome to the small island of England off the coast of Europe.
Back in the 1960s (before we were Europeans) a number of us shared a house in Acton known colloquially as 5 KEGS (5 King Edward’s Gardens). The ‘house master’ was Pat Hubberd of tech-ops and then presentation.
The regular residents included myself (Peter Hider, Cameraman then Associate Producer), Ed Hartley of O.B.s, Garth Tucker (Cameraman then Director) and Mike Du Boulay, from the colonies, who worked as a Cameraman and then went to Lighting and subsequently returned to Canada. The outsider was Bob Harris who worked for the G.P.O.
We had regular visitors including Gordon Blockley, a Studio Cameraman who went to O.B.s, Hugh Shepherd, Studio Cameraman then Weather and John Adcock who was at the time a studio cameraman but went to Childrens’ Department and rose up through the ranks to become Deputy Editor under Biddy Baxter and Edward Barnes. On one occasion he stood in for John Noakes who had fallen off the bobsleigh and the final edit included John Adcock going down the run.
We all went to a Wild West fancy dress party somewhere in Ealing complete with swinging saloon doors and giant cactii the evidence of which is attached. It all went well until about 3am when the neighbours called the police about the noise. They asked to see the Sheriff. They were very jovial and despite refusing an invitation to join the party, left us in peace.
Left to right: Hugh Shepherd, me, Gordon Blockley, Beryl(?) and John Adcock.
(Click on the pictures below to see a larger or clearer version of the picture:
Click the “X” button (top right) to close the newly opened picture.)
Gordon Blockley
Remembering John Adcock- a phrase that stirs a few memories of almost
half a century ago!
The young lady was Beryl, though I cant recall her surname, but I think she was connected in some way with Production of “Z Cars” – Hugh Sheppard, who is on the left in the picture will probably recall some details.
The party was held in Ealing where John Adcock was living, and was a very well attended affair, having been prominent in the social calendar for some weeks ahead, and was extremely well organised and presented
For the record, the original tenants of 5 King Edward’s Gardens were Pat Hubbard, Kevin White, Larry Harvest and myself. We moved in about 1962 and Frank Smith joined us sometime later, as did Eddie Hartley, and there were other changes as people left to get married, including myself in 1965.
Hugh Sheppard
Well, well, well! All our yesterdays. The Western party was held in 1963 or 64 when John Adcock lodged in West Ealing with the publican couple who managed a Fullers pub in Ealing or Hanwell.
Their private home was the base for John and I when we tried our hand at a writing a “Z-Cars” script over all too many weeks, for which the daughter of the house, Beryl, did the typing and kept us in good cheer. The three of us planned the party there, probably pegged to the movies “Gunfight at OK Corral” and “The Magnificent Seven” which made their mark at the time.
We taped a compilation of background music with audio excerpts from familiar programmes etc. for which I recall voicing the ‘News’ of a mythical rail-crash in the USA, in which: …’although more than one hundred lives were lost, there were No British Casualties.’
Otherwise, I still have the fancy waistcoat worn in the character of Doc Holliday, but even that couldn’t help me match the portrayal by Kirk Douglas on whom this was no doubt based.
(Click on the picture below to see a larger or clearer version of this picture:
Click the “X” button (top right) to close the newly opened picture.)
5 King Edward Gardens was a BBC haven as I recall, primarily occupied by sound and camera men, with Frank Smith and Eddie Hartley tolerated as ‘engineers’. For a non-resident, it was always a privilege to have an invitation. I sold a Jowett Javelin to Kevin J. White when he was resident; its number plate KJW 11 could be sold off as a useful supplement to a pension nowadays.
Funny that pictures like this should turn up – otherwise mine in studios are only of team photos. Even my PTO course of Winter 1958 – 9 hasn’t surfaced anywhere that I know of, so thank you Peter for making an old – er man very happy….. zzzzz …… zzzzz
And the script? David Rose, Elwyn Jones and John Hopkins took us for a waitress service lunch and said how much they liked it. Yes, they would want to make it. Just one proviso; would you please write 3 more first? And we couldn’t. I was off to Pres. and John to Childrens. Gone were the hours off-duty that irregular hours working had provided and we were grazing in new pastures….
David Brunt
Called “Bitter Pill” from the brief amount of paperwork about it in the “Z Cars” production files.Any information you can recall about the story content and the background details, I’d happily include it in the ZC Season 3 book later this year.
Tony Grant
Back in those (swinging) 1960s, I was swinging John Adcock on the Mole on a Dick Emery show, with Earnest Maxim directing. 60 degree lens on camera, and so we’ve got an MLS Dick on a song/dance routine, and we’re about 6 feet away from him on rehearsal. ‘Wham in one!’ over talkback. We don’t move. ‘WHAM IN, one.’ We don’t move, still 6 feet (or less) away from Dick. ‘WHAAAAM IN ONE’ positively screamed over talkback. No reverse TB, so John waves at boom mic, boom op lowers 4033 towards John. ‘Ernest, I AM in!’ ‘Well, wham out then.’
On the same show the FM was none other than James Moir. During the warmup, which was done by none other than Maxie himself, he always asked if anyone in the audience had any sweets, and of course, all the old dears would wave their fruit pastilles, or whatever they’d brought, and Maxie would pinch a few and start chewing. So, on the last of the series, Jim goes along the audience queue outside the studio giving them all hard sweets, and telling them to throw them at the man who asks if they have any sweets with them during the warm-up. Those who know/remember Maxie will be heartened to know this was the only time I’ve known him speechless as sweets rained down from the whole of the audience rostrum.
Ah, more happy days!
Rufus Cartwright
Dave Mundy
What happened to Rufus Cartwright after he was ejected from tech. ops?
Dave Plowman
I liked Rufus – never a dull moment.
Tony Crake
I thought Rufus was brill. His battles with the management provided endless interest..
“Public” school type and those orange lame trousers …!
I think he went to Olympic Studios (whoever and wherever they were).
David Deness
Olympic Studios was a recording studio in Barnes High St run by Keith Grant which was closed by Virgin/EMI in 2009 and is now a café and independent cinema with a small recording studio I believe. It was a wonderful studio with a very early Helios desk and recording space for an orchestra.
I worked there as a client recording music for, and post production dubbing of, “Top C’s and Tiaras”, a series for Channel 4 in the early 80’s produced and directed by Brian Izzard.
I never saw Rufus when I was working there
Keith Grant went on to be head of sound at Twickenham Film Studios.
A discography of the great acts that recorded there is available here.
Barry Bonner
Yes, a great character. I remember when he flew to South Africa (I think he had relatives or even parents there) but was refused entry unless he had his hair cut. So he stuck two fingers up at them and got on the next plane home! Great respect.
