Alex Thomas
I watched the New Year fireworks (01 January 2017) and it brought back memories of the BBC international firework competition that we mounted live in a muddy field near Windsor Castle.
Peter Cook
“’Elf & safety” and fireworks didn’t always mix. I am reminded of another TV fireworks competition at Hay’s Wharf . Empty shells rained down on us and we joked that the hard hats provided were probably high mass low velocity whereas we were in a hail of low mass at high velocity objects. Come the daring it was noticed that there was smoke and flame coming from the wooden jetty where ‘waterfall’ fireworks had set light to a collection of dry debris at the high water mark of the wooden jetty. BBC fireman attempted to put out the fire but only 2 of 10 or more BBC extinguishers worked. He was not a happy man! The Water brigade was summoned, arriving within minutes, and their high pressure water jets were needed to deal with the fire which by now was quite persistent. After that incident I only ever trusted BBC fire extinguishers from stores which had evidence of a recent service or inspection!
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Another firework anecdote: departing Wembley at the end of “Live Aid” (1985) in N2A, Europe (Goodyear Airship) we were asked if we could reroute via Hyde Park to do some aerial shots of ‘Royal Firework music’. I asked the Pilot (chief pilot actually, usually on the ground). In his native Texan drawl he asked:” Is there musicians and fireworks?" "Yes" I replied. His response was: "I ain’t goin’ near no musicians nor no fireworks". Despite the fact we were flying the biggest (helium) fire extinguisher in the sky, I was happy with his decision and after an already 14 hour day was content to return to Fair Oaks. Ironically one of my most memorable shots at Wembley was on ‘Rocket Man’, only made possible because the director was Tom Corcoran, the only director who understood that I could not hear a note of music, not having a feed of programme sound and that I could only just hear prod talk back over the sound of a nearby Pratt & Witney aero engine. His familiar system of bar counting was predictable and a godsend. Of course it must be remembered that his other bar counting was good. On a New Year’s Eve concert at Drury Lane, (Toyah) his shout at the pub was as ever: "Scotch? a double or a large one?"
Ian Dow
Peter did well to keep away from the Hyde Park concert. I was the EM on the ground and the wind changed as Handel’s firework music started. The spent fireworks began to land in the orchestra and on the cameramen, still sparking and spraying the occasional burst of flame. I remember spotting on one shot a rigger with a fire extinguisher from the camera van spraying the cellist’s long skirt, which was on fire, as she continued to play!
I presume “Live Aid” was mounted at short notice, otherwise what a duff bit of scheduling to have two live outdoor concerts simultaneously on BBC-1 and BBC-2…
Colin Hassell
I was there with Ian, amongst others, on the Sound Crew.
I seem to remember that Handel’s Fireworks was to be a big event going out live all over Europe, at the least.
Once Live Aid was announced we were quickly relegated and I believe, from memory, that only one other country, in Scandinavia?, took it live.
It was still a good event, and the fireworks were fff f-fortissimo loud!
Peter Cook
Given the line up for 5 or 6 hours of live music, I imagine that even Bob Geldof would have needed a lot of time to pull all the acts together, not to mention getting a booking for Wembley stadium. Duff scheduling then and probably BBC1 and BBC2 controllers did not confer. Remember also that “Live Aid” started with an afternoon session as well as an evening one. The daytime pilot was familiar with geography, but the chief needed my navigational assistance both to find Wembley (despite some obvious lighting at the old stadium, he wanted to go to Northolt) and also to get back to Fairoaks. ATC allowed us to overfly Heathrow as they were changing the pattern from 27 to 09 deg. Then even at night the M25 construction was a good landmark, plus I started training with the BBC flying club at Fairoaks before they moved to Denham. Here is what KA looked like in 1985. The photos were commissioned by Stan Snape, one of the EMs on “Live Aid”.
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Pat Heigham
I was staying with a friend near Toronto, some years ago. There was an international firework competition going on. We sat on the edge of Lake Ontario to watch.
The fireworks were set off from a barge moored off-shore, which also had huge speakers, as it was all synchronised to music – quite brilliant, as I think the time delay between the barge speakers and the audience on the bank had been taken into account, together with the flight time of rockets.
I remember that that evening it was the turn of an Italian town.
