Toby Hadoke
I have been contacted by Peter Harness who, amongst other things, has written for the latest series of “Doctor Who”, was showrunner on the UK version of “Wallander” and wrote the TV adaptation of “Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell”.
He’s a good guy, and has asked for me to reach out to see if anyone out there can help. I’ll hand over to him:
"… I’m trying to track down a lady who was (I think) the first or only female BBC camera operator in the 1980s. Her name was (I think, again) Sheridan, and she was working in news in the late 80s.
It’s for a project about the lesbian invasion of the six o’clock news in 1988. A serious one, not a piss-take – am trying to get in touch with anyone who was involved, and apparently Sheridan was arrested alongside the protesters because she was a woman and standing near a camera … "
If anyone has any help or memories…
Graeme Wall
The problem is that even then the newsroom cameras were remote operated, so didn’t have camera operators of any gender. The BBC’s first female camera operator was recruited in the mid 1970s and worked in studios, initially with Crew 5. Her first name was Barbara.
Martin Eccles
Barbara Franc is now a respected Artist…
Graeme Wall
I see she doesn’t mention the BBC in her career path!
Dave Mundy
I’m not surprised that she doesn’t mention the BBC! She specifically requested to be treated like any other crew member with no special ‘light’ duties and yet on every sit-com she was pointed out to the audience as ‘our first camera girl’. I think she left studios and went somewhere where she wasn’t so publicly embarrassed.
