Pat Heigham

In the 1960s I worked on a fantastic programme to celebrate Winston Churchill’s 90th Birthday.It took the form of a résumé of the entertainments that would have been prevalent during his life -music hall – plays etc. I was busy on most of the pre-recorded, well-staged reconstructions, and the whole thing was to be assembled like a live show in LG ‘G’, onto 625, 525 Ampex, 16 and 35mm telerecording also.

Pat’s story is already told here:
http://tech-ops.co.uk/next/retake-thats-a-wrap/

The programme was “Ninety Years On”.

Peter Hider

I’m convinced that the Churchill show was much earlier. It was made to celebrate Churchill’s 90th birthday which was 30th November 1964. I worked on it and only remember Arthur Askey , Margot Fontaine and Roy Castle but there many others.

I think I was on the Camera Pool at the time and my diary shows it was made in TC1 with Crew 11 (Bob Longman?) on Sunday 8th and Monday 9th November in between making “The Count of Monte Cristo” series every week in Studio G at the Grove.

Are all Tech Ops as obsessive about dates and diaries? It’s 53 years ago and I know what I was doing.

Dave Mundy

I also worked on it and I remember Margot Fonteyn insisting on doing lots of takes until she was satisfied it was perfect! Sadly, I heard afterwards that the ‘Great Man’ fell asleep during the show and missed most of it! I now know how he felt!

John Farr

I think that Bob Baxter was the Senior Cameraman, Bob Longman was STelE in Manchester; and returned to TV Centre, I think, as Chief Engineer Television.

Geoff Fetcher

Was that the one with Georgia Brown singing ‘London Pride’? The two Ronnie doing ‘Mad Dogs And Englishmen’ between acts and changing costume and make up each time?

Pete Neill

You’re not thinking of the Nöel Coward programme are you?

Hugh Sheppard

BBC Genome throws up “The Coward Review” at 19.35 on Boxing Day 1969, with Georgia Brown, but produced by Jimmy Gilbert.  On the same day, Michael Mills was named as a producer within “BBC 2’s Company of Comedy” at 19.00. (A huge reprise running for only 35 mins).

“Ninety Years On” would be the programme that is the best match …  

Also see BBC Genome:  http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/1964-11-29  

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But.. but.. Georgia Brown is not listed – and that’s who I wanted to find it for!
Nor does YouTube – or anyone else – seem to have a clip.  Gone. But clearly not forgotten.

Peter Neill

So there was at least a Nöel Coward connection between the two programmes!

Geoff Fletcher

“The Coward Review” is the one I was thinking of! I checked back in the old Fletch diaries and discovered the following entries.

SATURDAY 29th NOVEMBER 1969
	Fuel (Petrol):	2 Gallons Benzole: 13/2 (£0.66)
	Mileage:	64 Miles    Guildford – White City TV CentreWhite City TV Centre – Guildford
	Work:	TC1: Noel Coward Revue (1130 – 2215)Camera 4     Crew 8Senior Cameraman: Ron Peveral
Snow again – lots of it. All crew parked inside at TVC after rows with Commissionaires. Noel Coward prog – lots of pretty girls around. Made a pleasant change. To Linda’s 21st party in evening in snow

SUNDAY 30th NOVEMBER 1969
	Fuel (Petrol):
	Mileage:	62 Miles    Guildford – White City TV CentreWhite City TV Centre – Guildford
	Monthly Mileage:	1551 Miles
	Work:	TC1:Noel Coward Revue (1000 – 2345 [Scheduled 2300])Camera 4     Crew 8     Senior Cameraman: Ron Peveral
Snow still about, but a thaw set in. 45 min overrun – day still OK.Very tired though – long day and lots of  work.

Price of fuel back then makes you weep – 2 gallons is 9.09 Litres which would have cost me £10.15 in Norwich yesterday!

Peter Neill

Well, that’s part of the mystery solved.

Geoff Fletcher

The Two Ronnies did ’Mad Dogs …’ against a single flat. I did the two shot on Cam 4. They changed togs between takes so we had both as pukka Indian Army types complete with solar topees, one each as a Memsahib, and finally both as Memsahibs. I think I have that right but may be in error as to sequence – I do however distinctly remember all of us being  convulsed with laughter.

Pat Heigham

IMDb has “Ninety Years On” as released (transmitted?) on 29th Nov 1964.

The assembly was based in Studio G – the scene of my belittling by Mills.

There were sequences shot all over – I recall some in Riverside, but TC1 could well have been a venue, for the bigger sets.

Shame it’s missing, but as it was sold all over the world, it might be that there  is a USA standard 525 line version, or a 35, 16mm telerecording lurking somewhere in a skip at the back of an outback bar in OZ!

Sometimes things turn up.

I’ll contact a guy called Charles Norton, who looks after the archive, what remains of it! He’s quite young so would not have original memories of material. He was very helpful in guiding me to purchase DVD versions of a seven part series I worked on, following McLaren’s F1 team around the world – “The Team-A Season with Mclaren”.  Not cheap, but as I had accidentally overecorded two of the off-air episodes on S-VHS, it’s great to have pristine DVDs from the transmission masters!