From Paul Kay

One of the great characters of Tech-Ops in the fifties and sixties was Frank Rose. Frank was mostly a technical manager, sitting at the end of the production desk as first point of contact for all things technical.

This is Frank –

And here’s Paul on Frank…..

Frank bore resemblance to a Horse hence his nick name, which he gave himself. He had the uncanny gift of naming various tech-op members after animals and insects. He also had look- alikes e.g. Jim Atkinson was Burl Ives, I think Burl would be flattered. Another was Remus (This was the late Cyril Wilkins and he hated it so Frank stopped) There were also Trade names e.g. Auctioneer, Bishop, Dentist, Lamplighter, Estate Agent, Lay Preacher. Kensington Virgin, Directorial Dormouse.

I am not going to name names, but we had an Anteater, Boxer Dog, Camel, Cob Nut, Cod, Emu, Fuzzy Bear, Green Fly, Giraffe, Hedgehog, March Hare, Porcupine, Stick Insect, Praying Mantis, Stoat, Water Boatman. There were dozens more I just cannot remember them all.

Imagine arriving one Sunday morning through a Snow storm and an unofficial rail strike, Frank is in the Control Room and says “Watch’yer Bash, glad you made it, (I was ‘Basher’ not a horse name – but that is another story). The Stick insect has rung up, he has to take his lad to hospital, but should be in for rehearsals. Greenfly is sick. The Boxer has already collared one of the duty standbys. Ah! Here is the Lay Preacher. And so it would go on.

Frank who I believe had worked with Baird, coined the phrase ” Effing Bastorial Neo Baird System” about any piece of equipment, however new which had the slightest fault. (Frank never used the F word always effing)

Frank was a gentleman through and through, he also loved playing parts he had seen on TV movies. Peter Loire, Charles Laughton were his favourites. He was also an excellent clarinettist, and would play in the studio in lunch breaks, especially if there was an orchestra set. Frank bought a new humour into the Studios – only a couple of weeks ago at the May “disorganised lunch” we were talking about him and using ‘horse’ names.

RIP Horse – I expect that you are naming many in the Great Studio in the Sky

..and more, this from Ray Angel –

“I worked with Frank Rose for some while in 1955 when he was a racks supervisor. He then called everyone who he addressed in friendly manner “old horse”. It came about in time that everybody else referred to him himself as “the old horse” and from there he started his great and ever expanding menagerie of nicknames for everyone else. Any resemblence Frank had to any animal was not simply due to others simply considering that he looked like that animal. I myself was later, and quite early in his menagerie, called “The Panda”.”

…and here are many Horse names, collated by Paul Kay –

Gerry Millerson – The Moose Don Cowie – The Yak

Ron Pottinger – By and Large Peter Murray – The Estate Agent Alan Arbuthnot – The Wasp

Jack Gray – The Anteater Terry Wild – The Woolly Bear

Brian Hawkins – The Boxer Dog

Derek Thopson – The Evangilist also The Lay Preacher and Punch Len Broadbent – The Bison

Laurie Macdonald – The Antique Dealer Sam Neeter – Arf a mo Kaiser

Ron Koplick – Herr Himmler Tommy Holmes – The Stoat Bill Watters – The Otter

Monty Moncrieff – The Bookmakers Clerk

Mike Jefferies – The Pony also The Teenage Tom Dicky Higham – The March Hare

Clive Leighton – The Poet Dave Bull – Larry Adler

Jeff Jeffery – Planet of the Apes George Prince – The Wood Pigeon Jim Atkinson – Burl Ives

Ray Butt – The Cob Nut Eddie Stuart – The Piglet

Heather Gilder – The Kensington Virgin Mary Kellerher – The Dormouse

Derek Donague – The Ostrich Ian Gibb – The Emu

Otis Eddy – The Praying Mantis

Cyril Wilkins – Remus Wilkie hated this Frank Cresswell – The Dentist

Len Shorey – The Lamplighter also Hollyhock Ron Meager – The Hobbler

Pam Meager – (Make up) Bambi John Dixon – The Scoutmaster Bruce Armstrong – The Ox Keith Sileance – The Bishop Derek Hartop – The Beaver

Vince Campbell – The Porcupine Mike Barrett – The Green Fly

Steve Blatchford Chris Wickham – Stick Insect/ Water Boatman Don’t remember who was who Mike Bond – The Camel. (Mike told Frank that “You give me the hump” so Frank never used it again Douglas Routledge – Whoops also Horlicks

Tommy Dawson – The Badger Cliff White – The Gnat

Mike Cotton – The Sultan

Jack Walsh – The Opium Smuggler Tim Healy – The Old Owl

Clive Doig – Spadger

Trevor Webster – The Barnsley Mill Apprentice

Rodney Taylor Graham Arnold – Gomez and Mendoza I don’t remember who was who Tim Healey – Old Owl

Clive Doig – Spadger

Pete Leverick – The Hyena Brian Roberts – The Owl Chris Eames – Aristotle

Chris Penny – The Great White Hunter John Holmes – The Pastry Cook Adrian Bishop Leggat – The Pilchard Alan Kerridge – Max Bygraves Jnr Chris Glass – The Onion Seller

Tony Youngman – Jackboot ( When he was i/c staff training the trainees all agreed!! John Dixon – The Scout Master