Nick Ware

I rarely watch daytime TV, but a few moments ago, I was intrigued to see Joan Williams being interviewed about photographing Royals, on BBC Morning Live. She was apparently the first ever female BBC staff photographer. There can’t be anyone here who didn’t know her – often seen unobtrusively grabbing production stills, etc. She’s very frail and  now, in Brinsworth House Care Home. Before they cut to the location interviewer, I had a vivid memory of how Joan looked and sounded when I last saw and chatted with her, some 40 years ago. It always comes as a bit of a shock when you discover that people you knew such a long time ago, don’t look the same anymore!

The slightly unfortunate thing was that the interviewer placed herself on camera left, and it was immediately obvious that Joan only hears with her left ear, so her carer, sitting on her left (camera right) chipped in and answered all the questions for her. Such a basic mistake!

Actually, there was no point whatsoever in doing it live. A pre-recorded and edited interview would have been fascinating.

Mike Minchin

I also saw  this not very informative/ not very competent interview – having been pointed towards it by my partner, Margot. She visits Brinsworth House from time to time, and had met Joan there.  She also knew that I had met Joan back in the ’60s – she was around when we televised Coppelia from TVT, AND we have a large picture of me operating a Pye camera on the Blue Peter Set, taken by Joan.  She had a photo session taking shots of members of the “out of vision” crew for a feature in the very first Blue Peter Book (Annual).   My print had been made for a ?Tech Ops exhibition, then taken over by Camera Managers – who then passed it on to me.

So sorry to see Joan so old – but then I was always that bit younger than her!!