Chick Anthony
Bill Jenkin
I have received (02 May 2017) this from Simon Anthony, the son of Chick Anthony.
([Ed: edited for the Tech Ops conversations])
“… Chick Anthony (Rowland really, but no one called him that), has died aged 87 one month short of 88. He grew up in Jersey, the son of a second generation emigrant from Kerala in India. His father became a headmaster and his mother had the foresight to buy a place for their retirement. It was there, in Grouville, Jersey, where Chick and Joy eventually lived.
His name, Chick, comes from his Christening – when he wore a yellow suite. This prompted someone to say he “…looked a real Chick…” – and the name stuck. The religion didn’t, he was a life-long agnostic, not bothering with that sort of thing.
Chick met Joy in Salisbury when he was working in his first job at the Met Office – judging the way the wind blew gas around the Army base at Salisbury Plain. He lived in a hostel for several years, spending his free time at an amateur theatre group as a stage manager. There he noticed the leading lady and married her. It was about then that he first attempted to join the BBC but there were no openings until ITV started up and there were plenty, he got in on his second attempt. At his interview he noticed his original application letter on the desk – written on blue paper. This was the start of a long relationship with officialdom at the BBC.
Joy and Chick started their married life in a flat in Acton but soon moved to Hanwell where Simon was born. He was very pleased as Simon’s birth got him off doing “Grandstand” – a show which Simon also tried to avoid when working on in VT Tel.Rec. some years later.
He had a hard time coping with the Evesham training centre at Wood Norton but he got through without being terminated and his first role was as a Boom Op. He was seen on telly from Jersey handing a microphone to David Jacobs on the “Six Five Special” – or so he told me – but it was probably Pete Murray. It was a live show so no recorded evidence exists. Over the years he rose to the top Sound job of Senior Supervisor working on a wide variety of shows, from the first use of VT on air – Vera – through “Grandstand” and “Doctor Who”, via “I Claudius” and loads of Shakespeare and several major music productions to mention but a few – some are now lost.
Chick was a leading light in the ABS, which lead to the only argument between him and Joy when a strike was called. He had used his great abilities with language to act as an arbitrator in the hope of preventing it, but as a true democrat he supported his representative’s views and went on strike with them.
Joy became ill … and resulted in their move to Jersey … Chick became very active in Jersey Heritage, becoming Chair of the Jersey Environmental Society and making many media appearances until Joy’s illness returned.
His final illness was recognised by a Doctor that he had called to attend to Joy. He was told to go to hospital at once, but, he took Joy to a nursing home by taxi first, then on to the hospital where he had an emergency bowel operation. This triggered a heart attack and he died of complications after requesting no further treatment.
He has gone, but his work shall live forever – unless the BBC wipes it again…”
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Mike Giles
I was only thinking about Chick recently during a visit to Guernsey and was wondering if he was still living on Jersey. A nicer and more forthright gentleman you could never wish to meet. I was lucky enough to be attached to Chick on my sound training course and never ceased to be impressed at his quiet control of events. After becoming an SS myself, I once went sick early in the day on a “Playaway”, with Chick on duty standby. “Playaway” was not his cup of tea at all, but without benefit of outside rehearsal he carried the day without turning a hair and thoroughly impressed the normally rather cynical gram-op, who shall remain nameless!
Barry Bonner
Chick Anthony lived in Jersey and was an active member of the Societe Jersiaise.
And here is Chick, John Eden-Eadon and myself in TC1… some time ago!
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Martin Eccles
Rowland (Chick) Anthony retired to his native Jersey with his wife Joy.
He was a leading member of the Société Jersiaise which has various sections studying all the different histories of Jersey.
There is a book which Chick edited about Grouville where they lived, available on Amazon…
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grouville-Jersey-Story-Country-Parish/dp/0954084101
One of the true gentlemen of BBC TV.
Tony Crake
I must have done a fair few “3 and 4 day plays” with Chick. I was always impressed how he set about it. He spent all the time on the studio floor for the initial rehearsals and the stagger throughs making his script notes … as far as I recall no other SS set about the job quite like Chick. If some tricky bit developed in this early stage he was down there to sort it out!
An amazing guy!
Pat Heigham
I’m really sorry to hear about Chick’s passing.
I was approached to be filmed in vision for comments for the DVD Extras on the BFI release of “Out of the Unknown”. Chick was the SS on “Andover and the Android”.
Prior to the ‘extras’ shoot, I managed to contact Chick, who replied to my e-mail about the show.
Here’s a couple of stories:
“Andover and the Android”.
The storyline was about an inventor who reckoned he could build a robot that would fool people into believing it to be a real person. To this end he made an artificial pretty girl. Launched into a cocktail party to test his theory, ‘she’ accepts a glass of champagne from a robot waiter (a mobile trolley) and as she drinks, Andover realises that he had not built in a ‘stomach’ to hold liquid. I experimented with various watery effects, hoping to suggest liquid draining down inside a metallic body cavity. My first effort elicited howls of mirth from the crew as it sounded as if I had pee-d into a tin pottie! (Think I eventually dribbled water over an old clock mechanism).
The robot drinks trolley ‘waiter’ was required to deliver drinks to guests by announcing the drink to them. We wanted to use a voice synthesiser, and knew that Edinburgh University was playing with a prototype, but when contacted, they turned out to be on holiday. Chick, the Sound Supervisor then experimented with recording the dialogue, then playing it backwards and attempting to mimic the result. Turn that tape around and we were getting close to a robotic voice, except for the attack transients and aspirates at the beginning and ends of words – so I then edited on those from the forward running tape!
Sadly, “Andover” had been wiped and the programme itself no longer exists.
Another good man gone.
Bob Coles
John Henshall
I am sorry to have to report that Robert Frank (Bob) Coles died peacefully on 16th September 2017.
He was one of the very first BBC cameramen to join and promote the Guild of Television Camera Professionals (GTC) when it was regarded as a dangerous organisation by management. Bob served on our first GTC council and became our first PR man, achieving considerable success promoting our image in the early years.
To me, Bob Coles was even more than this. He was my mentor (‘trained operator’) to whom I was ‘attached’ on the day I joined the BBC Television Service at the Television Centre on 4 September 1961. Ex-RAF, he was reluctantly tolerant of this raw northerner but we grew to be firm friends.
In 1980 Bob left the BBC and joined me to form Tarn Ltd – ‘Video the film way’ – along with ‘Mitch’ Mitchell. We bought an early Sony BVP330P camera and associated equipment. We broke new ground and had lots of fun doing so.
For the past six years he has been in a terrible state in care homes. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried after I went to see him. There was no point going again as he had no idea who anyone was, though I have kept in touch with his daughters.
Rest In Peace dear Bob.
With sadness…
Hugh Sheppard
Thank you for recalling a lovely person who shared so much with me in Lime Grove and Evesham days, probably thanks to being of the same PTO intake.
We lost touch but I had heard of the mental anguish that assailed him for so long. At last a sad, but blessed relief.
Geoff Fletcher
I remember Bob Coles from my early days in BBC TV – I think he was Camera 3 on Crew 4 when I first joined and a particular pal of Pete Ware.
If I haven’t got my wires crossed, he was tall and quietly spoken with a wry sense of humour and generally a very nice guy. Didn’t he go to work on Open University progs in the late 1960s?
RIP Bob.
Vernon Dyer
I knew Bob mostly from early Guild meetings when, as I believe, he was already working for the Open University, so we never actually worked together, but his knowledge of the industry from different perspectives was most valuable.
Nick Rodger
Bob’s family would like to raise money to go towards a memorial bench for Bob in Richmond Park. He loved to walk amongst nature and this is one of the many places he greatly enjoyed. Once erected, the family will let us know the location, and please visit the bench whenever you like.
Peter Hider
Thank you all who have reflected so generously on Bob’s very sad death.
Even though I hadn’t worked alongside him for nearly 40 years I can still recall his permanent impish grin and his sense of fun but, sadly, no anecdotes trip off the pen.
I’m saddened to think that his family have had to fight to keep up his standards of care as there is no way of knowing if inside his incommunicative shell he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him. The detrimental effects of lack of forward planning and the slow decline in direct funding for this type of care in the NHS are going to become more prevalent as our population continues to live longer and diseases of the brain become a major drain on resources.
Bob was one of those nice guys to know and may he rest in peace.
Buster Cole
Dave Mundy
There was a well-known SS at TVC called Buster Cole …
Geoff Fletcher
The comment about Buster set me off looking for mention of his name in my diary entries – there were several occurrences, and they were usually involving alchol!
This one should interest our colleague and my old TO19 / Ealing buddy Tony Grant.
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Friday 11th February 1966
| TC3 | |||
| Wed Play – MacReady’s Gala | 1030 – 2215 | Crewed Out | |
| Tech Mngr: Johnny Green | Crew 4 | Sen Cam: Reg Poulter |
Dave J gave me a lift in to TC and I had a coffee and a roll with the crew, plus Crew 16, before starting work. We finished the stagger, began a run, and then broke for lunch. I went to the canteen and then up the club again. In the afternoon between trips into TC1 to see if Theresa was on Make-Up in there, Tony Grant came and I lent him my car keys to fetch his cake with Dave J’s help. In the evening, went to Tony’s 21st party up in the club with Dave Denness. Lots of vacant space and food left over, so Tony invited Crew 16 plus wives to join in, which they did. Chatted to Ian Stanley and his Mrs, and also to Bob Foley and Lyddy again. Ann Smith, Simon and Buster Cole also at party. Later joined up with Gerry, Pat, Ian, Brian, Mike Fenner and Tony G etc. and we had coffee and a sing song in the third floor restaurant until we were encouraged to depart. Chatted a Malaysian girl from BH in there. Very nice. Think I tried to sell her a career in TV as an AFM! Lift back to Ealing in Brian’s taxi – all crammed in – then more coffee at Gerry’s. Afterwards, Dave Denness and I walked back to our flats together. Went our separate ways at the edge of the Common. Bit of a problem finding my key in the gloom of the outside stairwell, but eventually succeeded after a lot of fumbling around in pockets etc. To bed very late and somewhat merry after a damn good night!
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Dave Denness
I remember him well.
Dave Mundy
I think he went into management, lost his post, and tried to get back into the sound dept. by buttering-up John-John et.al. and joining the IBS. He failed!
Pete Neill
He went into OM&G (Organisation, Methods and Grading).
He did, indeed, return to sound mixing at Lime Grove when it had become TPC. but, as I recall, he didn’t stay very long.
I was told that he died some years ago.
Otis Eddy
Alex Thomas
On my first crew I had as TM the redoubtable Otis Eddy. He called everybody by their surname without any deference to their seniority.
He was very alert to headroom and I remember his command to me on one of the first cameras that I operated on a MCU of Peter Dimmock who was fronting “Sportsview”.
“Thomas, pan up one line” he said over TM’s talkback.
On a CPS Emitron viewfinder it was impossible to judge one line so I froze.
I spoke to the senior cameraman, (was it Bob Warman?) and asked him what I should have done.
“ Oh, just ignore him. He thinks that we will all obey his instructions and even he can’t tell if we have panned up one line.”
Dave Plowman
Could that be because his own name was reversed? (as in “Eddy Otis”)
Geoff Fletcher
Talking of Otis Eddy, I well remember the mirth that ensued on Crew 4 when we were doing a drama with George Baker as the lead actor.
Otis Eddy was TM1 and was carrying on in his usual fashion, so we were all very amused when George delivered the wonderful line:-
“Otis? Otis? What sort of a bloody name’s Otis?”
I can still see Pete Ware’s delighted grin as he turned and looked up to the lighting gallery.
