Martin Eccles
Barry Bonner
Some very sad news I’m afraid. Martin Eccles Sound Supervisor died at home a few days ago [message posted 03 August 2022]. More details later but as he had no descendants it may be some time before things are sorted.
Seen here on his last day at the BBC.
Nick Way
I am just so sorry to hear this news. I only knew Martin smiling.
Another wonderful colleague has moved on to the great gig in the sky.
Albert Barber
Very sorry to hear the sad news of Martin. He was always full of enthusiasm and fun. He made everything he did seem effortless. From my point of view as a Director he devoted this to make you feel your production was special.
Paul Thackray
Very sad news.
Always had a good time working with Martin.
Mike Giles
I heartily endorse all the good things said of Martin, and add that whilst he was always very modest about his own abilities, as a Sound Supervisor, you could not have wished for more reliable support and helpful suggestions from your gram op when you had missed the obvious (as I often did!)
He cut the mustard as a boom operator too, in his earlier days.
But above all, he was such a nice chap.
Howard Jones
I’m so sorry to hear this sad news, I have many happy memories working with Martin and giving him lifts home after long Sypher sessions.
Dave Mundy
I was very sad to read about Martin, he was such a nice guy. Barry Bonner tried for years to get him to join us in Ickenham or at Barry’s and Tony’s local, but failed. How very sad to die alone and leave no relatives. Even more frightening he was 11 years younger than me!
Dave Newbitt
I didn’t know Martin well by any means but Nick’s observation re his smile strongly accords with my recollections. Being cheerful is one of the greatest of human attributes to respect and admire and as Dave Mundy says, all the more sad in consequence that in Martin’s case there are no close relatives to mourn him.
Mercifully his passing does not go unremarked though, witness the warmth of the tributes here.
Geoff Hawkes
I agree with Dave’s sentiments there and it would be good if as many as possible of his BBC “family” attend his funeral as and when the date is known.
Martin Ridout
Such sad news. Martin was always so infectiously cheerful, always smiling. And he made work look so effortless. He was such a lovely guy.
[Ed: We do not usually note the passing of Talent on this website, but here is an exception]
Olivia Newton John
Nick Ware
Truly gutted to hear today that Olivia Newton has passed away. I will never forget working in the TMS with her (a much less formal environment than a TV studio).
And years later, I shall never forget going to her home for a shoot with “he who must not be mentioned”. That ghastly man was very late arriving at her home (as often happened) for an informal at-home style interview etc.
Olivia made “my” cameraman and me feel truly at ease and welcome in his absence. A gorgeous, sweet person who I will never forget, and I feel honoured to have met her well away from all the falsehood that is Show Biz.
Alan Taylor
I worked with Olivia three times. The first time she was onstage with three backing singers, two males, one female. However when you prefade their microphones, you would swear that it was two females and one male. The bizarre aspect was that the backing singer who doubled Olivia’s voice and who sounded most like her was one of the men.
Second time was at the Eurovision Song a contest in Brighton. Suffice it to say that ABBA had the stronger entry, but it’s long been a favourite music quiz question “Who sung the British Eurovision entry in 1974, when ABBA won?”. Olivia seems to be an unlikely choice on account of her not actually being entirely British.
The third time was an extended interview for an arts series. We spent quite a while with her and my impression of her was exactly the same as Nick’s. Utterly charming and delightful.
Barry Bonner
Sad news about Olivia.
For those of you who just might remember she appeared in 1966, when she was relatively unknown, on the Dick Emery show (which I was working on) as singing duo “Pat (Carrol) & Olivia” and, strangely, later changed their name to “Lisa and Jane”!
Lance Andrews
Colin Hassell
I am sorry to have to pass on the sad news that Lance Andrews, ex-BBC Sound Supervisor, Recording Engineer, family man, and all round lovely human being, died on Thursday at home in York – he was 82 years of age.
I got to know Lance, and his family, many years ago whilst working at Television Centre, and also in St Albans where we both lived.
He was St Albans Cathedral’s sound-man at the time, and through that roped me, and a number of others, into helping at special events and services at the Cathedral.
I have many happy memories of the things we did there, some of which were far more complex than the day job, at the time.
In later years he ran Lammas Records specialising in Organ and Choral recordings.
Nick Ware
Sorry to hear that, Colin. Have you let Barry Rose know that? Lance did for Barry, all the things I did for him at Guildford and St Pauls (and now).
“All round lovely human being” is Lance in a nutshell. I think he was on my Junior Tech Ops course. Either that or the STO course. Lance gets plenty of well-earned mentions in Barry’s book “Sitting on a Pin”.
David Newbitt
Lance was on my junior T.O. course (TO15) and as you and Nick observe was a perfect example of what a nice guy can be. Solid but with a great gentleness about him. As with all my old colleagues I can only see him as a relatively young man and looking again at the course photo feel sad at the increasing number no longer with us.
This has been posted before but a nice reminder of those younger days – Lance with Rex Palmer and Chris Wilden:
Howard Jones
Very sad news. Lance was such a lovely gentle man.
I have many happy memories working with him.
Dave Mundy
I’m very sad to hear about Lance, as you all say, he was a lovely guy. [Below] is a photo taken in happier times.
Mike Giles
Lance was a true gent – only too happy to share the benefit of his experience with young upstarts and equally happy to share his own equipment very freely. When I told him that I often recorded concerts given by the joint schools’ wind band that our kids played in, he was insistent that I should use his newly acquired, quite expensive digital kit and refused to accept any payment in return. Whilst I cannot recall the detail, I do hope that I showed my appreciation in an appropriate manner.
He was such an unassuming individual, almost self-deprecating at times, but was very accomplished in every area he worked in. I recall that his live mixes for TOTP received great acclaim.
Pat Heigham
Very sorry to learn the sad news of Lance’s passing.
We were contemporary denizens of the Gram Pool in the 1960s, I remember him as a thoroughly competent and pleasant chap.
RIP, Lance.
