\n\u201cThe Girls of Slender Means\u201d was set in 1945, at the May of Teck Club: a hostel for single young ladies with meagre incomes. Some of the more adventurous girls have discovered a secluded area of roof, where they can sunbathe unobserved. To reach it, they have to climb out of the bathroom window. It is a very small window, but they can just about squeeze through, provided they first take all their clothes off.
\nThe story reaches its climax when the hostel is set ablaze by a war-time bomb. For the young women trapped inside, the best chance of escape is – through that small bathroom window . . .
\nEach episode required two days in the studio. At the end of Day One, after everyone else had left, the Camera Crew assembled in the roof area, where most of the nudity was to take place. Don supplied some pieces of caption card, on which we wrote our names. We took our clothes off but, in the best soft-core tradition, we kept our socks on. Then, we arranged ourselves in a suitably discrete pose. Being the quiet, shy one, I was cowering in the bottom corner. We held the name captions in front of us, to cover our . . . embarrassment,
\nand Don took his photograph.<\/p>\n
Richard Lennox, Peter Fox, David John, John Henshall, David Mutton, Roger Bunce and Dave Hunter.<\/em><\/p>\n Only one Crew Member chickened-out. Wednesday, 12th February, 1975.<\/strong> I clearly remember being in the tea bar that morning, when the Actresses opened their envelopes . . . Rumours of female nudity in any studio tended to spread, with great efficiency, on TV Centre\u2019s internal grapevine. As a result many male workers, who might not otherwise have felt any need to visit that particular studio, would suddenly find a vitally important reason to be there. I suspect that that particular bathroom window received more attention from painters and carpenters than any other item of BBC scenery before or since. And those responsible for studio temperature and humidity were particularly diligent in ensuring the comfort of our young ladies. Some of the cast felt they should reciprocate our gesture. They contacted Don Smith and invited him back to their dressing room that evening. Don arrived with his camera and more pieces of caption card.<\/p>\n Now, when the first photo was taken, the Camera Crew had arranged themselves in position, and – at the risk of giving away technical secrets – we had kept our pants on, concealing the fact with those name cards. (Pants and double-sided sticky tape are the answer to the John Henshall question!) Once again, Don worked late in the dark room and, on that blank caption card, he wrote a seasonal ode.<\/p>\n Friday, 14th February, 1975.<\/strong> Miriam Margolyes, Mary Tamm, Patricia Hodge and Jane Cussons.<\/em><\/p>\n Dedicated to the memory of David Mutton and Mary Tamm, and all who worked on Roger Bunce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Long before the Calendar Girls . . . even before the Chippendales . . . there was Crew 14. We all remember it perfectly. The problem is that we all seem to remember it slightly differently. We know what happened. … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/tech-ops.co.uk\/next\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1975aSlenderGirls1X-822x1024.jpg\")
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\nI wanted to chicken-out, but I wasn\u2019t brave enough.
\nDon went immediately back to his dark-room and worked late into the night, producing a batch of glossy 10 by 8 prints, to be distributed to the Cast, the following morning.
\nIt seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea at the time. But . . .<\/p>\n
\nDoubts were growing. We didn\u2019t know how the finished photo would look. A naked camera crew wasn\u2019t necessarily the most aesthetic of subjects. In fact, we might look rather sordid. And how would the Cast and Production Team react? Would they be amused, or disgusted? Would we hear laughter, or cries of, \u201cGet those Dirty Old Men off my production, and find me a proper Crew!\u201d – followed by disciplinary proceedings? Even if some were offended, we hoped that they would recognise our good intentions, and laugh politely.<\/p>\n
\nThe good news is that they laughed – and there was nothing remotely polite about it! This was proper squealing, giggling, riotously convulsive laughter. Under any other circumstances, such female hilarity at the sight of my bare body would have seemed deeply unflattering but, on this occasion, it was the best possible reaction. The photos were soon being passed around and discussion groups formed to assess our manly (or otherwise) physiques.
\nI hadn\u2019t seen the photo myself yet. A couple of Actresses helpfully showed me theirs. They wanted to know why some of us had smooth, glossy torsos, while others had a hairier, matt finish. Never having studied the anatomy of the naked Cameraman, I was unable to provide them with any explanation.
\nThere was also great interest in how, and to what, John Henshall had attached his name caption – since it had no visible means of support.
\nThe ice had definitely been broken.
\nFor the remainder of the series, the relationship between cast and crew was very friendly – in a strictly well-behaved, professional sort of way.<\/p>\n
\nThe interlopers could usually be seen, lingering around the fire lane, wearing brown or white coats, with arms folded, waiting for the cabaret to begin.
\nOn one such occasion, the Production Manager made the usually polite call, \u201cCould all those not involved in this scene please leave the set.\u201d
\nAnd Miriam Margolyes, less politely, yelled, \u201cWill all the Dirty Old Men get out!\u201d
\nJohn Henshall gave her an apologetic look, took off his headphones, and pretended to leave, but she called him back. “No! The Dirty Young Men can stay!”<\/p>\n
\nWhen Don arrived in the dressing room, however, the four Actresses simply stripped all their clothes off, and asked him how he\u2019d like them to pose.
\nI\u2019ve always imagined that his reply was delayed by the time it took him to get his chin off the floor. Don was not usually THAT sort of photographer.
\nNonetheless, he manfully did his duty. He experimented with a number of different poses. The most successful composition involved the girls standing in a line, behind one another, with the largest sheet of caption card held in front of them. In order to give the correct period atmosphere, some items of clothing, e.g. curlers, stockings and suspender-belts, were retained.<\/p>\n
\nFor the Camera Crew, one worry remained. How would BBC Management react to our behaviour, if and when they got to hear about it? They were not noted for their sense of humour.
\nAfter a day off, Crew 14 were back in TV Centre, working on the arts programme, \u201cSecond House\u201d. We were lounging around in the Production Gallery of TC4, when a formally uniformed BBC Commissionaire arrived. One by one he read out our names, and solemnly presented each of us with an stiffened manilla envelope.
\nWith trepidation, we opened them. Was this Management\u2019s response? What would it be: a summons to a disciplinary interview? Summary dismissal? We should have taken more notice of the date. It was Valentine\u2019s Day, and inside those envelopes we found a Valentine\u2019s greeting from the Girls of Slender Means – courtesy of Don Smith.<\/p>\n![\"1975aSlenderGirls2X\"](\"http:\/\/tech-ops.co.uk\/next\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1975aSlenderGirls2X.jpg\")
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\n\u201cThe Girls of Slender Means\u201d, BBC Television Centre, 1975.<\/p>\n