April 25th 2006 40 YEARS ON Four members of BBC Technical Operations Course No 25 (TO25) meet up for lunch, the first time they’ve all been together in more than thirty years, and exactly 40 years from the day they joined the BBC. From left to right, John Nottage, Robin Sutherland, Bernard Newnham (me), and John Hawes. All except Bernie are career outside broadcast men, and the lunch was at Epsom Racecourse, where John N and Robin were preparing for the Derby

This is a photo of the 18 year old Bernie taken in the training studio at BBC Evesham by John Hawes. The camera is a Marconi Mark 4 Image Orthicon - it wasn’t switched in, and the safety chains were in place - but what the hell, it was our first day of a long career during which we were very privileged, and did things, saw things, and went to places we would never have dreamt of going otherwise.

Here’s just some of mine - Being there...... Working on The Morecambe and Wise show, especially the Christmas one with Glenda Jackson. Watching Jimi Hendrix play live in TC4. Working on some of Brian Large’s mighty operas in TC1. Watching Neil Armstrong step onto the moon from the back of TC7. Many, many studio dramas and LE shows - there is nothing as electric for any cameraman as a live show watched by millions. All those Dr Whos and other now-historical stuff - I didn’t know they would be such a deal, or I would have concentrated more... As a producer, filming all over... Las Vegas, and staying in a room in Cesar’s Palace with a mirror over the bed and no-one to share. Hanging out of an RAF rescue helicopter over the North Sea. Standing holding a camera over two Army fellows who were sitting on a 1000lb bomb with a load of plastic explosive in their hands. Being one of the kings of DV when it all started. That operation we filmed, where the doctor ripped off an ingrowing toenail sideways - ahhh! Shutting Alan Yentob in an office till he'd written his script. Tea at the Ritz with Stephanie Beecham in her suite. Four years working with Anne Robinson (actually I'm trying to forget that bit). Thousands of evenings in Pres A making the BBC go. Just meeting so many different people. ....and so much, much more. I was thinking .... if you have any one-liners you'd like to put in, I could start a page of them.