[Tech1] Dr Who pilot.

[Hugh Sheppard]

Thanks to David's corroboration, at least I now know precisely where I 
was on an August Saturday 57 years ago!

Here's the note again, mildly tweaked for the record:

    'Over the years, I've learned that what is remembered is what one
    last remembered, which may not always be quite the same as recalling
    the original event.

    But my own revisited memory is of being the cameraman for Norman
    Taylor on a 12 x 9 'Dr. Who' caption as he lit matches in front of
    it to provoke a howl round. Graphics designer Bernard Lodge was the
    third person present on the floor of an otherwise bare TC5. Someone
    else upstairs cued the recordings of several very similar sequences,
    possibly with audio content, but I'm less sure of that. I do recall
    Bernard and Norman being delighted, and that one such sequence found
    its way to the opening titles of the first episode of Dr. Who - and
    then many more.

    Who would now be able to corroborate that may be another matter!'

Hugh


On 02-Dec-20 6:22 PM, David Brunt wrote:
> Hi Hugh
>
> That matches the surviving paper trail which confirms:
>
> Sat 31-08-1963
> Studio Five Television Centre 16:00 - 17:00
> Caption inserts for the first episode on 35mm silent film
>
> The earlier sequences were filmed at Ealing on Tue 20-08-1963.
>
>
> *From:* Hugh Sheppard via Tech1 <mailto:tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, December 02, 2020 5:54 PM
> *To:* tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk <mailto:tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk>
> *Subject:* Re: [Tech1] Dr Who pilot.
> Over the years, I've learned that what is remembered is what one last 
> remembered, which may not always be quite the same as recalling the 
> original event.
>
> But my own revisited memory is of being the cameraman for Norman 
> Taylor on a 12 x 9 'Dr. Who' caption as he lit matches in front of it 
> to provoke a howl round. Graphics designer Bernard Lodge was the third 
> person present on the floor of an otherwise bare TC5. Someone else 
> upstairs cued the recordings of several very similar sequences, 
> possibly with audio content, but I'm less sure of that. I do recall 
> Bernard and Norman being delighted, and that one such sequence found 
> its way to the opening titles of first episode of the first series of 
> Dr. Who - and then many more.
>
> Who would now be able to corroborate that may be another matter!
>
> Hugh
>
> On 02-Dec-20 1:46 PM, Dave Plowman via Tech1 wrote:
>> Been discussion about this on a FB group.
>>
>> I remember working on the pilot, in Riverside 1, while on Crew 13 - which
>> was still sort of a training crew at that time. The same pilot was also
>> made in another studio about the same time. I'm told I'm wrong. Yet the
>> memories are there - including discussing it in the pub afterwards and the
>> general view the prog would never make it to air. ;-)
>>
>> Do remember 'our' version was never used. The other one was.
>>
>> It's possible it was some form of training or exercise, of course.
>> Possibly to do with video FX or whatever. But very unlikely just to be
>> used for training, given the whole cast being used and so soon after the
>> other pilot.
>>
>> Anyone from the early days of Crew 13 remember?
>>
>
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