PROSPERO - JIMMY GRANT & THE SATURDAY CLUB PENSION SCHEME - BBC
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
PROSPERO The newspaper for retired BBC Pension Scheme members • October 2017 • Issue 5 JIMMY GRANT & THE SATURDAY CLUB PAGE 8 PENSION SCHEME
| PENSIONS
FRIENDSHIPS AND FRAUD: THE 2017
BBC VOLUNTEER VISITOR CONFERENCE
A thoroughly enjoyable BBC Volunteer Visitor Conference closed in Cardiff on 8 August,
with the 100 visitors who attended generally agreeing that it was one of the best yet.
drawing up either of these important legal
documents. Interestingly, she said that people these
days also need to consider their digital assets in a
Will – so, for example, if you have an Amazon account
or a Netflix subscription what happens to those on
your death?
Hear hear
The next presentation was by Clare Kewney, an
audiologist working with UK Hearing Care, who spoke
about the importance of getting your hearing tested.
‘Hearing loss is an important contributor to social
isolation because our hearing is our link to the world,’
she said. ‘From a safety point of view, too, hearing loss
sometimes means that people can’t hear higher
frequency sounds like fire alarms.’
Clare thinks that we should all have our hearing tested
regularly, just like we have regular check-ups on our
teeth or eyes.
C
heryl Miles, the Volunteer Visitor Scheme The Act also changes the means test that is used to On average people take 10 years before taking action on
co-ordinator and organiser of the conference, decide how much a person should pay towards their hearing loss – so it’s important that when they do go for
says she was delighted to have recruited new care costs. Currently, a person’s capital and savings help they get the help they need, or else they might give
visitors in several areas, including Birmingham, which below £14,250 are disregarded in the means test. up and struggle on for another 10 years!
had been without a visitor for a long time. The two new Someone with between £14,250 and £23,250 in capital
The UK Hearing Care website has a lot more
visitors for Birmingham have had a great response to and savings will get some help from the local authority
information: ukhearingcare.co.uk, or for more
the letters of introduction sent to the pensioners in towards care costs; capital and savings above £23,250
information call Freephone 0808 120 6621.
their areas. means a person has to fund all of their own social care.
Ageing well: tackling loneliness
The visitors are retired BBC employees who provide After April 2020 the £23,250 upper limit will be raised
The next speaker, Dr Allison Smith, Head of Strategy
friendship to BBC pensioners aged 70 and above, those to £118,000; the lower limit will be raised to £17,000; and
and Development at the Royal Voluntary Service, looked
recently bereaved or anyone in poor health. anyone with assets of between £17,000 and £118,000
at the growing problem of loneliness in older people
will be entitled to some financial support according to
The conference aims to enhance the visitors’ and what the Service is doing to help.
a sliding scale.
understanding of the issues that affect their ‘visitees’, so First, Allison outlined the scale of the problem: around
they can offer a better service to these people, many of Scam awareness
10% of older people are chronically lonely (which means
whom may be in a vulnerable position. The conference As recent issues of Prospero have highlighted,
they often feel lonely).
also gives the visitors an opportunity to network with scammers are increasingly targeting older people.
others and share tips and ideas – great for the eight The second speaker of Day One was Tony Blake, a Met Older people who are lonely are 3.4 times more likely to
first-time visitors who attended this year. police officer of 30 years’ standing, who impressed the suffer from depression, 1.9 times more likely to develop
audience with an energetic presentation highlighting dementia, and have an increased risk of developing
This year’s agenda included a varied mix of speakers the various clever ways that fraudsters have of conning heart disease or having a stroke.
from a number of different organisations who deal with you out of your money. Older people who are lonely are, on average:
issues affecting older people, including fraud awareness,
hearing loss and estate planning. ‘You can’t trust anyone anymore,’ he said, bluntly, and
• 1.8 times more likely to visit their GP
then he showed how easy it is for fraudsters to get hold
The first speaker of the opening day was Roger of your personal data. • 1.6 times more likely to visit A&E
Hatherell, a senior financial consultant who has a regular
Tony has provided an article for us, on the next page, • 1.3 times more likely to have emergency admissions,
spot at the conference, looking at benefits for the
which covers the main points raised in his presentation. and
elderly and the issue of long-term care.
Scheme branding • 3.5 times more likely to enter local authority-funded
Care Act 2020
After an evening of networking and sharing stories, residential care.
As we all know, the issue of long-term care (‘dementia
tax’) was a thorny issue during the recent general Ian Cutter opened Day 2 with an update from the The final presentation of the day was by Rostam Kilgour,
election. As Roger pointed out, the legislation is due to BBC Pensions & Benefits Centre. This included a ‘grand the newest member-nominated Trustee (MNT) to join
change in 2020 anyway, with the introduction of the reveal’ of the BBC Pension Scheme’s new brand, which the board of the BBC Pension Scheme. Rostam gave a
Care Act (which was pushed back from its original had only just been seen for the first time in the August brief introduction to his day job as an editor on TV
issue of Prospero.
implementation date of April 2016). News, explained how and why he became a Scheme
Ian also reminded the delegates that BBC pensioners Trustee, and also spoke movingly about why he
The Care Act will set a cap of £72,000, which means
can now access all their pension information online, at supports voluntary organisations like the BBC Visiting
that no one will have to pay any more for their eligible
bbc.co.uk/mypension. Anyone who has lost their Scheme, having personally experienced the huge impact
care needs to be met once they have spent a total of
registration details can call the pension service line on that volunteers can make on people’s lives.
£72,000. It does not include someone’s ‘hotel costs’
029 2032 2811.
(i.e. bed and board) if they are living in a care home. Rostam then closed the 2017 conference,
These would still be charged separately even after He was followed by a solicitor, Claire Binnersley, who thanking Cheryl for her hard work in
reaching the cap, but hotel costs will also be capped, spoke about Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, organising what was an interesting
at £12,000 a year. highlighting some key issues to consider before and informative two days.
2
PROSPERO
Take Five to Stop Fraud Prospero is provided free of charge to retired Scheme
members, or to their spouses and dependants.
by Tony Blake, Senior Fraud Prevention Officer, Prospero provides a source of news on former
colleagues, developments at the BBC and pension
Dedicated Card & Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU)
issues, plus classified adverts. It is available online at
bbc.co.uk/mypension
Last year, £2 million was lost to financial fraud every day. Fraudsters often want you to feel panicked, rushed,
It’s a staggering statistic, but it might not be a surprise frustrated and flustered and that’s exactly where you To advertise in Prospero, please see page 12.
given the amount of scam phone calls and emails that don’t want to be. The banking industry, in partnership
constantly bombard us all. In fact, official figures reveal with government and police, launched a campaign Please send your editorial contributions, or
that financial fraud and cyber-crime are now the most called Take Five to Stop Fraud. comments/feedback, to:
prevalent crimes in the UK. Prospero, BBC Pension and Benefits Centre,
Our central message is whenever you receive an Broadcasting House, Cardiff CF5 2YQ
The fraudsters and their scams are getting more unexpected phone call, email or text, STOP and TAKE
sophisticated and more believable, so we can’t just bury FIVE to think whether they really are who they claim to Email: prospero@bbc.co.uk
our heads in the sand and pretend it won’t happen to be. Often the only way to check is by contacting them Please make sure that any digital pictures you send
us. And we should never assume we are too clever to fall back on a phone number you know to be correct, not are scanned at 300dpi. Please also note that the
for such frauds. Gone are the days when most scam one you are given. maximum word count for obituaries is 350 words.
emails had terrible grammar and poor English.
Take Five is about knowing it is fine to stop a
Contents
While fraudsters use a wide range of scams, often these conversation or not to respond to an email or text so
employ a tactic called ‘social engineering’, a new term for you can take a moment to think and take back control
a method used by confidence tricksters for centuries. My of the situation. By doing so, we can all help to beat
favourite definition for it is the clever manipulation of the the fraudsters.
natural human tendency to trust. The key word being
‘trust’ – it’s what many of us naturally do and it’s exactly
The Take Five campaign is asking everyone to help Pensions 2-3
protect themselves from financial fraud by remembering
where the fraudster wants us. - Volunteer Visitor Conference
some simple advice:
As honest and polite people, we want to believe others - Take Five
1. Never disclose security details, such as your
are the same. I regularly speak to bank staff as part of
PIN or full password – it’s never right to reveal
my job and they tell me that when they call customers, a
these details
clear majority would answer security questions and
discuss their account if they are given three pieces of 2. Don’t assume an email request or caller Letters 4-5
fairly accessible information: their name, who they bank is genuine – people aren’t always who they
with and a phone number. say they are
If a fraudster has access to those three pieces of 3. Don’t be rushed – a bank or genuine organisation
information, and most can, and they sound like they are won’t mind waiting to give you time to stop Memories 6-8
from our bank, many of us would reveal the answers to and think
- Memories of a videotape clerk
security questions giving them full access to our bank
4. Listen to your instincts – if something feels - BBC Club Summer Festival
accounts. The weak point is not the bank systems, often
wrong then it is usually right to pause and - Jimmy Grant and the Saturday Club
it is us and the fraudsters know it.
question it
All this means it’s vital for everyone to be wary of any
5. Stay in control – have the confidence to refuse
phone call out of the blue, even if they already know
unusual requests for information
some information about you. We need to be certain who
we are dealing with, particularly if they are asking for More information about the Take Five campaign can be Back at the BBC 9
personal details or it concerns our finances in any way. found at takefive-stopfraud.org.uk - Cricket, lovely cricket
- Greatest comedies
2017 PENSIONERS’ LIAISON MEETING
- BH architect honoured
This year’s Pensioners’ Liaison Meeting will be held on 26 October 2017 from 11:00 to 13:00 at:
The Council Chamber, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA
Obituaries 10-11
If you attend, you can put questions about the BBC Pension Scheme to the Chief Executive Officer, a Scheme
Trustee and members of the pension executive. Spaces are limited and will be booked on a ‘first come, first
served’ basis. To book a place, call the pension service line on 029 2032 2811.
Odds and ends 12
- Radio Scotland appeal
Mystery Sudoku
- Reunions
H O D E - Classifieds
- Caption competition
T M H - Contacts
Complete the grid so that every row, column and
3x3 box contains the letters ADEHLMOTY in some T E
order. One row or column contains a five or more
letter word, title or name with a BBC connection. Y O
Solve the sudoku to discover what it is and send The next issue of Prospero will appear
your answer to: The Editor, Prospero, M A O H E in December 2017. The copy deadline
BBC Pension and Benefits Centre, is Wednesday 1 November 2017.
Broadcasting House, Cardiff CF5 2YQ A M
by 6 November. The winner gets WIN
L T
a £10 voucher. Many thanks to
Neil Somerville for providing
£10
this puzzle.
D Y L
The sudoku winner in August was Errol Ryan, who A T Y E
correctly identified the BBC connection was Reith.
PROSPERO OCTOBER 2017 | 3
| LETTERS
Al Read & Programme
Jack Hollinshead – the BBC’s
Call Boys makers’ music
Just like Graeme and Ralph I was excited I read your letters complaining about oldest active pensioner?
to read about the Al Read scripts. I was a music in documentaries, and it reminds As mentioned in the August edition of
big fan of his, not only on the radio; me that I have been reading similar Prospero, Jack was taken out for a
I often sat in the circle at Morecambe complaints for decades now. I worked for celebratory lunch, then to Eve Studios
Winter Gardens enjoying his act. In fact, 30 years at the Beeb, as film editor and in Bredbury as a birthday treat by me
I still use one of his gags in my act to this then as producer on Current Affairs and and my wife.
day – and it always gets a laugh! then Science programmes, and used
Sadly when my article was written, the
music where it seemed to me to be
I did try to contact the man with the photographs were not available, but I
relevant. Over shots of VE Day celebrants
memorabilia to see if I could get at least feel sure that readers will be amazed
I used ‘My Guy’s Come Back’ because it
some of it for our archive – but never got to see a 102-year-old sitting at a
was relevant, contemporary, but mostly
a reply. I do hope it finds a loving home! vintage audio mixing desk ready to
because it was a jolly good piece of Swing
Incidentally, regarding another Prospero record. This, however, is no ordinary
that made the programme work better.
letter, the term ‘Call Boy’ is still being mixing desk, but was designed for the
These decisions are made by the legendary audiophile Angus McKenzie
honoured today as it is the title of the
programme maker, it’s their decision by Calrec of Hebden Bridge –
house magazine of the British Music
based on many criteria which will include analogue really does not get any
Hall Society.
what feedback they have had over the better than this!
Peter Charlton course of their career.
Jack has corrected me for saying that the BBC cut their disks to shellac – he
When I was working, I always felt that the says that they were actually cellulose on an Aluminium substrate, and he should
The answer to the BBC philosophy was that when they
chose somebody to do a job, they trusted
know – he was there!
elephant question them to do it well. I reckon that it was a
splendid philosophy that made for better
Happy 102nd Jack, from all those who had the pleasure of working with you.
Ian C Reed
I read with interest and nostalgia Trevor
programmes, and I hope it still applies.
Neilsen’s Tale in the August 2017 issue.
Jag-owning Nick
I was never interfered with, although
The trick question he asked was:
all the programmes I made were in
‘What is the one thing you must not
combination with my programme editors, I send my sister Margaret (Brassington), from Muswell Hill Roundabout at 9am
allow an elephant to do in a studio?’
people like Michael Bunce, John Dekker who used to work at the BBC in and drive us to TVC, returning to Muswell
The answer is: You must not allow or Jana Bennett. Alexandra Palace, my copy of Prospero Hill at 5.30pm. I think we would have had
the elephant to stand on one foot. each month. Here is part of what she the free travel for evermore but the
The relationship was a source of
emailed me back: Union at TVC complained about the
This was because of the fears the immense pleasure, but none of them
special treatment the News Department
elephant might exceed the load ever affected my choice of music. ‘…noticed the obituary for young Nick
were getting, so the free transport was
bearing capacity of the studio floors. Or over much else, if it comes to that. who owned a Jaguar and worked in
stopped and we had to use our cars or
Trevor occasionally said, with a glint News while I was there. When we did the
Peter Ceresole public transport.
in his eye, that the elephant might big move from Ally Pally to Television
end up in the extras’ dressing Centre at White City, we all went into We were allowed to park our very few
rooms below the studio. work (in our old clothes) on the Sunday cars in the special car park right by the
Gavin Birkett A home for and put stickers on all our equipment
with our new room numbers at TVC.
front entrance to TVC (the film crew cars
were kept at the back of TVC in the TVC
my BBC book One of the ‘boys’ from my department compound). Eventually the rest of TVC
Giant Dougal collection?
put a sticker on Nick’s Jag for it to be
delivered to our Film Library at TVC.
complained about our special treatment
with this parking.
I was very amused to see the giant
We are downsizing and need to dispose The entire contents were transported in We then had to park our cars at White
Dougal from the Goodies comedy
of some of our vast collection of books. the BBC Scenery vans to TVC. We moved City Stadium. Then White City Stadium
series in the caption competition in
Some of these may be of interest to to the Spur at TVC occupying the six was sold and we had to park our cars
the August issue of Prospero.
BBC pensioners as they concern the floors. The bit in the obit about the in a grotty open-air car park just under
I was a member of the Visual BBC. The collection was started by managers looking down on Nick’s Jag the bridge from the front of TVC. It took
Effects Department and was part John Humphries (former member of were the managers looking down from me exactly 25 minutes to drive there,
of the team that constructed and BBC Contracts Department) and his the fourth and sixth floors of our new cutting through Primrose Hill and back
operated the Dougal; in fact, I sat father-in-law EG Chadder (a senior offices at TVC, which was immediately streets. The North Circular was a
inside the head to steer it whilst engineer in Transmitter Department). in front of the main entrance. nightmare with all the roadworks at
filming on location. that time.’
Over time I have added a few contributions For six months after the move, we had
As a department we provided all too. A major part of the collection a coach pick up everyone who wanted Don Eddowes
the trick props for this series (and comprises BBC Handbooks/Yearbooks
many others!) for both location and from 1928 to 1985. Only the years 1953,
studio for live performances and it
dates from a time when it was still
1954, 1982 and 1983 are missing.
New BBC Pension Scheme brand
In addition I have copies of the Asa
enjoyable to work at the BBC. Congratulations on the latest edition I’m not sure what to make of those
Briggs History of Broadcasting Volumes
Sadly I suspect no longer. of Prospero. Well done to all. The less subtle ‘Pension Friend’ figures.
1 & 2 (1961) and many books and booklets
about the early days of television and whole remake over seems to offer When they appeared again, wandering
Tony Harding
broadcasting in the regions. The list is far much to the pensioner reader. around the pages of the Summary
too long to include here but I can give Pensions Report, I’m afraid I felt a
Albert Barber
details to anyone interested who strong urge to shake them onto
YOUR NEW LAYOUT looks quite neat, the floor!
contacts me on geoffdawe@tiscali.co.uk
but I’m sad to see we’ve lost the
The collection could be split up as John Robinson
imagery of the ‘R’s kicking the ‘o’s’ into
required. I am not looking for payment the air in the Prospero banner. That
and delivery would have to be arranged always made me smile, with its subtle
as mutually convenient. implication that we pensioners still
Geoff Dawe had a bit of life left in us!
4
DEBRA and the mystery
Mrs Brilliant goes to Chicago
of the missing squash ball Yes, it comes to most of us. I’m 77 and I use the subtitles on everything possible.
I’m not sure whether DEBRA was a with a grain of blemish – and it took the But if David Daborn is watching them on News programmes, he’s watching
similar blemish-removing system as editor and myself a few minutes to realise a category that simply doesn’t work on live programmes. They use voice
the DVASC system mentioned by Dave what was going on, and stop using recognition software, and the systems simply aren’t up to the job yet. They will
DEBRA for that sequence. always lag the voice, and will be caught out by homonyms – as in ‘Chicago’ for
Hawley and Geoff Higgs (August 2017
‘She can’t go’ which he cites.
issue 4) but I do remember it managing
A contributory factor may have been
to delete some rather crucial details from the slightly nerve-racking process of Human speech involves a great deal of ambiguity in the sounds, which is
a sequence I’d directed for a Schools TV producing the transmission copy of the resolved by the context. Brains, evolved over millennia and trained over a
series called Science Topics (early 1980s). programmes directly from the negative. lifetime, can resolve this kind of thing quite quickly, but for a machine it requires
That particular series (early 1980s) was a great deal of computing power – more than is available to News.
It was a programme about the ‘Senses’,
and we were illustrating the importance shot on film but transferred to (analogue) It’ll come eventually; it’s getting better, is creeping towards acceptability, but it’s
of sound alongside vision, for VT for TX and – given Schools TV often a supremely hard nut to crack. Best right now is to avoid programmes that use
anticipating the position of the ball in a worked with challenging budgets – a neg voice recognition subtitles. The trouble is that it’s relatively cheap, and human
very fast-moving game like squash. So transfer avoided the costs of a show print. typists can’t hope to type in real time, so it’s spreading before it’s really ready.
our squash player was listening to heavy The same series (produced by Peter So switch off the subtitles and turn up the sound...
rock music on her headphones, while Bratt) also took the ground-breaking
Peter Ceresole
struggling to react as rapidly as usual step of utilising the BBC micro to
to the ball’s trajectory. generate some of the illustrative graphic
Black to the future
sequences, so the viewers were able to
Unfortunately, in the finished sequence,
access the same graphics as the TV
DEBRA managed to take out the squash
programmes, on their school computers Am I alone in getting more and more annoyed at the more and more output
ball in nearly every shot! Admittedly
(via the accompanying pupil resources). on the BBC that is letterboxed on a 16:9 raster?
squash balls are pretty small, particularly
in long shot, so probably easily confused Clare Elstow We all did it occasionally in the 4:3 days to pretend the item, usually quite short,
was a special cinema version. This of course meant sacrificing some of the picture
content to achieve the effect.
The Dynasts 1967 These days, however, with widescreen as the norm, item after item is presented
I vividly remember the BBC radio as if it is cinemascope. What I think is beyond the pale, is the hospital drama
Sunday Play production of Thomas on BBC 1, Trust Me. This would appear to be a domestic production for home
Hardy’s The Dynasts in 1967. Does consumption. Why then is it transmitted in deep letterbox format? Surely a question
anyone know if it was ever sold on of style over substance here, where the style in my view has no substance.
tape or CD? I suspect it is still in the Does anybody else think along these lines or am I missing something? If things progress
archives, but I doubt it will be put in this fashion we could end up with a screen that looks as if the PCL 85 frame output
on sale. valve has died back in the monochrome days. A thin bright line in the middle of the
Stephen Redburn cathode ray tube, with the rest of the screen dark. The future could indeed be black?
Ross Archer
Telephone scammers
Neville Withers and Colin Pierpoint both make good comments about
defeating telephone scammers. As it is possible for scammers to fake a dial tone,
a further check of dialling your own number before making another call is wise.
This should result in an engaged tone.
In Warwickshire, our council has a scam awareness email service which alerts
participating residents to any scam (telephone or doorstep) that has been
reported in the area. Often it advises on the best check/action to take.
Perhaps this service is also available in other areas.
Ken Turner
Asian Programming on
BBC local radio
I am researching a PhD at the University of Leicester on the important but neglected
story of Asian programming on BBC local radio stations from 1967 – 1990, and I am
keen to hear from people who worked on these programmes, helped to set them up
or managed them.
The first programmes appeared on BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Radio Sheffield
in 1968 and launched a steady increase in hours across local radio – by 1989 BBC
Radio Leicester alone was broadcasting 32 hours a week on medium wave.
One of the most difficult aspects of my research is the attempt to find recordings of
early programmes, I have some – but most are missing. For example, in 1969 after
Enoch Powell made his second speech on immigration, BBC Radio Leeds broadcast
a series called Black Rose which was praised in Parliament. I am sure these recordings
are out there. Can anyone help with any recollections of Asian programming,
recordings or photographs?
Liam McCarthy (ex BBC local radio)
Email: lmm51@leicester.ac.uk
PROSPERO OCTOBER 2017 | 5
| MEMORIES
MEMORIES OF A VIDEOTAPE CLERK
(CIRCA 1973-75) By Nigel Taylor
Who wiped the BBCs videotapes? The BBC has lost many classic comedy
episodes and music performances from the 1960s and 70s and the search goes
on to uncover them. Some of these long-lost tapes are occasionally found in
attics and in foreign broadcasters’ archives but we hear little about how they
came to be lost in the first place and who was responsible. So here is the full
story of the lost tapes from someone who knows!
F
rom the late 1950s the BBC Running out of space
recorded its TV shows on 2” Each output department had a manager,
videotape – the latest technology in those days called ‘organisers’. Every
from Ampex in the USA – funded in part week they would receive a computer
by the crooner Bing Crosby! printout of all the tapes held in the library
for their department. The Television
These were huge reels in plastic boxes.
Centre was fast running out of space so
They could be lifted, just about, one in
if tapes could be recycled it would save
each hand. They were trundled around
space and even more importantly, money.
the BBC basement at White City on
These huge tapes cost hundreds of
huge trolleys.
pounds each. So the pressure was on.
Shows were recorded both on location
Once reels had been identified and
and in studios, and the huge quad (four
selected for re-using, they were moved
recording heads) videotape recorders
to a room that contained an electronic
were sited in the basement at Television
dropout reader and a huge caged
Centre, under Eros in the central fountain
guillotine. The tapes were loaded onto
or in mobile Outside Broadcast units.
the reader and spun very quickly to be Before Top of the Pops is recorded, a session in an editing suite is needed to compile two
As the mountain of tapes grew, videotape checked for dropout. Dropout is when ‘play-in’ videotapes of promotional material and other elements needed for the show.
libraries were becoming full. These were the metallic oxide comes away from the
vast rooms with sliding racks from floor plastic backing tape and causes sparkle broadcast live and a telerecording was The old videotapes were transferred to
to ceiling – each tape was numbered and renders the tape unusable for further made of the live show. The machine, digits too and now everything can be
and referenced by an index card in the recording. If the readings were okay, then called a telecine, was simply a film kept – material available to be
videotape library. In here tapes were the tape would be loaded onto a bulk camera pointing at a television monitor. reversioned, bloopers to be trawled
prepared for the following day’s eraser and a powerful magnetic field A film record of the live show would be through, and no more forests of tapes
transmissions and editing sessions, would wipe the tape entirely ready for made, both in order to be repeated and which occasionally went missing.
placed on trolleys and trundled to the re-use. Those that did not make the grade for archive purposes. Once these shows
Some of the staff who worked in the
edit and transmission suites. ended up on the guillotine where the had been broadcast and repeated, who
video library were appalled at having to
heavy blade cut through the plastic tape, would ever want to see them again.
junk original recordings, particularly those
allowing it to fall into a bin at the bottom. Television was making huge amounts of
from Top of the Pops. So instead of
At 9pm the first tape This bin is where many lost classic new material each week. In time, many of
junking the tape, they removed it to a
productions ended up. the film recordings degraded or were lost
went on air! We scoured – and even after the advent of videotape,
safer place. That is partly why so much
Reduce, reuse, recycle… archive footage is still available of bands
the libraries, checked So what was the problem? The pressure
mistakes were made – edited masters
of the 1970s – although of course many
tomorrow’s tapes… to recycle was intense. But many classic
wrongly marked up were junked or just
recorded over.
can no longer be shown in entirety as
nothing… 15 minutes shows had already been lost even before
With the advent of digital technology,
the famous presenters are persona
non grata!
videotape recording began. Before the
to go! days of videotape, programmes were all BBC output is stored on servers.
Play of the Month
Each programme was recorded on two In 1975 on Sunday evenings the BBC ran
master videotapes. One was a backing a drama series called Play of the Month.
copy, not only for safety but because the This two-hour recording required two
editing process required two tapes to be master videotapes requiring a duplex
‘assembly edited’ onto a third tape called changeover (basically a seamless change
the edited master. Programmes also from one machine to another). One
required insert tapes and some required Sunday the transmission engineer had
several processes of editing, each opened the box to load up the second
generation a new edit master. So each tape to find the wrong tape inside.
production might produce dozens of He came into the library to ask for the
tapes. Imagine how many tapes a single correct tape. Plenty of time – but it could
event such as Wimbledon might use? not be found. Panic!
The number of tapes was growing rapidly At 9pm the first tape went on air!
and every few months, new libraries were We scoured the libraries, checked
required. Surely once a programme had tomorrow’s tapes… nothing… 15 minutes
been edited and transmitted, all the insert to go! As I came back into the room I
and unedited master tapes could be noticed a videotape being used to wedge
recycled? This then is really the start the door open. You guessed – the show
of the story… Videotape library. did go on.
6
THE BBC CLUB
SUMMER FESTIVAL
My 94-year-old Mum, life member of
the BBC Club, lives at Motspur Park – a
name from the past for many, I’m sure,
who have fond memories of the various
events held at the BBC Club sports
ground there and particularly, perhaps,
Wednesday night was riding night. My Dad – complete novice to quite expert.
the Summer Festival. And total pleasure.
A
fter many years of neglect, We were the very first people we knew
travellers, arson and rumour, we to see colour TV – the year the Wimbledon
hear that the sports ground has finals were shown in the TV tent. We’d
For a while he worked in Bush House and
been sold to the Fulham Football Club queue for an autograph or a word brought home loads of foreign stamps;
(FFC), who bought the University of from a famous face, and then, as the
my brother and I would spend our saved
London sports ground, on the other side evening wore on there would be music
of the road, some years ago. This news and dancing in the marquees – as we up pocket money in the magical Philately tent.
brought back lots of memories of those got older we were allowed to go to the
summer days many years ago. more modern marquee – and then, My Mum played tennis, my dad played Mention of the Summer Festival brings
when it was finally properly dark…the snooker and they celebrated their huge smiles and a tranche of ‘Do you
My Dad, Danny Mahoney, started working
firework display! I had never ever seen Ruby Wedding in the Pavilion, and remember…?’ conversations. I’m sure many
for the BBC in the mid-1950s and among my
anything like it in my life. Tired, probably later my Mum’s 80th birthday in the readers have similar memories.
earliest memories are getting the train from
whinging, we would trudge back over restaurant/conservatory.
Earlsfield on hot sunny Saturdays and going My husband and sons are great FFC fans
the steps to the station and train back
to this exciting place with music, stalls, and Their grandchildren and great- so there is a gentle sigh that it’s a good
to Earlsfield.
carousel, with tickets for the children’s tea granddaughter all have happy, happy place, going to good use – hope this trip
tent and the chance to see some of the stars In the late 60s, my dad had been memories of those Saturdays. down memory lane has triggered some
that we had seen or heard on TV or radio. promoted enough and my parents could of those thoughts for others.
Over the years I have come across many
My Dad learned to ride with the Riding afford to buy their own house. They knew
people who either worked themselves Elaine McCormack
Section – and I got to go too, sometimes; at where they wanted to live and bought a
for the BBC or whose parents did.
the summer festival he ran up and down for house in Motspur Park; the other side of
an hour or so with the children’s pony rides the railway and we didn’t see the sight of
and I got to go behind the scenes a little the gasometers over to the right as
and pet the horses. anything other than a blessing.
For a while he worked in Bush House Dad used to have to visit the valve store
and brought home loads of foreign regularly too – and he may have combined
stamps; my brother and I would spend our that with lunch in the Club on occasion. So
saved up pocket money in the magical we continued going to the festivals – and
Philately tent. to the firework displays on Bonfire Night.
The BBC Club Summer Festival at Motspur Park. One of the many heats for the
Derby in progress. This popular sideshow was run by Peter Bond.
Children (and others) enjoying a My son on the bouncy castle – with Ann Esplin showing Beryl and Bobo a thing or two on the trampoline at the BBC Club
Punch and Judy show by entertainer gasometer in the background. Summer Festival, Motspur Park in 1959.
Sydney de Hempsey.
PROSPERO OCTOBER 2017 | 7
| MEMORIES
JIMMY GRANT AND THE
Lottery News
BBC Club held its first lottery evening
event in July with a glass of fizz on
SATURDAY CLUB By Bill Aitken
arrival, spot prizes on the night as well
as the presentation of the lottery During the summer of 1957, two teenagers called Paul and
cheques and a goody bag for all those
attending. We hope to make this a John – fellow members of a skiffle group called the
Quarrymen – loved to lie in on a Saturday morning listening
quarterly event so do check the website
for the details of the next event. There
avidly to a new show on the BBC Light Programme called
were six lucky retired winners in the
BBC Club Extra July lottery draw
(the last before publication submission
deadline). To be in with a chance Saturday Skiffle Club.
of winning, join via the website:
bbcclub.com, select Club Extra,
S
Lottery and click ‘join the Lottery’ ome six years later, by which time been equalled – even by visiting royalty, Club listeners considered themselves,
or call Michelle on 020 8752 6666. the name had been shortened to rightly, to be at the very centre of the pop
religious leaders or heads of state.
There is a monthly draw with 11 cash
Saturday Club, Paul and John music universe.
prizes of £100 and £1,000 PLUS a As a result, Jimmy Grant was soon
appeared on the show as members of
quarterly jackpot prize of £10,000. arranging for Brian Matthew (whose Jimmy’s creation is still fondly
the biggest band the world has ever
obituary appears on page 10) to host remembered by millions of aging
seen – the Beatles.
BBC Club, Connect Groups Saturday Club interviews with the Beatles baby-boomers. It was the base on
Ariel Wine and Beer Society Jimmy Grant, who died last October via transatlantic telecoms links direct which a succession of BBC radio
The Society aims to teach about wine, aged 96, was the first BBC Radio music from America – a technological miracle in programmes was founded, and which,
beer and related topics in a fun and producer savvy enough to recognise that days when the idea of a smartphone was to this day, continue to champion
interesting way at regular informal today’s minority interest might become only to be imagined in a comic strip the cause of minority interests and
tasting evenings. Visit BBCClub.com/ tomorrow’s mainstream phenomenon. called Dick Tracy. For a while, Saturday alternative music.
connect/wine-and-beer or contact
Andrew Latham: andrew@georges- His canny instinct led him to create the
hut.fsworld.co.uk for more details. first BBC Radio programme aimed
specifically at teenagers. At 10:00 am From modest beginnings, the show’s popularity grew,
every Saturday morning, Saturday Club
Photography Club annual exhibition
sounded the clarion call for legions of
eventually topping 10 million listeners at its peak.
This November event is the highlight of
the Photography Club’s calendar. If you young music fans, eager to hear not just
would like to attend, details can be the latest records, but also live radio
found on the website: bbcclub.com/ performances by the biggest names
connect/photography in popular music – from the era of
Lonnie Donegan in the late 50s, through
Prospero and retired members’ events the salad days of Cliff Richard and the
The trip to the Steinway piano factory Shadows in the 60s, and then the
proved so popular that this tour and phenomenal rise of the Beatles and the
lunch is being repeated this month Rolling Stones and on to the psychedelic
(October). November sees a visit to rock of Jimi Hendrix.
one of London’s best kept secrets, the
Beefeater Gin Distillery where the gin Given the paucity of pop music on the
is still handcrafted to a secret recipe BBC at the time, Saturday Club was a
virtually unchanged since the 1800s. precious two-hour slot where a youthful
Other events include a chocolate audience, always eager for something
making workshop, a matinee trip to the new, could find welcome respite from
theatre and our annual Christmas Lunch the monotonous diet of mainstream light
in BBC Club W1. Details of our trips are music and dance band covers which
available in the Prospero newsletter. dominated the BBC airwaves at the time.
This can be viewed on the website or The Beatles in 1963, performing live on Saturday Club – John Lennon (left), Paul
From modest beginnings, the show’s McCartney (centre), George Harrison (right). Copyright: BBC
Prospero Society members can have
popularity grew, eventually topping
it posted to their home address.
10 million listeners at its peak.
bbcclub.com/connect/prospero/
newsletters On the fifth birthday edition of Saturday
Club, the Beatles headlined a bill
The Prospero Society is BBC Club’s
featuring exclusive performances by the
Connect group for retired members.
Everly Brothers, Joe Brown, Tommy Roe,
It is totally separate from the Prospero
Frank Ifield, Kathy Kirby and Clinton Ford.
newspaper! Membership is £15 per year
Cliff Richard phoned in his birthday
and membership is growing as the
greetings from Tel Aviv and there were
advantages of an extended range of
studio interviews and pre-recorded
activities and subsidised prices are
realised. The Society is a great way congratulations from Ricky Nelson,
to meet up with friends old and new! Acker Bilk, Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee,
You need to be a BBC Club member Del Shannon and Bobby Vee. Jimmy’s
to join Prospero Society. For details presenter, Brian Matthew, even read out
or to join, contact the Club. a special message sent by telegram
from Frank, Dean and Sammy (Sinatra,
Martin and Davis Jr, that is).
BBC Club Broadcast Centre, BC2 B3,
201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TP Just a few months later, the Beatles
020 8752 6666 would receive a public welcome in the Jimmy Grant (left) with singer Matt Monro and actress Carol White – a photo taken
BBC.CLUB@BBC.CO.UK USA, the likes of which have still never during the heyday of Saturday Club in the 1960s. Copyright: Bill Aitken
8
| BACK AT THE BBC
Is this the greatest comedy
CRICKET, film of all time?
LOVELY CRICKET A new poll by BBC Culture
has revealed the 100 greatest
comedy films ever made,
‘As well as being a romantic comedy,
a buddy movie, a crime caper, and a
musical, Some Like It Hot is an anthem
On the back of the tremendous news that live cricket is returning according to an expert panel in praise of tolerance, acceptance, and
to the BBC for the first time in a generation, Radio Cumbria of over 250 film critics. the possibility of transformation. It’s an
Senior Broadcast Journalist, Gordon Swindlehurst, gives his anthem that we need to hear now more
Each critic ranked their top 10 favourite
personal memories of watching cricket on the Beeb. than ever.’
comedies, with the international panel
Other comedy classics in the top 10
P
nominating films from Hollywood,
yjamas, Ovaltine, and allowed whose nickname ‘Whispering Death’ Bollywood and Nollywood. The included Terry Jones’s Life of Brian
to stay up late...Lancashire, barely hinted at the beauty of his celebration of comedy follows last (1979), Airplane! (1980), Playtime (1967),
batting in the Mancunian dark, rhythmic run-up and the shatteringly year’s poll of the 21st Century’s This is Spinal Tap (1984) and
in the semi-final of the Gillette Cup, brutal damage caused to batsmen and 100 greatest films. The General (1926).
28 July 1971: the most exciting game their wickets just 22 yards away.
Taking the top spot was Billy Wilder’s The legendary Charlie Chaplin made the
of cricket ANYONE ever saw...to
It was their captain, Clive Lloyd, and his 1959 hit Some Like It Hot, which pipped biggest impact, appearing four times in
paraphrase Max Boyce, I know,
contribution to cricket in the Red Rose Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove (1964). the top 100 with Modern Times (1936) at
because I wasn’t there...
County, which made the palest of pallid Annie Hall (1977), Groundhog Day (1993) number 12; The Great Dictator (1940) at
Thousands of us remember it, kids, from ethnically-deprived Posh and Duck Soup (1933) came in third, number 16; City Lights (1931) at 21 and
vividly, even though we weren’t at Lancashire, want to be a black West fourth and fifth respectively. The Gold Rush (1925) at 25.
Old Trafford for the victory over Indian from mainland South America.
Nicholas Barber, film critic for BBC You can find the full list on the BBC
the ferocious Mike Procter’s
If only one could field with such lithe Culture, discussing the winning film said: Culture website: bbc.com/culture
workmanlike Gloucestershire.
athleticism, throw a ball so fast with so
Why? Because Old Trafford was there, little effort – hit the thing so far into the
BH architect honoured
in the corner of our living room. baying boys who crowded into Lord’s
for final after final because they’d seen
Cricket on the Beeb, back then, did
you, on TV, Clive.
with plaque
more than fan the flames of fandom
which saw Lancastrians flock, That’s why it’s so good to have cricket
thereafter, to watch county games back on the small-screen, where
close-up at such exotic venues as everyone can watch and be sucked in
Broadcasting House underwent a major reinvention at the
Southport, Aigburth and Blackpool. by its charms – not just those whose
beginning of the 2000s, spurred by the desire to reinvent
existing love of the game makes them
It also shaped a generation’s view BBC Radio digitally (and give it an appropriate fit-for-purpose
ready to fork out more for the pleasure
of the world, and the cricket-lover’s home), to bring our news teams together in one combined
of watching it.
position in it. centre, and to create a brand new public space linking the
Test matches brought the really exotic
More than that, it will, once again, bring BBC to Regent Street and the wider capital.
new heroes into their lives. How sad,
into the house for half a century. Yet
for our progeny, to have missed the
awestruck youngsters last found their
company of the likes of Sri Lanka’s
heroes, terrestrially, in the Ashes of
Kumar Sangakkarra or Pakistan’s
2005 – colourful fellows, they were,
Misbah-ul-Haq. These aren’t just great
too: Flintoff, Petersen, Warne...
cricketers – they’re great ambassadors
But the idols of a previous vintage for humanity, men worth seeking
Copyright Jeff Overs / BBC
were – even for middle-class white to emulate.
boys – men of a different colour:
And that’s why it’s important for the
Garry Sobers, and the great West
BBC to win a bid for bits of bat and
Indians of 1976 and beyond.
ball on the box.
And not only for us. Take Baron Patel
That, and the fact that there’s little
of Bradford, a Kenyan-born, Yorkshire
more aesthetically, astonishingly,
lad, of Indian descent, now charged
electric than a Moeen Ali cover-drive,
with opening up the white-flannel
a Jimmy Anderson away-swinger Recently we honoured the architect of of short-term criticism from a hostile
game to wider communities.
or a Joe Root grin. The heart lifts. that vision, Sir Richard MacCormac, by press. He left the project unhappily,
He lately admitted, on the gift to the unveiling a plaque in the entrance of but returned to visit the building just
When David Hughes batted Lancashire
globe which is Test Match Special, Old Broadcasting House (OBH). before his death in 2014, reconciled
to an unlikely victory at a quarter-past
that he’d happily have failed the to the project and its realisation.
9 that July night in 1971, it was, for It’s there below the plaque to the
so-called ‘Tebbit Test’.
many of us, the greatest TV moment, original architect, George Val Myer As Sir Stuart Lipton, who ran the
Had the former Home Secretary’s quite possibly, in the history of and the sculptor Eric Gill (who did the competition for the new BH architect,
theory been based in cricketing – well, anything. statues of Ariel and Prospero on the said at the plaque’s unveiling: ‘Look
reality, the young Kamlesh Patel might exterior façade and the statue of The around you when you leave, the
But it was just a small part of the
have followed India, South Africa, Sower inside the art deco reception of essence of Richard’s design is here:
service done to sport and the real
or, possibly, England. OBH), and facing the two royal plaques the extraordinary precinct, the layered
world outside it by allowing littl’uns to
marking the formal opening of the façades, the materials, the detailed
Instead, like so many of us, witness it and want to be part of it.
original building by George V1 and its design – they all reflect one of
he worshipped at the altar of
I know. I wasn’t there. But BBC TV was. later re-opening by the current Queen London’s architectural masterpieces.’
Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge,
in 2006.
Andy Roberts and Michael Holding, To find out more about the history of
Sir Richard did not have an altogether Broadcasting House and other aspects
easy time working with the BBC – of BBC History, visit bbc.co.uk/
few architects do – as there is often historyofthebbc
an understandable tension between
artistic ambition and public Robert Seatter
expenditure, as well as a context BBC Head of History
PROSPERO OCTOBER 2017 | 9
| OBITUARIES
Pioneering Saturday Skiffle Club in 1958 which later developed into
Saturday Club, where he soon established a reputation Head of Legal
Radio 1 producer for introducing the purveyors of ‘pop’ music to an Anthony Bostock was born in London in 1931 but spent
increasingly young generation of listeners. A Sunday his early childhood in Cairo, Egypt, a place he loved and
John F Muir was born on
programme, Easy Beat, was established by him in 1960 often spoke of with extremely fond memories.
25 April 1937 and educated
and then, becoming a freelance in the following year, he
at Dunfermline High School. After returning to England, he attended Cheltenham
additionally moved over to ITV for Thank Your
After a spell in the RAF, he Junior College and Westminster School. He declined a
Lucky Stars.
joined the BBC in 1961 as place at Oxford to take up a legal apprenticeship with
a Technical Operator. On I became co-producer of Saturday Club in 1964 and what was then Coward Chance (now Clifford Chance –
becoming a producer in 1968, for two years I was very aware of his voice quality a global law firm). Here he was young solicitor of the
John’s first notable radio and brilliance with ‘ad lib’ announcements and so was year in his first year of work. However, instead of taking
creation was John Peel’s Night Ride, an amalgam of later delighted to employ him regularly for the daily the legal Partner route, he decided instead to take up a
folky/acoustic music and poetry. This programme Roundabout drive-time programme during the late career within the legal department of the BBC. It was at
strongly divided critical opinion, but earned cult status 1960s. For me he was the voice of the Radio Two of my the BBC where he ultimately spent most of his career as
from loyal members of the increasingly influential hippy/ time and his contribution was recognised many times, Head of Legal for both TV and Radio and also running
underground scene. John Peel once told John Muir that culminating in the SONY Gold Award in 2008. their legal departments across England, Scotland,
his Night Ride programmes were among the best things Sounds of the 60s commenced in 1990 and Brian’s Ireland and Wales (no mean achievement considering
he ever did. remarkable 60 years of broadcasting ended in February the massive complexities and legal differences between
At Radio 1, during the late 60s and early 70s, John this year. Fit and healthy throughout his life he entered the jurisdictions).
worked with many inspirational figures on the nascent hospital at the end of last year. Returning home he
By 1987, after around 30 years’ service, Anthony
UK rock scene, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, rallied for a while until a severe chest infection led to
retired from the BBC and embarked upon a legal
Jeff Beck, Syd Barrett, Jack Bruce, Curved Air, Genesis, his sudden but peaceful death on 8 April, aged 88. Our
writing career.
Humble Pie, Yes, Wishbone Ash and Peter Green’s sincere condolences go to his wife and family.
In July 1994 he had a very serious head injury. Defying
Fleetwood Mac. While working on Bob Harris’s strand Brian Willey
all the odds, he pulled through. Although his quality
of Sounds of the Seventies, John booked Roxy Music,
producing their first BBC session before they even had a of life was clearly impaired, his loving wife and in
particular son Angus worked tirelessly to give him the
recording contract, and was the first to air David Bowie
in his Ziggy Stardust avatar – five months before the
Head of Technical best quality of life they could. And in the last three years
eponymous album was released. Investigations one of his full-time carers – Amanda – completed what
could only be described as a ‘first class/six star’ service!
John fully deserves to be remembered as someone who John Wardle, who was born Without this his life would have been dull and probably
was openly critical of the ‘tabloid’ mentality of early in Nottingham, died on very short!
daytime Radio 1 programming and who stood up for 30 May aged 74 from cancer.
good music: rock, jazz, blues, folk, ethnic – or whatever! Anthony was a talented linguist (speaking eight
His demeanour and outlook
These attitudes probably didn’t go down too well with languages), a keen camper and caravaner, and a very
was an example to all who
the powers that were, and probably contributed to the good chef! He loved trains and for many years had
knew him during this time. He
fact that John’s contract as a Radio 1 producer was a fully operating train set in his attic well into his 50s.
joined the BBC in 1965 having
abruptly terminated for no apparent reason in 1974. qualified with a first class As a husband he was kind and thoughtful, and as a
honours degree in physics from the University of Leeds. father to three boys he was fantastically loving, wise
After his BBC career, John spent 12 years at the Arts
and caring, passing on manners, compassion and
Council as Jazz/Music Officer, and later moved on He worked initially in Film Recording in Lime Grove intellect (with varying degrees of success!)
to work for the Bhavan Centre, an Indian cultural Studios, joining Studio Engineering at the end of
organisation which encourages and sponsors the 1967. This was a time of huge investment in broadcast Anna, Richard, Andrew and Angus
performing arts of the Indian sub-continent. John engineering to support the colour television service
continued to work for the Bhavan Centre until his which opened officially on 2 December.
late 70s.
In 1972 John was recruited into Technical Investigations, P & ID Engineer
John died of cancer on 10 May 2017. He is survived by his comprising a small group of television engineers David Dunmall (born 24
son, Gregor, his daughter, Lucie, and his grand-daughter, whose remit was to evaluate new technology, seek March 1940) died peacefully
Charlotte Rose. solutions to recurring technical problems, and to at home on 29 May 2017
provide support in meeting some of the special after being diagnosed with
Bill Aitken
needs and developing techniques in London and the prostate cancer.
Regions on behalf of the Operations and Maintenance
David’s BBC career began at
The voice of Radio 2
departments to meet the programme need. One of
his first achievements was to build an adapter to Daventry transmitting station
allow a colour TV camera to interface with a microscope. in 1958, followed in 1967 at the
Brian Matthew was born in
He went on to support many programme requirements BBC’s relay station on Ascension Island accompanied
Coventry in September 1928
including the Royal Institution Christmas lectures. by his wife, Wendy, and their child, Kate. They were
into a musical family – his father
the first BBC family to live and work on Ascension and
being conductor of the City of He was at the forefront of evaluation of all new TV
their second child, Mary, was born on the Island. The
Coventry Silver Band and his cameras and the associated introduction of new
family returned to the UK in September 1970 where
mother a professional singer. camera pick up tube technology, which changed in
David worked in Lime Grove Studios, before moving to
ever-decreasing size, leading on, with his close
Educated at Coventry’s Plymouth as a station engineer.
involvement, to the use of solid state sensors which are
Bablake School, he was then
the standard of today. A further part of his remit was to In 1984 he moved to London to a post in P&ID, working
conscripted for National Service in the army which
support the change in picture size to the wide-screen for some years in TVC on L/TC36 replacing Network
immediately took him into radio in Germany with the
TV receiver format which we enjoy today. Control 1 and NC2. After the completion of the network
British Forces Broadcasting Service.
John had a high level of interpersonal skill and nothing control rooms, David built up ‘Showcable’ in the same
Upon demobilisation, a talent for acting led him to study was ever too much trouble in his dealings with everyone. area, an early BBC venture into cable TV, built up with
at RADA, later joining the Old Vic company where he recovered equipment from a redundant OB truck. He
met his future wife, Pamela. Married in 1951 they moved In 1987 he became Head of Technical Investigations. He really enjoyed that!
to Hilversum where Brian had obtained a contract with retired in 2000, ran his own consultancy, remained very
active in his Methodist church and was a volunteer with While working for Eric Taylor, he was asked to arrange
the English service of Radio Nederland.
the RSPB. the packing and shipping of equipment to the USA
When their son, Christopher, was born the family for the Olympic Games. This equipment was stored at
John was a consummate broadcast engineer. To his wife,
returned to Coventry, where Brian worked as a milkman Western Avenue, the former BBC scenery stores, and
Jill (they were together for 50 years), Mark, Sarah and
for a while until, in late 1954, the BBC recruited him as just for a bit of fun David put in the centre of one of the
their families, we offer our condolences.
a Home Service news reader before moving over to cases that contained reeled cables, a realistic severed
the Light Programme as an announcer. Brian hosted John Warner hand that he acquired from Props.
10You can also read
