With highlights from Ariel

June 2010 Number 4

page 3

An election likeno other

Fighting forthe galgospage 6

Memoriesof TVCpage 3

Theft levels‘unacceptable’page 9

News

PROSPEROJune 2010

2 • • June • 2010 June • 2010 • • 3

Editorial contributions

Write to: ProsperoBBC Pension and Benefits CentreBroadcasting HouseCardiff, CF5 2YQTel: 020 7765 1414

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Prospero is provided free toretired BBC employees. It canalso be sent to spouses ordependants who want to keepin touch with the BBC. Itincludes news about formercolleagues, pension issues,and developments at theBBC. Prospero includesclassified advertisements. Toadvertise in Prospero or theBBC Staff magazine, Ariel,see page 12.

Subscription information forAriel is on page 12.

Complete the square using the clues; these apply only to wordsrunning across. Then take these words in numerical order andextract the letters indicated by the dot. If your answers are correct,the letters will spell out the names of two BBC characters of yesteryear.

Please send your answers in an envelope marked Crospero to TheEditor, Prospero, BBC Pension and Benefits Centre, BroadcastingHouse, Cardiff CF5 2YQ by June 18.

Clues: 1. Portent (4); 2. Grim experience (6); 3. Metal (4); 4. Pioneerflyer (3); 5. Choppers (4); 6. Grippable surface (5); 7. Vivacity (4); 8. Yearn (4); 9. Terminated (6); 10. Pale (5); 11. Protein substance (6);12. Apparel (4); 13. Former Soviet state (4); 14. Lovers’ meeting (5);15. Mountain goat (4); 16. Exclamation (3); 17. Observed (4); 18. Generates again (6); 19. Colours (4) .

Solution to Crospero No. 147: Toff; Ichor; Obi; Ado; Gap; Yin;Van; Rio; Stage; Help; NATO; Calculating; Reps; Army; Tunis; Sue;Ike; Ace; Ens; Rid; Peg; Esher; Tess. The programme was FRIDAYNIGHT IS MUSIC NIGHT.

The winner of Crospero 147 is Mr John Dean of London.

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CROSPERO 148Devised and compiled by Jim Palm

Mixed SourcesProduct group from well-managedforests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fiberWWW.fsc.org Cert no. SA-COC-1468© 1996 Forest Stewardship Council

TVC

The first time I saw Television Centre waswhen I was a schoolboy in the early 1960s, notlong after it opened, a few years before I unexpectedly joined the BBC at the end of the decade. My late father Dr Kenneth P. Oakley had been

invited in one afternoon to meet DavidAttenborough, who must have been Controllerof BBC2 by then. My dad worked at theNatural History Museum and sometimesappeared on radio or TV because of his role inhelping expose the Piltdown Skull hoax in 1953and as ‘a treat’ he took me in with him. I remember the sweeping sense of light and

airy modernity the new building conveyed, andI was impressed by Attenborough’s sun-filled6th floor office with its panoramic view of thecircular centre court below and its fountainsurmounted by the gilded bronze figure of theGreek God Helios. I have no recollection of

Dry sherry onTVC’s 6th floor

Centre forward to anew national future

Fantastic factsI joined the BBC in ’67 and worked in East Tower TVC in Scenic Servicing beforemoving to Studio Management where I worked as a Floor Assistant and AssistantFloor Manager until ’78.

The facts about the fantastic TVC that I can remember are…

1. The staircase in the South Hall was the highest cantilevered staircase in Europeat that time. Perhaps it still is.

2. There is another level below the basement which was built as a car park.Unfortunately it flooded up to halfway and has always been unusable.

3. The fountain in the centre had to be turned off as it was making employees go tothe loo too often. (Might be an urban myth, that one.)

4. TC1 was the largest purpose built TV studio in the world.

5. When Apollo landed on the moon, the studio (I think TC7) ran all night with thesatellite up all the time. I think that was the longest satellite broadcast ever – atthe time.

6. Programmes were not allowed to film in the grounds of TVC.

7. No statues were permitted in the grounds of TVC. The legendary Biddy Baxterchanged both these rules with not just live shoots from out on the Ring Road buta Blue Peter Garden and a statue of Petra!

8. The BBC Club on the 4th floor (now a gym) was the scene of many altercationson Top Of The Pops nights between the orchestra members of the Musicians’Union, the Commissionaires and the young frustrated rock stars.

9. On the 6th floor Lifts Hall the loos were for Management only.

10. The dressing rooms did not have any plug sockets because Make-Up decreedthat artists would bring in their own hair driers and that would be a disaster.

Maurice Gallagher

5Facts• Did you spot any faces yourecognised in the virtual realityHouse of Commons on Election2010? The ‘MPs’ were actuallyBBC staff members who sat infor the graphic.

• 40 satellite trucks were broughtin from across Europe, to ensurethe BBC was live at morecounts than any otherbroadcaster.

• A news producer was locked inwith the psephologists all dayon May 6, ensuring nothingleaked as they crunched thenumbers for the exit poll, whichwas very accurate.

• BBC Parliament had ‘a goodcampaign’, doubling itsaudience during the last fourweeks, and achieving its highestever weekly reach of 942,000.The channel broadcast themorning press conferences,plus highlights of the day’scampaigning, and all debates.

• For the first time, reportersbroadcast live and on the moveusing Live U, essentially acomputer fitted with sim cardsfrom various networks. Whenconnected to a camera, Live Ucompresses video and uses 3Gmobile signal to stream footageback to a server at TV Centre.The technology allowed North ofEngland correspondent ChrisBuckler to broadcast live fromthe Conservatives’ battlebusduring David Cameron’s 36-hourmarathon and politicalcorrespondent Mike Sergeantfrom the Lib Dem campaign trail.

11.4m The number of unique users who visited the BBC News website on Friday May 7, breaking theprevious record of 9.2m on the day of the Obama election victory. There were more than 100mpage views in total and, at peak, 1,200 searched for a constituency result every second.

Ty Davies writes:I responded to the news of the possible sale ofTelevision Centre in the November 2007 issueof Prospero by putting forward an idea for itsdevelopment into a National Museum ofPerforming Arts. Since then, English Heritagehave succeeded in having a grade II listing onpart of the complex.The RTS and the National Media Museum

have since convinced me that a National Centrefor the Performing Arts would widen and makebetter use of the complex. Instead ofmuseum-style exhibits there could be gallerieswith historical displays drawn from existingmuseum collections including: a V&A TheatreGallery, a combined BBC/NMeM gallery, a BFImoving image gallery. This would limit the needfor permanent on-site curatorial staff. TheNational Gallery has also stated interest, as hasthe British Library, which currently has over12,000 titles relating to the performing arts.

The BBC and other production companiescould still use studios for live audiencerecordings and audience facilities could beupgraded in a studio permanently allocated tothe Royal Opera House for live relays. Facilitiesand space could be allocated to the growing

V&A National Video Archive of Performance.The major difference between the development

of a centre rather than a museum, would be thepossible establishment of a music and danceacademy and there could also be facilities foreducation and training for all professions acrossthe complete range of the performing arts. BBCtraining could be relocated to the Centre andbecome a part of the campus.The reaction from most of the organisations

has been favourable and there have also beenfavourable comments from BAFTA, The Mayorof London and The London Borough of H&F.

The audience for Election 2010, anchored by DavidDimbleby, peaked at 6.6m, with an average of 4.7m,a 36.1 per cent share and a 16.1m reach. Theprogramme was broadcast on BBC One, the NewsChannel, BBC HD and BBC Two in the nations. Programme editor Craig Oliver said: ‘It was an

extraordinary privilege to work with such a talentedteam on one of the most exciting and intriguingstories. The journalism was extremely sharp, theproduction had real impact and the technical staffperformed miracles. What more could you want?’ Across all channels the BBC’s tv election night

programming had a total reach of 17.7m between9.55pm and 2am. There was a live results service on Radio 4, 5 live,

BBC Scotland, BBC Wales, BBC Northern Ireland

and all local radio stations. Coverage was also onthe Red Button and the BBC’s Facebook andTwitter sites and Ceefax. The mobile electionresults pages had more than 1m views. The nations ran their own programmes on BBC

One, and attracted healthy audiences, withNorthern Ireland taking a 31 per cent share, Wales24 per cent and Scotland 26 per cent. A veteran of six general elections at the BBC,

Mark Thompson said he couldn’t rememberanother one as complex or demanding as this one. And the output was ‘first class’, he said: ‘Brilliant

campaign coverage was followed by an electionnight (and its fascinating aftermath) which showedthe BBC at its very best – clear, authoritative, fairbut also unbelievably gripping.’

Equity ‘would like to see the idea considered’.The three Secretaries for State for CMS whohave held the post since 2007 and the shadowsecretary have all responded favourably.If the BBC would like to take the lead and

progress the idea further into a plan, it woulddemonstrate to the license payers itscommitment to be the major cultural andperformance arts supporter in the UK and beginto put into practise the second of the fivepriorities. Also ensuring another 50 years for the‘Centre of Excellence’ as described in the August2009 issue of HERITAGE magazine.

what Attenborough and my father discussed butI do remember how graciously I was treated bythe household-name star presenter of ZooQuest. Attenborough talked to me in such anuncondescending way, almost as an equal,listening intently to my juvenile opinions as ifthe schedules should be immediately shifted toaccommodate them. But the best bit was whena drinks trolley suddenly appeared as if bymagic. I was asked what I’d like to drink andno-one batted an eye when I asked for ‘a drysherry’, my idea of the height of sophisticationbased on ‘special occasions’ round at mygrandparents’ house. Of course I had no idea then that one day I

would be a regular on that same 6th floor, stillshowing off and trying to persuade successivechannel controllers of something or other. Oh happy days.Giles Oakley

TVC the earlyyears

The culmination of the most gripping electioncampaign for decades – and the most challengingin BBC history, according to Mark Thompson –produced strong TV viewing and a weekend ofrecord traffic to BBC News Online.

Election 2010It’s a wrap:

We had a good response to our call for your memories andmemorabilia about the history of BBC Television Centre,which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. We hope topublish more in the next issue of Prospero.Patrick O’Neill kindly sent us a copy of the Practical

Television March 1960 issue, which had as its cover story theconstruction of TVC. We were interested to read that ‘the costof building the mains block and works block and completingthe restaurant section will be in the order of £10 millionincluding technical plant and wiring’.

Letters

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Letters

This issue… Harry and the Iron Hague; a reader defends Prospero; local radio programme sharing; memories of past times and old friends

Oh what a night

4 • • June • 2010 June • 2010 • • 5

Planet PeelI am writing in response to David Peel’s letterin the April issue (‘Scarce news’).Which planet are you on mate? In an age of

deep recession and higher and higher costs hereon planet Earth, we have Prospero delivered toour door by post absolutely free. This monthlymagazine of ours is a vital link with our formeremployer/employees, it keeps us well informedand up to date with current affairs and is adelight when covering the historic parts of (our)BBC heritage.I look forward with sheer anticipation

for it to drop through my letterbox and I gain a little bit more knowledge from its well balanced contents each time – often some fascinating facet of broadcasting is described, which is knowledge to me and you.Prospero only fit for the re-cycling bin?

Well I should hope so – we all need to do ourbit to save planet Earth. I scan the articles andphotos to save to my hard drive – see, no paperwasted, but saved for a delightful read at any time.I suggest you get off your posterior and get out

and about and try and find something ofinterest to publish in this wonderful paper ofours. Ingratitude we can all do without.Alan Sutcliffe

Women musiciansIn the February issue, in Joan Morris’ (nee Adams) account of life in the BBC Revue Orchestra circa 1956, I was surprised toread she believed that prior to that date therewere no women musicians in either the Revue or Variety Orchestras. Well, notaccording to my memory of those earlier times.I became very conversant with the VarietyOrchestra some 10 years before her givenmemory and distinctly remember ladies in the orchestras. I recall only one name, that ofOlga Jones, who was I believe deputy leaderwith the Variety Orchestra, then directed byCharles Shadwell. Joan also mentions a studio in Lower Regent

Street, calling it ‘B Station’. This was surely thewonderful ‘Paris Cinema’ to which she refers. Itdeserves a full name credit – a vital part of BBCradio history.Neither are subjects to quarrel over, but just

to put the matter straight. Brian Willey

Strategic reviewBuried in the BBC’s strategic review is aproposal for more programme sharing betweenlocal radio stations at peak times.Anybody who has ever worked in local radio

must have groaned at reading of this plan as partof a major review of the BBC’s future.It’s not as if the idea is a new one. It isn’t. In

his regional days, Mark Byford put forwardexactly the same idea. It was aimed, as now, atswitching more resources into news gathering.The management that followed him into

the regions undid it; they realised that imposedprogramme sharing was a sure-fire audience loser.The success of BBC local radio – and it has

been a success story over the years – has beenbased on providing a good all-round localservice of news and programmes of interest tothe community the station serves.Certainly there is a place for programme

sharing in some specialist programmes and atoff-peak times. But during the day people wholisten to BBC local radio expect it to be local.Well, they would wouldn’t they?The balance between news and general

interest programmes of information andentertainment is vital to successfullymaintaining the local audience.Local radio has already found its freedom to

identify with its local audience hampered bydevelopments in recent years. Fewer stationsorganise public events these days because, I amtold, it involves so much form filling and theyare not allowed to make a profit; stations havebeen banned from publishing an annualmagazine to publicise their programmes andactivities; even the word radio is now beingtaken out of their title as the latest exercise incorporate identity.I think it was Lord Annan many years ago

who suggested that the BBC might not be thebest keeper for local radio. For many years theBBC has proved him wrong and stations haveflourished with a collective audience of 10 million at one time. That is going down and if the BBC doesn’t

keep its local radio local it will lose even moreof its listeners.Roy Corlett

Vernon ScannellI am working on the authorised biography ofthe poet Vernon Scannell, who did a lot of

broadcasting work for the BBC from the 1950son. I have letters, typescripts, rough drafts andother material among his personal papers, andI have listened to a number of his recordings.But I would dearly love to speak to any former

BBC members of staff who worked with him. Iwould be very grateful if any of your readerswho have memories of Scannell would contactme at andrew@andrewtaylor.uk.net, or on01628 826822.Andrew Taylor

ZodiacGeoff Higgs wrote in the April edition ofProspero about the work of Maggie Dale. Theprogramme he referred to was called Zodiac. Iwas lucky enough to work with Maggie on thatseries and many other dance programmes that

I would very much like to add a personalmemory to the many tributes paid toHarry Carpenter following his death. In1969 when Harry was already the voiceof boxing and I was a young producerwith the then fledgling BBC RadioSheffield, I rang Harry to ask for his help with what was to be my first radio feature.I was working on a half-hourprogramme about Iron Hague, alittle-known boxer from Mexborough,South Yorkshire, who had taken theEnglish Heavyweight Boxing title fromGunner Moir in the first round at theNational Sporting Club in 1909. The localpress at the time had carriedblow-by-blow accounts of the fight and from these I had written a scriptdetailing how a radio commentary might have sounded.Having reached Harry at Television

Centre I tentatively asked if he wouldconsider voicing my script for inclusion inmy programme. He was fascinated by theidea of a commentary on a title fight fromthe days before radio and readily agreed.Within a few days he re-wrote myamateurish attempt at a live commentary,personalised it in his own unique style andposted it to me on a 5” reel-to-reel tape. Isimply added sound effects of a big crowdat a boxing match.As a freelance, Harry later sent me a billfor fee we had agreed – charging £7. I still have the recording and in factused it again last year when I re-madethe programme for BBC Radio Sheffieldto celebrate the centenary of IronHague’s Heavyweight victory. I didn’toffer a repeat fee as the initial contractwas for all Local Radio rights!The response to the programme wasthe same as it had been 40 years earlier.

Listeners assumed it was an actualcommentary, overlooking the fact that thefight pre-dated the start of radio – andindeed the birth of the outstandingcommentator that was Harry Carpenter.Geoff Sargieson

WHILE READING THE well-deserved,kind reminiscences of a gentleman ofsports department, I remembered thetime when a relatively new Tony Gubba,during the hectic Grandstand operation invideo tape, introduced the next item with‘...and now to boxing and your carpenteris Harry Commentator.’ Only half of usnoticed, the other half hearing what wasmeant. We were ever undecided as towhich group of us could claim the moreagile brain!Geoff Higgs

I think Ronnie Waldman’s connection withMonday Night was that he did the PuzzleCorner, which was a slot in the programme. Ithad a vocal introduction which started, ‘Getyour pencils and your paper out. You’re awinner if you know about…’It was my family’s favourite section.

Gillian Ford

DURING THE 1940s I was a JPE (JuniorProgramme Engineer) doing the sound effectson all the variety shows of the time, and withoutwishing to argue too much with MarionHolledge’s excellent feature in the Februaryissue, I have to agree with Jim Palm thatRichard Murdoch was never the actual compèreof Monday Night at Eight. He certainlyparticipated in the shows, but only ever aspresenter of Puzzle Corner during RonnieWaldman’s wartime RAF service, when theshows came from the Monseigneur NewsCinema at Marble Arch. To my recollection the

introductions were always musical – initiallysung by Judy Shirley when it was MondayNight at Seven – she being followed by asuccession of ‘singing commères’ such as ‘TheThree Chimes’. Ronnie Waldman introduced the segment

called Puzzle Corner and became co-producerwith Harry S. Pepper in 1939. Despite Ronnielater being in the RAF, he did occasionallyappear as an interviewer during the war yearsand in 1946 returned to the BBC as a producerin Variety Department. By the end of the war,Monday Night at Eight had been transferred toStudio 1 Aeolian Hall for the orchestra andmain cast – and Studio 2 housed the dramaticinserts such as Inspector Hornleigh Investigates.Douglas Moody and Gordon Crier were alsoco-producers during the entire run, which lasteduntil early 1948. Just one more observation in Marion’s article

– the Grafton studio was not in Grafton Streetbut in Tottenham Court Road, near WarrenStreet tube station. Brian Willey

THIS SHOULD PUT to rest the Monday Nightat Eight ghost for good! This picture from RadioTimes (above left) and the billing for 4th March1940 (right) clearly shows Ronald Waldman'sinvolvement. He is on the right looking at hiswatch; Harry S. Pepper is on the left.Jim Palm

I HEARD MONDAY Night at Eight a lot whenI was a child because my grandmother alwayshad it on. The words sung after the programmewere: ‘Produced by Harry Pepper and RonnieWaldman too, we hope the programme hasn’t

caused a frown so goodbye everybody it’s timeto say goodnight, for Monday Night at Eight isclosing down.’I never heard Douglas Moodie. Perhaps he

was a stand-in for HP when he was ill? Anotherserial Grandma listened to was Miss Dale’sDiary and a bit later The Archers.Lavender Beard

MAY I ADD another anecdote to the recentcorrespondence in Prospero about Monday Nightat Eight? I worked as Douglas Moodie’sProduction Manager, when he was directingepisodes of This Man Craig for television inGlasgow in the mid-Sixties.After being auditioned for a part, one actress

popped her head back round the door and said:‘Excuse me for asking, but are you the sameDouglas Moodie who produced Monday Nightat Eight?’ Ever the wit, Douglas replied:‘Madam, when I produced it, it was MondayNight at Seven’, which of course was the original format.Glyn Edwards

WATO decade outOh dear... Mea culpa. It was sharp-eyed indeed of my formerWorld At One colleague Sue MacGregor to query the date ofthe photograph I submitted to Prospero recently of a WATOget-together. I acquired the picture around the time of the event itself.Since then, coming across it again after many years, I’dassumed it was the programme’s 10th anniversary because itseemed a likely significant date and included most of us whowere there from the very beginning.However, Sue’s doubts made me realise I could have been adecade out. Perhaps we were still looking young and thin even10 years later! The picture seems to have been taken by afreelance photographer specially for the occasion, judging bythe stamp on the back, but there is no date. With little hope Ibegan searching among old memos, diaries, and otherreminders of 40 years in the BBC, and actually unearthed theoriginal invitation. The party was held in The Langham Galleryin The Langham, on 4 October 1985. So Sue was quite right. Itwas indeed WATO’s twentieth. Peter Dorling

were made and broadcast regularly in those longago days. Each programme included dancepieces of various lengths but also included amajor piece commissioned by some of the bestchoreographers working at that time, includingthe late Kenneth Macmillan. Sadly all those 2”master tapes from the series were wiped. Nowthere are only memories of that inventive series,perhaps there are some black and white photos somewhere.Bob Lockyer

We received a letter from Geoff, telling us thatvideotape co-conspirator and friend, Geoff Taylor,had reminded him that the programme wasindeed called Zodiac. Geoff said each of theprogrammes themed on the supposed characteristicsof a star sign – ed

Memories of Harry Carpenter

Iron Hague

Life after AuntieLife after Auntie

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6 • • June • 2010 June • 2010 • • 7

Fighting for the galgos Small butbeautifully marked

I didn’t plan on retiring overseas when I workedin External Services in Manchester in the late1960s. I had my perfect job as, besidessupplying stories to all the language services atBush House, my producer Randal Herley alsoproduced programmes for Talkabout, a Sundaymorning magazine programme hosted by Brian Trueman.The regional External Services offices were

eventually closed and I moved to working on AWord in Edgeways, produced by Michael Greenand hosted by Brian Redman – a man who seemed to know a little about absolutely everything. My next move towards crossing La Manche

was broken by the rural lifestyle of Suffolk andRadio Suffolk where I became ‘Beryl from Bury’in the West Suffolk Studio in Bury St Edmundsfor the lunch-time programme presented byJohn Eley, the Cooking Canon.

Retirement and France beckoned and in 2001we bought a beautiful Charentaise farmhouse inDeux-Sevres – where? Next one down from theLoire; people tend to drive through rather thanstop. Our two horses, three dogs and three catsalso came along for the ride! For three years weran it as a B&B, specialising in MG car ownersand bikers. UK banks were at that timethrowing money at people to buy homesabroad, so we had plenty of property searcherstoo, some bought nearby and have become firm friends.It was great fun but hard work; downsizing

seemed an attractive idea, and would give memore time for writing and my animals. For overfive years I’d been writing for the Englishlanguage newspaper French News, together withediting an Internet website, which left little timefor anything else.I’ve had dogs all my life, including a

greyhound who was an excellent PAT (Pets AsTherapy) dog and who converted me to thebreed – serene, graceful, affectionate, andterrible food thieves! My last one died after wemoved to France, so I trawled the Internet foran association through which I could adoptanother one. That is when I discovered theGalgo Espanol, the Spanish greyhound, and itchanged my life forever.The Spanish hunting season is from

September to January and galgos are the mostcommon breed used by hunters. At the end ofevery season the hunters abandon these dogs,over 50,000 every year, as they will not keep adog when it can’t hunt. They hang them fromtrees, drop them down wells, burn them alive,poison them, abandon them on motorways – toa Spaniard, a galgo is a hunting tool, has nofeelings and is treated like vermin.

I was accepted as an adoptant by L’Europe desLevriers, a French galgo rescue association, whoallowed me to travel to central Spain with theirteam to collect my galga (female galgo). It wasan eye opener and I was thrilled to have the taleof my trip accepted and published in theWeekly Telegraph. This led me to start my weblog Galgo News,

whereby I link with the dozens of galgo rescueassociations in Europe, with the intention ofalerting the world to the plight of the galgos,the horrendous conditions in which they arekept by the hunters, and the tireless work of thevolunteers and Spanish refuges who cope withthis mass abandonment of galgos at the end ofJanuary, year after year. It is also a mediumwhereby I run and co-ordinate petitions andletter-writing campaigns to put pressure on theEuropean Commission, the SpanishGovernment and regional and municipalcouncils to end the annual and completelyunnecessary massacre of hunting dogs.I’ve travelled to Spain several times, visited

animal refuges to see the situation for myself,and it never ceases to amaze me how the peoplehelping the galgos and the rest of Spain’sabandoned dogs cope. A natural developmentfrom this was to consider writing a book aboutthe galgo, exploring its ancient history throughto the present day, discussing the cruel methodsused to dispose of the galgos, researchingEuropean and Spanish Animal Welfare laws,and how it could be possible to solve the problem.My definitive guide to the Galgo Espanol is

now available as an ebook on sale through GalgoNews and the next step is to publish a printedversion, together with translations into Spanishand French. Don’t know how I found time to go to work!

Sound familiar?

www.galgonews.comFrom Heaven to Hell – The Story of the GalgoEspanol, Beryl Brennan

Beryl Brennan didn’timagine her retirementwould involvecampaigning on behalfof the galgos, theSpanish hunting dogswhich face a terriblefate at the end of theseason each year

‘Small but beautifully marked’ could describesome of the wonderful small monitorloudspeakers of the 70s and 80s. I suppose I have always been fascinated by

loudspeakers, and amazed how good thesound can be from a piece of plastic, a magnetand a coil.In my teens I used to be an avid reader of all

the audio magazines, and built many strangelyshaped cabinets to hold some very averagespeakers by today’s standards.I suppose it was my enthusiasm for all things

audio that persuaded the selection board tooffer me a job in Manchester (NPC) as atrainee engineer. It was whilst working in thevarious studios in Manchester and Leeds thatmy interest in loudspeaker design wasrekindled. Having built large speakers formyself, and spent many hours in building thecabinets and acoustically treating them, the

BBC’s attention to detail in theirs was an eyeopener to me.Sadly the quality of the available domestic

loudspeakers left a lot to be desired. Manywere paper cones, some tried to make a fullrange loudspeaker using a parasitic tweeter–abit of circular plastic glued in the middle ofthe cone. Other manufacturers, it has to besaid, were more successful, but exceedinglyexpensive.In the course of time, a very small monitor

speaker appeared at the BBC, the LS 3/5a. I have to say that initially I was not a great

fan of these speakers – so accurate, that theyalmost sounded clinical to my ears. Graduallyover the years my opinion slowly changed, andI now appreciate the brilliant design of thesespeakers – they are still my reference today !On retirement, in my case taken very early,

it gave me time to do research intoloudspeakers and look at the commercialoffshoots of this design, using in many casesthe same Kef speaker units that had been sucha success in the LS 3/5a. I purchased some empty and original LS

3/5a cabinets, and embarked on a project torebuild them, and hopefully get them to sound like my reference pair. This was most certainly not an easy project. The first listening tests were not at all good, and expert advice had to be sought. Frequency runs were done and the crossovermodified for the later loudspeakers I was using

– something I understand that the commercialmanufacturers of these speakers also had to do.The final outcome was a really beautiful pairof speakers, which I defy anyone to tell apartfrom an original pair. I appreciated even morehow brilliant the BBC engineers were inproducing a world-beating speaker with somany innovations, and why they werecarefully built under licence to ensure their uniformity.For those who wanted something for a

domestic listening setup, there were spin-offsin the shape of the Kef 101 – a larger speakerthan the LS 3/5a and somewhat more forwardsounding; the JR 149 and its big brother theJR 150 – cylindrical speakers that weredesigned by that fine engineer, Jim Rogers;and the Dalesford ‘D’, an interesting designproduced in Pudsey ,Yorkshire, in a D-shaped,well damped enclosure, using their homebuilt

six-inch bass/mid units. These five are some of the speakers that have

stood the test of time. There were many morewith designs that were somewhat less successful.Sadly, all these domestic designs were

compromised in some way and could neverreally be classed as true monitor speakers.What they can do is still provide excellent andaffordable listening in the home.People have asked me what is my favourite

bookshelf speaker, and it has to be the JR 149– in the reviews of loudspeakers, it beat theSpendor BC1, LS 3/5a and Quad electrostaticsin a blind testing. I have completelyrefurbished my pair, and I have to agree thatthey are superb.I am not a fan of large cabinets in a domestic

environment, but choose with my system touse smaller, more accurate speakers, with theaddition of a transmission line activesubwoofer, which takes the bass end down toa clean 22hz. For those who have never hearda domestic full range loudspeaker system it cancome as a bit of a surprise to find that there isa lot of information in the low bass which hasnever been heard. I still play around with speakers and design

crossovers, and I am happy to help colleagueswith speaker problems, or if they have anyunwanted or orphan speakers, to give them acaring home. You can contact me at iancreed@lineone.net

or 0161 427 7546.

A piece of plastic, a magnet and coil… formerengineer Ian Creed continues to be fascinatedby the loudspeakers

Frozen in timePaul Middleton of Cardiff has kindly madeavailable this photograph (below), taken in2004 at the Science Museum Large ObjectStore at Wroughton, near Swindon in Wiltshire.It shows the two former BBC scanners

mentioned in the November issue of Prospero,stored there on behalf of the National MediaMuseum.AMU404H on the left is the type-2 scanner,

CMCR 10, the former London Unit 6, whichcompleted its BBC service as a temporaryproduction gallery outside the Leeds Studio in1985/6. After that it was on public display fora while outside the NMeM in Bradford.On the right is the type-5 scanner, CMCR 20,

also London Unit 6, but of a later generation.The registration of that one is EXH 86V,although that is difficult to read, except in anadjacent shot. This should clear up anyconfusion about the identity of the vehicles inpreservation. The Wroughton storage facility isnot open to the public except for very occasionalorganised group visits.

The 39 steps to a 40-year reunion

I contacted the three chaps I still knew andsuggested we all try to see how many of the 39we could contact. As I had just takenredundancy, just seven weeks short of 40 years’service, I seemed to find myself with the taskof tracing the rest.

Four chaps didn’t quite satisfactorilycomplete the course, and some left the BBCwithin a year or so, but many of us stayed inbroadcasting, moving around to differentdepartments. Others left to go to regional ITVcompanies or became freelancers, sometimes

working indirectly for the BBC. We all had afew contacts, and in this industry everyoneseems to know someone who knows someoneyou are looking for.I got some help from the Pensions & Benefits

Centre, who sent out my enquiring letters tonames and addresses of likely former Staffmembers, some of whom replied. I also usedthe internet to search the Electoral Roll andCompanies Register to find the last few.Amazingly, in March this year, 26 (or

two-thirds of the original 39 trainees) arrivedat The Rutland Arms Public House nearHammersmith Bridge in London for a fantasticreunion. Many had travelled long distances, coming

from all over the UK including Glasgow,

Cardiff, Bristol, Norwich and the south coast.Many of us hadn’t seen each other for over

40 years. Luckily I realised that we might notrecognise each other. So I persuaded a formercameraman friend from the course, TerryReeve, to make up named badges usingenlargements of everyone’s faces from copies ofthe three black & white group photographs wehad taken all those years ago. Many of the chaps had found old photos of

our time together at Evesham when we were 18or 19 years old and some even had cine footage.Quite a shock as we all looked so young!Lots of catching up, old stories and a few

beers passed by and everyone thought it waswell worth the effort to meet up again.Next one in 2050?

Last summer, former BBC TV sound supervisor DaveHowell realised that it had been 40 years since he hadjoined the BBC, along with 39 other trainee technicaloperators, on a course to become proficient in sound,cameras and lighting operations...

...He set out to trace as many of his colleagues on thethree-month course as he could.

From left to right: JR 149, Kef 101, JR 150, (LS3/5a on top of it), Dalesford ‘D’

Wroughton scanner

The original group

At the reunion

8 • • June • 2010 June • 2010 • • 9

Back at the BBCBack at the BBC

MONEYMATTERSEmergency budgetBy Arnie Vashisht, Chartered Financial Planner

The new coalitiongovernmentplans toannounce itsemergencybudget on June22. We havesummarised theprobable regimechanges that will

affect your personal finances.PensionsThe big fear is the possible loss of higherrate tax relief on pension contributions(an item on the Lib-Dem agenda). Betternews for pensioners, who look set tobenefit from a return to earnings-linkedpensions from April next year. Capital gains tax (CGT)CGT for non-business assets is likely to be aligned to income tax rates,increasing from its current flat rate of18% to 40%, or even 50%. Those saton substantial gains from non-businessassets such as second properties and investments should review their position. Personal allowanceA Lib-Dem party pledge that looks likelyto survive the coalition is an increase tothe tax-free allowance on income. Wemay not immediately see the promisedincrease to £10,000 p.a. (currently£6,450 for the under 65s), but manycommentators still expect a generousuplift in the allowance. It is believed theincrease will target lower paid workersand pensioners, but that throughadjustments to tax thresholds, higherrate taxpayers will not benefit from it.National insuranceIt looks like employers will escapeLabour’s planned 1% increase in NICs,but not employees. Anyone earningmore than about £20,000 will thus havean increased NI liability from next April.Inheritance tax (IHT)The Conservative’s promise to increasethe IHT threshold to £1 million is unlikelyto see daylight. So, for the time being,the threshold will stay at £325,000 forindividuals and £650,000 for marriedcouples and civil partnerships. Marriage tax breaksA small giveaway is the likelihood of a£150 marriage tax break for middle andlow income earners.VATEconomists anticipate that the UK VATwill rise to 20% by the year end,bringing it in line with the Europeanaverage. It is thought this measure willadd £11.5bn a year to Treasury coffersat an annual cost of £425 to theaverage family*. Arnie is an independent financial

adviser with AWD Chase de Vere, oneof a panel of independent financialadvisers selected by the BBC. Furtherdetails can be found on www.bbc.co.uk/mypension. AWD Chase de VereWealth Management Limited isauthorised and regulated by theFinancial Services Authority.* www.independent.co.uk 14 May 2010

Working Lunch axedfor future savings

A year and a half after its relaunch, the BBCTwo daily business magazine, whose audiencehas stabilised following a gradual decline, hasbeen axed. Head of newsgathering FranUnsworth said it was ‘a very difficult decision’.‘It was ‘an extremely hard [decision] for

everyone on the team who has worked socreatively and passionately on the programme’,she said. ‘The decision is no reflection on thembut reflects the continuing requirement to meetour delivering creative future savings plan.’Unsworth hoped that the eight to nine people

on the editorial team could be redeployed,avoiding any job losses when the programmecloses this July.The equivalent of 5.7 craft posts in the

newsroom studio group, graphics and editingare also likely to be affected, said Nigel Charters,managing editor, television news.‘We will look at shifts, overtime and rota patterns

first to see how we can reduce by that amount, andaim to meet with the unions after the election.’But he admitted redundancies are a possibility.The audience for the BBC Two lunchtime show

started to fall after 2001, with 450,000 (8 percentshare) in 2002/3 dropping to an average of below300,000 (4.3 percent share) this year. Some of the savings made by cancelling the

programme will come back to the business unitto launch new weekend business programmingon Radio 5 Live and the News Channel. A newMoney Watch season starting in the summer isalso part of the revamp.Working Lunch producer Carolyn Rice told

Ariel: ‘The biggest shame is what the audiencewill lose. There is Moneybox on radio, but noone else does what we do in business on TV fora very loyal audience that includes lots of retiredpeople who don’t consume business outputonline or anywhere else.’

The 14-strong team behind Working Lunch has been told that theprogramme will come off air permanently this summer, to be replaced by aUK-focused edition of BBC World News show GMT with George Alagiah.

Call to reveal evenmore on payMPs have called on the BBC to be even moreopen about staff and talent pay – saying thereward packages of the director general andsenior management are ‘out of step with thecurrent economic climate’.In a review of the 2008-09 annual report, the

Culture, Media and Sport select committee saidthat – ‘at minimum’ – the BBC should publishdetails of headcount by salary band for all staff,and lay out the number of people in eachpayment band for ‘talent’. They suggest bandsranging from those earning £250,000-500,000to those earning £1m-5m, adding that they don’texpect to see any entries in a £5m plus category.

CollaborativesuccessA collaborative series between Newsnight, theNorwegian Broadcasting Corporation, theGuardian newspaper and Dutch paper deVolkskrant has won the Daniel Pearl Award foroutstanding international investigativejournalism. The series looked at toxic wastedumping in West Africa, and the award wasgiven in memory of Wall Street Journal reporterDaniel Pearl who was killed by Pakistanimilitants in 2002.

Theft levels now ‘unacceptable’A Freedom of Information request has revealed thatproperty worth almost £600,000 was stolen fromBBC premises last year.The thefts included camera equipment valued atmore than £250,000, 10 computers and 52 laptopsworth £93,000, 32 mobiles and 14 Blackberriesworth a total of £7,400 and four projectors with a£2,756 price tag.BBC-owned property accounted for £484,261 ofthe total stolen, the other losses being suffered bycontractors, service partners and staff.Responding to the FOI request by The Daily Starnewspaper, the BBC admitted that this level of theftwas ‘clearly unacceptable’ and that measures werebeing investigated to make sure it is reduced.‘The portability of laptops and phones means thatin any large organisation there is an inevitable risk oftheft,’ the BBC added. ‘The BBC investigation unitis involved whenever an allegation of theft is made,and where appropriate the police are informed andprosecutions brought where we can.’

‘It’s one of the biggest things that I’ve ever beeninvolved with in the whole of my 30-year careerat the BBC,’ said Mark Thompson after hisvisit last week to the BBC’s future base atSalford. ‘The buildings are ahead of schedule,we’re well under budget and, particularly on asunny day, it looks stunning.’ Five major London departments and all

Manchester units will transfer to theMediaCityUK site by December 2011 althoughthe schedule of when each section moves is stillbeing worked out. Further programme and staffmoves will be revealed this summer.‘You are going to continue to see a traffic of

programmes and parts of the BBC up toSalford,’ Thompson told Manchester staff at aquestion and answer session. ‘I want to carry onturning up the volume.’More than 10,000 applications have been

submitted in the last three months for at least500 new jobs at BBC North.‘We’re going to have hundreds of new

colleagues – many of them young, many ofthem coming into broadcasting for the firsttime,’ said the director general. ‘I think that’sgoing to be a shock of energy into this part of the BBC.’He said the lessons learnt from Salford and

BBC North will create ‘energy’ DG tells staffGlasgow’s Pacific Quay could be applied to afuture media village in Shepherds Bush.In a reply to a question on workforce diversity

– especially after the proposed closure of AsianNetwork and the Today editor’s comments thatmore women were on TV news because theywere ‘slightly easier jobs’ – Thompson said thatthe corporation should be open to all talents.He added: ‘I believe BBC North should be abeacon to the rest of the BBC. It’s incrediblyimportant that reflecting the whole of the UKisn’t just about geography…it’s about womenas well as men, non-white as well as white,different faiths being reflected and respected.’

Classic chartsRadio 3 has launched its first everweekly chart, marking sales of classicalmusic. Every Monday the drivetimeprogramme In Tune will unveil the chartand play a track from the Number 1disc, with a more detailed look in thefollowing day’s breakfast programme.Radio 3’s website will include clipsfrom the top 20 and a list of the week’srises and falls.

Once upon a time on May 19, 1924, BBC radiolisteners heard for the first time an extraordinaryduet LIVE from a Surrey garden. The cellist was Beatrice Harrison, who had

recently performed the British debut of Delius’sCello Concerto, which had been written for her.The nightingales lived in the woods aroundHarrison’s home in Oxted. Harrison first became aware of the birds one

summer evening as she practised her cello in thegarden. As she played she heard a nightingaleanswer and then echo the notes of the cello.When this duet was repeated night after nightHarrison persuaded the BBC that it should bebroadcast. After an engineering test the livebroadcast took place. Harrison played and the

nightingales, eventually, joined in.The public reaction was such that the

broadcast was repeated the next month andthen every spring for the following 12 years.Harrison and the nightingales becameinternationally renowned and she received50,000 fan letters. Writing in the Radio Times, BBC managing

director John Reith said the nightingale ‘hasswept the country...with a wave of somethingclosely akin to emotionalism, a glamour ofromance has flashed across the prosaic round ofmany a life’.Do any Prospero readers remember this duet –

perhaps you heard the very first broadcast? Get intouch and share your memories with us.

A nightingale sang…Writing in Ariel, BBC historian Robert Seatterreminds us of an extraordinary anniversaryinvolving a cello and a nightingale.

BBC Gardeners’ World Live 16-20 June, NEC, Birmingham

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plants to browse and buy, discover greatgardening gifts and the latest gadgets and ahost of show bargains. Enjoy FloristryMasterclasses, inspirational Show Gardens,family activities and expert help with GrowingYour Own delicious fruit and veg.Plus, all tickets include free entry to the BBC

Summer Good Food Show taking placealongside BBC Gardeners’ World Live. So youcan also pick up summer recipe ideas, see top

chefs cooking live, buy delicious food anddrink and see MasterChef champion DhruvBaker cooking live under the watchful eyes ofJohn Torode and Gregg Wallace.Book now and look forward to a great day outthis summer.

MONEYMATTERS

ObituariesObituaries

10 • • June • 2010 June • 2010 • • 11

In my opinion, one of our greatest televisionlighting directors sadly passed away in the earlyhours of February 11. I first met Howerd King when I was

appointed to the post of Technical Manager 2and we were paired together. I had seen himaround previously but had never actuallyspoken to him.Little did I know then that I was about to

embark on probably the most rewarding,fulfilling and exciting phase of my career at theBBC. Howerd was already an experiencedlighting director, having cut his teeth on earlyepisodes of Dr. Who, but over the years weworked together he developed his craft to evengreater heights, and I gratefully tagged along.Drama was his forte and his numerous credits

included such epics as Heartbreak House, JuliusCaesar, Bridget Hitler, Jekyll and Hyde and TheCherry Orchard. Serials included The BarchesterChronicles, Therese Raquin and Crime andPunishment. For relaxation he enjoyed workingon Dad’s Army.It was during this period that he was

nominated for the BAFTA television lightingaward five times, winning the award on threeoccasions. That record speaks for itself.However, as well as his obvious talent for his

craft, his success was only achieved by extremelyhard work and the attention to detail he putinto every project. Yet despite the esteem inwhich he was held among his peers, he was avery modest man, shy even. He was veryappreciative of the talents and expertise of thosein the other disciplines with whom he workedand would always try to help them if he could.

He was particularly generous to his own staff,always encouraging them to contribute andnurturing new talent, never disparaging. He wasonce described to me as having ‘absolute artisticintegrity’ and that was very apt, becauseeverything he did was solely for the good of the show. Once he retired from the Beeb, he did

freelance work for a while but eventually hishealth deteriorated and latterly he had had apretty torrid time which he bore with greatfortitude. I never heard him complain. A veryprivate, kind and gentle man with whom I stillenjoyed many a pleasant lunch over these lastfew years. I was privileged to be his colleague,and proud to be his friend.Brendan Carr

Industrious andimaginative archivistMary Hodgson had a remarkable career withthe BBC in which she achieved a great deal. Her father was a Methodist minister

and moved around in various parts of thecountry, including the Isle of Wight – a location which became Mary’s favourite. She was the youngest of three children. Her elder sister is 93 years old and hale and hearty; unfortunately her elder brotherdied, aged eight. Mary was educated at Edgehill Girls College in Bideford, NorthDevon. She went on from there to qualify as alibrarian, coming top in the country in her final

exams and was added to the LibraryAssociation’s professional register as a Fellow in 1955. Mary joined the BBC as a Library

Assistant on 4 July 1945 on a salary of £4 aweek – plus 17/- cost of living bonus. Some ten years later she transferred to what was then known as the Historical Records Section and was trained as the ArchivesAssistant. Based in the Langham, the Sectionkept files of all the BBC correspondenceinternal and external, all programmedocumentation records, minutes and associatedpapers and BBC publications from 1922-54and a unique collection of newspaper cuttingson broadcasting matters. Most of that materialwas stored in the Langham cellars. As the officeswere on the ground floor, staff were constantlyrunning up and down stairs carrying papers and files.Difficult it may have been but their

achievements were great none the less. In thepreface to Volume 111 of The History ofBroadcasting in the United Kingdom – The Warof Words, Asa Briggs wrote, ‘I would never havebeen able to complete the volume had it notbeen for Miss MS Hodgson, the BBC’sindustrious and imaginative archivist, and her staff.’I first met Mary in 1969 when I became Head

of Reference and Registry Services and verysoon I came to recognise her many skills and achievements.In November 1970 the Historical Records

Section was renamed Written Archives andtransferred to empty bungalow offices in thegrounds of the Monitoring Service premises inCaversham Park. With birds singing in the treesand squirrels running around the grounds,Mary described the new accommodation as ‘themost work conducive and peaceful place’.Although some 60 miles from BroadcastingHouse and the other major London premises,no-one was deterred by the journey toCaversham – in fact the number of visitingresearchers from all over the country andsometimes from overseas has increased year by year.The Written Archives Centre benefited from

modern filing systems in electrically operatedbays, which slid smoothly on runners at thetouch of a switch. Such facilities greatly easedthe load on the staff. Certainly the contrastbetween such facilities and the basement storagein the Langham could not have been greater.But the big advantage was found in Mary’s skillsand personality.Mary retired on 31 July 1974 after almost

30 years working in the BBC Registry and Archives. She went back to live on herfavourite island, the Isle of Wight. She enjoyedher garden and watching from her porch as somany boats of virtually all sizes and types sailedby. On one occasion she herself even sailedaround the world on a banana boat – whatcourage! She was frequently visited by each ofher three nieces and took them out for lovelylunches on the Island. She is sorely missed byher family and friends.Dick Hewlett

had two children, Chris and Jan (and there arenow three grandchildren: Scarlett, Violett andCallum). Betty died in 1980 after a long battlewith cancer. Stuart is also survived by a sisterliving in Canada.Stuart was introduced by a colleague in BBC

Pebble Mill to Joyce Mahon, a divorcee workingin the Press Office and they married in 1982,spending as much time as they could travelling. Stuart was an active Mason; he served as a

parish councillor in his home village ofWychbold and as chairman of its village hall.He was a member of the local history societyand also of groups for enthusiasts of ancienthistory and archaeology.I was one of the many at Pebble Mill who

always looked forward to Stuart’s arrival in theoffice (even more so after his retirement) withstories of his studies, his travels, his discoveries:he made us realise that life after the BBC couldbe richly satisfying and an opportunity todiscover new interests and undertake newadventures. He was right and many of us owehim a deep debt of gratitude for thatinspiration, as well as for the professionalismand attention to detail which he brought to allhis work.Chris Bates

A peaceful passing for PeggyMargaret Cole, who worked for the BBC forapproximately 30 years, first as a secretary, butafter the war as a radio studio producer, died onFebruary 12 at the age of 99.Margaret (known as Peggy within the family)

had been visited by a local friend during theafternoon and afterwards told her carer that shewas rather tired and would like to go to bed.Within a few minutes, she died peacefully in her sleep. She was a wonderful, strong person and was

fascinating to speak with, especially about hermemories of working for the BBC during thewar period. Despite very poor eyesight towards the end of

her life, she loved to read your magazine andwas very proud of having worked for the BBC,‘in Lord Reith’s time, you know dear!’ Helen Carmichael

A zest for lifeStuart Miller had that extraordinary quality ofmaking you always pleased to see him: he wasalways doing something new, following a freshinterest, studying a new subject or language.You found yourself always enthused when hetalked to you, about whatever it was he haddiscovered. So it was not surprising that after 40years in the BBC and a lifetime in communitygroups, voluntary organisations and bodies, hisfuneral on Friday, April 9 in St. Mary's Church,Wychbold in Worcestershire (of which he wasan active member) should be so well attended –standing room only, in fact.Stuart Henry Miller was born in Maryhill,

Glasgow on August 25 1933, the son of a Welshmarine engineer. After a brief period in the RAF,he joined the BBC as a sound engineer inScotland. His career with the BBC involved himin many popular programmes such as TheArchers, the Miss World contests, Match of the Day,Z Cars, Softly Softly, Task Force, The Forsyth Saga,Blue Peter, Gardeners’ Question Time, as well asmany outside broadcasts.For many, though, Stuart will always be

associated with his pioneering work with BBCLocal Radio. He helped set up what was thenBBC Radio Birmingham (now BBC WM) as itsChief Engineer in 1969, enabling it to open thefollowing year. Clearly establishing a pattern,when BBC Hereford & Worcester was createdin 1989, it was Stuart to whom the stationturned for its Chief Engineer.He retired in 1993 and took every

opportunity to pursue his interests in historyand travel – twice circumnavigating the globe,visiting Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation,Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, China, HongKong, Sri Lanka and French Polynesia, as wellas family and friends in New Zealand and the USA.Stuart met his first wife, Betty, in 1958 while

he was training at BBC Wood Norton. Theyreturned to Scotland after their marriage and

Kenneth Lowe began work for the BBCin 1955 with fellow new recruits DaveGorringe and Tubby Englander, starting atLime Grove as a spark and moving intothe film department. His first job wassparking on Watch with Mother at AllyPally in 1955. He became interested in being acameraman, and although he continued

to work as a spark, he went out with thefilm crews on his days off and workedvoluntarily, learning the skills he wouldneed. In 1956 he moved to Ealing Studiosand continued to spend weekends withthe cameramen, and in 1957 his hardwork paid off and he got an attachment asan acting assistant cameraman followedby a full-time job as an assistant

cameraman in 1958.He was ambitious and hardworking andinteresting in lighting. Between 1969 and1974 he did some stints as an actingcameraman before finally achieving hisgoal in 1974, when he became a BBClighting cameraman. I remember thecelebrations at home included a steakdinner and a new TV set!Ken loved the BBC and the family feel atEaling Studios. We grew up being luckyenough to visit the studios and be takento outside broadcasts of interest. For mybrother’s eighth birthday in 1964, Dadborrowed a dalek for his party, wheeling it up from TFS through the commuters at Ealing Broadway to our home for the weekend!

Some of the highlights of his career werefilming at the 1966 World Cup, working onWhickers World, Tomorrow’s World andthe two-and-a-half years he spent aslighting cameraman on Body in Questionwith Jonathan Miller, where he wascommended for his dedication and skilfulwork which contributed to theprogramme’s success.Ken retired in 1984 and enjoyed anactive and happy retirement in Dorset,travelling extensively and enjoyingpainting and calligraphy. He made manyfriends who supported him after our mumBetty died in 1991. Ken was aninteresting, enthusiastic and talented man,dedicated to his family and much loved byus all, God Bless him.Barbie Markey

From spark tolighting cameraman

RadioHumberside’sindomitable‘mother hen’In 1971, Joan Bratley was on hand to welcome an enthusiastic team ofrather wet-behind-the-ears, mainly20-somethings to Radio Humberside’snewly created studios above the PostOffice in central Hull. Appointed as the radio station’sAdministrative Assistant, Joan was toguide the fledgling station through thefinancial minefield of those formativeyears alongside the ebullient characterof John Cordeaux. John was a strongcharacter, but I have no doubt he’d methis match in Joan. Strategically, Joan’s office was placedhalfway down the main productioncorridor between John’s office and thatof the Programme Organiser, DavidGredington. The door of Joan’s officewas always left open, Joan was not tobe excluded from the day-to-dayrunning of the radio station, and shemissed nothing.When it came to office management,Joan was of the old school. Like heroffice, she was always turned outimpeccably, neat straight skirts and twinssets, the final touch being her ‘fly away’Dame Edna Everidge spectacles. It wasimpossible to creep past the AdminOffice knowing you were late with the P as B forms (Programme as Broadcast)and I remember being summoned in likea naughty schoolgirl. Expenses claimswere examined meticulously and staffhad to account for every mile they haddriven, but Joan was scrupulously fairand she was quick to point out if you haderred by not claiming sufficient.The early days of local radio were hardtimes financially, with derisory budgets.Without the budgeting skills of Joan,who ran a tight ship, management wouldhave had difficulty keeping the operationafloat. However it wasn’t just officemanagement that Joan excelled in, shewas able to manage people; and despiteher sometimes formal exterior she caredabout all the staff rather like a motherhen. She had the ability to know of any‘station romance’ long before the peopleinvolved knew, and many a time herdoor would be closed as someone wentin for a bit of ‘personal counselling’.Joan was a keen member of theSoroptimist, holding office during herlong membership. Following herretirement she served on the HumberMental Health Board as AssociateManager and the Hull and HoldernessCommunity NHS Trust as AssociateDirector. She would always roll hersleeves-up and help, and as late as lastSummer went fruit picking to help oneof the charities she supported.Joan Bratley was an indomitable ladywhose organising skills were secondnature, whose smile was warm andwho Radio Humberside has a lot to bethankful for.Chris Cooke (with contributions from

Jill Hopkins and Chris Bates)

Maurice Stedman died in January 2010 aftera short illness. He retired from the BBC inNovember 1985 at the age of 60 havingworked in Radio since he joined in 1951. Hewill be remembered as a true gentleman by allthose who worked with him. Maurice was fiercely loyal to the BBC and

would not accept anything less than the higheststandard of engineering in any new studio thathis team were commissioning. ‘Nearly right isnot right’ was a maxim that his trainees weresoon to learn.Maurice was called up in 1943 at the age of

18 and joined the RAF where he underwentintensive technical training before being postedto Northern India to support the war inBurma. After demob in 1947 he returned toBritain and worked in a radio repair shopbefore joining BBC Radio in 1951 as anengineer. He worked in London ControlRoom in Broadcasting House and also at theMaida Vale studios, then leading a team thattested new installations and maintainedOutside Broadcast sites in London. His knowledge of the hidden doorways,

backways and corridors in the Londoncathedrals, concert halls and public buildingsand venues leading to remotely sited technicalcircuits was legendary. He had a goodrelationship with the staff at these locationsand always knew who to speak to in order togain access to the most distant microphone andcommentary positions. Those in the remotestrecesses of St Paul’s cathedral could only beaccessed by traversing dusty roofspaces.

He particularly looked forward to the annual visits to check the circuits at the RoyalAlbert Hall prior to the Promenade Concertsand also to Wimbledon before the tennis championships.Maurice’s wartime service in the Indian

subcontinent gave him a lifelong love of Indianfood and consequently many of his colleagueswere grateful to be introduced by him to theflavours offered by a vegetarian Indianrestaurant that he had found located in a quietbackstreet near the Tottenham Court Road. Hewas disconsolate when the site was redevelopedto make way for an office block.After retirement in 1985 he and his wife

Betty continued living in the family home in

Upminster where they enjoyed visits fromfriends, family and from their daughterDaphne and son Timothy.He took pleasure in supervising the

restoration of his 1966 Morris Oxford carwhich he subsequently donated to the HaynesMotor Museum. He also continued tomaintain radio sets for the ‘Wireless for theBlind’ charity.Although he did not enjoy the best of health

he rarely complained and having survivedby-pass surgery in 1995 he gained a new lease of life. Maurice died in hospital in January 2010

after a short illness.Chas Commander

Award-winninglighting director

Memories ofJohn CampionI am prompted to write this note having readthe wonderful tribute to John Campion(Camp to his friends) penned by hisdaughter Mary Luke in the April edition ofProspero. John was indeed a true gentleman.I was aware of his sad passing but this tributebrought back such happy memories of Johnthat I felt I would like to share them with anyothers that knew him.I first became ‘aware’ of him when I joined

the BBC External Services (as they were thencalled) in 1968 as a newly qualified ETSIChapter 2 Engineer. I say ‘aware’ because itwas to be some time before I met him. Aftera period of being shouted at by the OSI(Keith Chantler) I and my fellow new intakeswere despatched to our various roles. I joinedD Shift under their legendary TOM FreddieWiles. After a lengthy period learning theeccentricities of the main operationalpositions within the Control Room at Bush(Monitoring, MCP, MSP, VOA and SB) Iwas eventually thought capable enough tojoin the Shift Maintenance Team under PeteEva. It was here that I began to realise justhow much of the very clever technicalequipment that surrounded me in theControl Room was a product of Camp’shighly inventive mind. Who can ever forget the ASU!I had the great privilege of taking over as

Manager Engineering Services when Johnretired. I was very conscious of the very largepair of shoes I was stepping into. If I everforgot, even for a minute, just how highlyregarded John was, there were a large groupof people who wouldn't hesitate to remind me!John Campion was, to me anyway, the

classic BBC Engineer. He was always kind,helpful and supportive, particularly to thisvery young and rather green Engineer. I shallmiss him.My deepest condolences to his wife

Kathleen and his family.Alec Thomas

Dedicated engineer After a spell at sea as a radio operator onpassenger ships, Joe Arthur came to the BBCat Alexandra Palace. He was one of theknowledgeable band of engineers who workedat AP until the outbreak of war. After the end of the war he worked for several

years at ‘8 & 9’ near to Penrith, finally going toPontop Pike, the temporary TV transmittingstation opening there in time for theCoronation in 1953. The equipment washoused in a pre-war OB van; there wereex-government sound transmitters bought inTottenham Court Road, converted to televisionbefore being transported up to the site – we allquickly learned a lot! The viewers thought thedim and flickering black and white pictures on9” screens were wonderful.Joe became the A.E.i.C at Pontop Pike, doing

an excellent job until his retirement. We allmissed his quiet ways of getting on with things,his patience when things went wrong when wehadn’t a clue why, and his years of experience.Joe died recently aged almost 92, after being

ill for some time, and we send our sinceresympathy to his wife and family.Peter Brett

Legendary knowledge of hidden London

12 • • June • 2010

Talking point

The next issue will

appear in July

ARIEL SUBSCRIPTIONS

UK: 6 months £26 1 year £50Overseas: 6 months £36 1 year £60 Please phone 01709 768 199

Prospero Classifieds, BBC Pension and BenefitsCentre, Broadcasting House,Cardiff, CF5 2YQ Please enclose a cheque madepayable to: BBC CentralDirectorates. Rate: £5 for 20 wordsIn a covering letter please includeyour pension number

Classifieds

Seaview, Isle of Wight. Wanting to get away for a break? PleasantETB 4* Studio Annexe, sleeps 2comfortably. Near Beach and Village. For details contactstudioannexe@.btinternet.com or Tel: 01983 812180.

Barbados, St James. Beautiful 2bedroom (sleeps 5) apartment, closeWest Coast beaches. Pool, floodlittennis court. Tel: 07802 483962

Spain: near MARBELLA/PUERTOBANUS. Lovely villa, pools, sleeps 6-8, walk to beach. Contactemtreffry@hotmail.co.uk Visit http://web.me.com/drskelly/robertsvillas for details. Tel: 02089524369/07768285337

W. Dorset. Recently renovated 3-bedroomed cottage withattractive gardens and all modernfacilities in quiet village close toBeaminster and Lyme Bay. Tel: 0118 934 1566

Lagos, Algarve. Small townhousewithin ancient city, 2 bedrooms,roof terrace, 5 minutes walk tobeach. From £150pw. Tel: 07956 181613;cgodleman@hotmail.co.uk

Paphos. A/C studio apartment,sleeps 2/3, spectacular balconyview, from £95pw. Amenitiesadjacent. Taxi/car hire arranged.www.cyprusapartments.net or Tel: 01455 635759

Turkey, Kalkan. Superb coast, town and apartment. All details Tel: 01643 841602 orwww.kalkanapartment.org.uk from £250 to £400 per week.

BBCPA responds to strategy reviewBBC management came in for fiercecriticism when pensioners gave theirresponse to Mark Thompson’sstrategy review.At the BBCPA’s annual meeting,

there were calls for better qualityprogrammes, a return to the publicbroadcasting ethic and an end to whatwas termed the bonus culture.On programmes, Louise McClean

described the TV documentary unitshe worked in at White City asfantastic but now it was down to astrand of perhaps 10 programmes ayear – and nothing from abroad.When she left, proposals fordocumentaries were being rejectedbecause places such as India and Africa were regarded as ‘not interesting’.There was a call for the return of

good TV comedy writing. It might beexpensive to start with, said BillDudman, but programmes like Dad’sArmy, Blackadder, Keeping upAppearances and The Young Ones lastedfor decades. ‘They’ll still be showingthem in 2015.’David Allen said he would make a

pitch for much greater attention toscience and technology, but the radioscience unit was ‘a Cinderella group’with a very small staff. He said therewas a lack of risk-taking inproduction, partly because short-termcontracts made people worry abouttheir jobs and partly because of ‘verynarrow training’.It was being driven by business unit

needs, he said, and was not giving thatbreadth of training that led tocompletely new forms ofprogramming. ‘There is a lot oftimidity at the top,’ he said, ‘and toomuch obsession on compliance andtoo many programme preventionofficers, as I like to call them.’Nick Whines, BBCPA membership

secretary, detected that in the strategydocument the BBC was talking aboutquality, creativity and better

journalism ‘in a way perhaps theyweren’t before’. But he was concernedthat the heroes in the BBC, who usedto be programme producers, werenow the managers.‘The problem seems to be how to

turn the clock back and restore to theprogramme makers some of theprestige they once had,’ he said.In defence of Radio 6 Music, Willy

Cave said the BBC was planning toget rid of it ‘on false evidence of theirown making’ – putting it only onDAB which he described as a failedtransmission system. Radio 6 on FMmight well have quite a big audience– ‘it could be the rock equivalent ofRadio 3’.The so-called bonus culture worried

Hugh Sheppard. ‘Individual bonusesare misplaced in an organisation likethe BBC,’ he said. ‘It ought to havepublic service as its ethic and works

and depends on a team basis, not onan individual.’Pete Harding was critical of a change

in culture ‘so that now you havehighly-paid executives who aim to getas much out of the system as possible,move around from company tocompany and are not actuallydedicated to the BBC public servicebroadcasting ethic’.The move from White City to

Salford was condemned by severalspeakers as a waste of money.Margaret Edall suggested it was thekind of thing the BBC had beendoing for many years. ‘Like fashion, itjust comes round again,’ she said.‘They’ll all go to Salford and inanother 20 years they’ll all come backto London.’Bud Evans is a member of the BBCPAmanagement committee.

By Bud Evans

BBC riding clubThanks must go to Shirley Green (nee Thornton), who sent in thefollowing photograph of the BBC Riding Club from September1952, at the BBC gymkhana. It shows Brian Johnson (cricketcommentator) and Henry Riddle on a very wet day! Mary David isa founder member of the original secretary. Shirley joined a coupleof years later.

L-R: Brian Johnson, Mary David, Henry Riddle and Shirley Thornton

RELCs summer lunch invitationThe BBC RELCs are holding an extra ‘summer lunch’ at theMiramar Hotel on the East Cliffs at Bournemouth on Thursday, July8, starting in the seaview bars from 10.30am. This ‘lunch’ replacestheir snowed-off visit to Bournemouth in January.Their last lunch in April was enhanced by a visit, electronically,from the Chairman of the BBC Trust, Sir Michael Lyons, in arecorded interview with their Vice-President, Paul Gouldstone,covering a wide range of BBC topics. Paul has circulated, by emailand on the lunch tables, a number of ‘Questions and Answers’ onvery topical BBC subjects especially aimed at members of theRELC’s. including colleagues and friends.Their next lunch is again open to new members; both asengineers and/or others who have been in the broadcasting chainin their BBC careers. Contact the lunch organiser, RussellHorne, on 01590 624389 or email russell@the3hornes.com

Yorkshire Region AnnualReunion/Pensioners’ LunchThis year the lunch will be held on Thursday, August 12, 12.30pmfor 1.00pm. The venue, once again, is the popular Dower HouseHotel, Knaresborough. Do join us and catch up with formercolleagues at a superb venue and with excellent food!Please contact Sue Pagdin on 0113 261 2613 for details.