We have received this tribute from Alan's son Jonathan.

I am sorry to announce that Alan Beecham died peacefully Last Tuesday (20th June) at Lewisham Hospital, aged 82 years. He leaves two sons Jonathan and Christopher and a sister Margaret

Obviously many of those posting on this site will have many fond memories of working alongside Alan between 1960 and the early 1990s ending up as Assistant Editor of the BBC Radio News, and a distinguished career covering royal weddings, the Iranian embassy siege and numerous budgets and elections.

The funeral will take place at Eltham Crematorium (West) at 3:15 on Thursday 6th July and those who knew Alan are cordially invited to say their final farewells. Funeral Director Andrew Johnson Funeral Services 0208 854 4544. Donations to Prostate Cancer UK and donations by arrangement with the funeral directors.

I hope to read some of the comments on this site at the service.


(Admin)

Well Dickie it makes a change from the Beeb saying it's our (the viewers') fault!!

Former assistant editor of radio news in the 1980s, Alan Beecham, has died at the age of 82. He died on June 20 in Lewisham Hospital.

His funeral is likely to be on July 6. Details will be posted later.

Alan began his career as a journalist on the Lincolnshire Standard after attending Boston Grammar School. He did national service in the army pay corp, serving in what was then Malaya. He then worked for the Surrey Comet before moving to Fleet Street with the News Chronicle. He joined the BBC as a sub editor in Bush House and then a sub in BH. He went on to become the first editor of GNS, an SDE and finally an assistant editor. Alan left the BBC in the mid 80s after a legal wrangle prompted by a re-organisation of senior roles.
Alan was an influential figure in the radio newsroom for many years. He was a champion of the newsroom's values and principles and a defender of its role in serving the public.
He was particularly determined to promote the BBC's impartiality. He would report that canvassers had knocked on his door but he'd sent them away without discussing his voting intentions.

Before I became a BBC Radio Producer, I was a singer - one of my more memorable (not) jobs was singing a theme in Waggoner's Walk. A fictional band called Suzanne and Me was written into the script. don't have a copy of the record but I do have a publicity still!  Jack Aistrop was the man we dealt with....memory from a very long time ago!!!

Staff at BBC Monitoring have been informed that the service will be leaving Caversham Park in May 2018.



https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/#/region/europe?preview=true

Probably a condition of selling out to Netflix. Let's hope with the furore of complaints about poor sound, the BBC will learn that it should continue to make it's own programmes.

Speaking of poor sound, did you hear the weak response from the beeb about the many complaints of mumbling?  "We didn't make it" !  Then again perhaps that's the ploy?  Buy something in and it's not the beeb's fault!

Just a "heads up" for those who knew (or of) him ...

Tony (as he was known) sadly passed away on 3rd June 2017. His funeral was held on 21st June.

Afraid I know no more info on the matter.

I first met him in 1968, when he was in charge of local training for staff on London Station, in BH.
He later went on to support the Operations Managers for LCR, and (possibly) Tech Services, Radio.
I think he must have retired from the Beeb around 1974, although I personally have no recollection of the event. YMMV!

I am writing a book about the psephologist and political scientist Sir David Butler, who has many connections with the BBC.  He was a pioneer of TV general election results in 1950, and did all the TV results programmes as a pundit until 1979, as well as many other TV & radio broadcasts.

Sir David is now 92, well, and living in Oxford.  He took to Twitter in the recent election, and got 16,000+ followers in 3 weeks.  I'd love to hear from anyone with interesting memories of David, or of his late wife Marilyn (nee Evans), who also worked for the BBC in the late '50s/early '60s.

My email address is CrickML@aol.com

Michael Crick

Agreed-Poldark is a snug winter's evening TV treat.

Anyone know the whereabouts of Bill Chesneau Sound recordist TFS?

Please PM Admin, and we'll pass on the info.

Thanks.