This is taken from the Guardian:

Bob Longman obituary
No-nonsense chief engineer for BBC TV
by Bob Chaundy
Thursday 13 January 2011 17.14 GMT

Bob Longman, who has died aged 83, rose to become BBC Television's chief engineer, responsible for all the corporation's TV studios and outside broadcasts. He played an important role in the development of TV in Britain, and his expertise was sought worldwide. Later, he took charge of the technical planning and operation of the broadcasting of parliament.

It was Longman's misfortune to be on duty as the engineer in charge of Television Centre in 1964 on the night BBC2 was due to launch when a power cut struck the building. He recalled: "I went around telling everyone that we would be able to sort it out and not to panic ... then we found out the whole of west London had gone." There was many a red face in the corridors of power, albeit difficult to see in the dark, as the launch had to be rescheduled for the following night.

Longman was born in Hull, east Yorkshire, and excelled in maths and physics at Hull college of technology. In 1943, aged 16, he was invited to become a "youth in training" by the BBC, many of whose engineers had been conscripted. He began by operating and maintaining a network of low-powered transmitters, established to enable local authorities to communicate with listeners in the event of a German occupation.

In 1945 he joined the army and volunteered as a signaller for the parachute regiment of the 6th Airborne Division. He was deployed in Palestine during the years leading up to the establishment of the state of Israel. He returned home and to the BBC in 1948 and began working in the fledgling TV service, becoming involved in the coverage of the London Olympics of 1948 and in the Queen's coronation in 1953. He also studied for an external degree with the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

In 1963 Longman moved to Manchester as the engineering manager of outside broadcasts, becoming responsible for the technical operation of programmes including Come Dancing and The Good Old Days and sports coverage of racing and rugby league, a job he particularly enjoyed. Two years later, he received a telegram to call London regarding a job as assistant engineer in charge of TV. While on the road, he spotted an engineer up a telegraph pole, commandeered his phone and called London from the top of the pole to accept his appointment.

He travelled to the US to learn about colour TV provision and advised the BBC to replace its cumbersome image orthicon colour TV cameras with those containing lead-oxide photoconductive tubes that were more sensitive and stable and required lower lighting levels.

Longman was appointed chief engineer, TV, in 1974 and his no-nonsense approach was an asset during the numerous industrial disputes of the time. A true gentleman, he was not averse to conducting appraisals over a glass of sherry. In 1978 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Television Society.

He retired in 1984 to help care for his wife, Audrey, who had become increasingly ill with multiple sclerosis. She died the following year.

He learned to fly at the age of 60 and then supervised the technical aspects of the broadcasting of parliament. When Margaret Thatcher viewed his ceiling lighting system, she uttered: "What have you done to the chamber?" His comment was: "Now we can see everyone's wrinkles."

He is survived by his sons, the former BBC reporter Philip and Stephen.

• Charles Robert Longman, broadcast engineer and manager, born 24 February 1927; died 1 December 2010