Forum for former BBC staff - "The Story of Television Centre"

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"The Story of Television Centre" (Read 14463 times)

Mikej

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"The Story of Television Centre"
May 15^th, 2012, 8:59pm

Just been to the pre-view showing at the BFI. Excellent programme and it started well when the BFI researcher pointed out that there were probably more people here connected with the BBC than still at TC and also that he had never been to a showing where so many people knew others by their first names.
The version shown was the "unexpurgated version" with various words and stories still included. However the one to be shown on Thursday (and probably the 19:00 repeat on Saturday) will be the "pre-watershed version) suitably edited. Richard had to do a re-edit after the initial production!
I wonder if the Saturday late night repeat will be the full original one as it happens very late? Anyone know?
The late Thursday repeat will of course be "squashed" for signing.
An interesting comment was made by the producer/director Richard Marson at the end as part of the Q&A session. Some within the BBC had tried to get him to crop/stretch some of the 4:3 archive material but he pillarboxed it and replaced the sidebars with a view of the mosaic in the entrance hall. A much better option so one could see all the correct framing of the original etc.
Well worth watching anyway!!

Mike

« Last Edit: May 19^th, 2012, 12:47pm by Administrator »

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JohnW

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Re: The Story of TC programme pre-view tonight at the
Reply #1 - May 18^th, 2012, 11:54am

Thoroughly enjoyed the transmission. Even for one who only spent 7 years there - and not in any TV studios, etc - it was an enjoyable 90 mins!
Created with great humour and obvious love for the place, it was a truly entertaining review of much that went on. They had some elements from the Xmas VTs that I'd not seen before - and it was good that they acknowledged their existence, and that the stars were never truly embarrassed by being included, more so perhaps if the were excluded! I found Greg Dyke's comment on the East Tower 'interesting'.

One aspect I though odd to exclude was any comment regards the new Westfield shopping centre opposite, and the very late addition of a tube stop (or am I imagining that?). I know it's not really anything to do with TC, but it must surely make the life of anyone still working at TC a little better.

And I too, did appreciate the side bars being replaced with the mosaic. Much, much nicer!
Nice to see the representatives of Pan's People too!

But it left me (as I suppose it was intended to) feeling just 'what a waste' to quit such an enchanting building after 70 years. RIP.

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John Junior Member Offline I Love YaBB 2! Posts: 80	Re: The Story of TC programme pre-view tonight at the Reply #2 - May 18^th, 2012, 4:28pm Thanks JohnW for reminding me about the programme. I missed Thursday's broadcast but note that the EPG says Saturday's 11pm transmission contains strong language. I wonder if this is the unedited version. John
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Administrator

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Re: The Story of TC programme pre-view tonight at the
Reply #3 - May 19^th, 2012, 12:45pm

Well, "The Independent" wasn't keen on the programme:-

".......it must have been fun to be there in the early days, when the BBC had an armlock on broadcasting excellence and there was a household name behind every door.

A different kind of programme might have seriously addressed the question of whether you got better television out of a pre-Birt BBC in which everything was done in-house. But this was more preoccupied with anecdote and fond remembrance, its stories fuelled by the fact that very few celebrities are immune to the glamour of other celebrities they haven't met before.

But the final montage, in which all the contributors were invited to sum up the building in just one word, was close to insupportable in its sentimental cosiness."

But what did you think?

Bernard Newman from the Tech-Ops. web-site said:-

"I really enjoyed it, for what it was - it was bright and it was fun. But then, standing back a bit, I realised that mostly what I'd seen was Richard's old colleaugues in kids and a few other performing types. Other than them, there was pretty much no-one at all. Roger Bunce did an excellent job and kept the tech-ops end up, and John Henshall told a tale to do with ends up. Graphics artist Bob Richards also did a bit. But where was everyone else? A bit of chatter about make-up, but no make-up people, nor actually anyone else who actually worked there at all.

Richard had decided to have no commentary, but a good rounded history with lots of commentary needs to be made, and soon. It was fun, but there's a big hole in the schedule for a proper programme about the place."

Any thoughts?

For those that missed the programme, it is available on the BBC iPlayer until 28th May here.

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Peter_Neill

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Re: "The Story of Television Centre"
Reply #4 - May 20^th, 2012, 12:01pm

I largely agree with Bernie - I wrote to him:

I absolutely agree with you. I've watched it twice now - the first time in the middle of the night on my iPod and then properly with my wife who also worked there - before me, in fact!!!

It was like a Chinese meal - enjoyable at the time, but ultimately unsatisfying.

I was immediately struck by the fact that it was childrens'-heavy and didn't show any programmes actually being made today.

But then I got to thinking more, and most of the people I would have liked to have heard from are now, sadly, unavailable for interview.

And how can you show corridors of people (designers, film editors, producers etc.) being able to pop into each others' offices and bounce ideas off each other when they're no longer there.

Biddy sort of put over the fact that everyone and everything was always available, but I know that Waris Hussein had much more to say.

I have an American e-quaintance (I've never met her) who is a great fan of British television in general and Doctor Who in particular and she met him within the last couple of months in NY. I quote from an e-mail:

As for Waris, he spent a fair amount of time talking about getting into the BBC, fighting the powers that be to be taken seriously as a director (they wanted to ship him off to somewhere in the East as a young man), and then talking about filming in the States.

So I asked him, well I mentioned how BBC has been compared to the old Hollywood Studio system. And even though they only had a budget of 2000 pounds, and the smallest studio in the complex, what were the advantages of the old BBC?

Well his face lit up, let me tell you. He talked about how amazing it was to have everything on site. How you'd have access to people and how easy it was to get costumes and sets designed and you could get whatever you wanted and not have to travel far and wide to find it, etc. He showed a genuine sense of love for all you could do and obtain in the service of putting on a show. He talked about how shows were not dependent on ratings back them so much as what was liked by the studio. But he sort of worked against the odds to get it aired - even that it first aired the night Kennedy was shot and in an unheard of move, they showed that first episode AGAIN a week later to give it a chance.

Waris is very proud of the work he's done, and he's put up a "fight" to find his place in the business. I honestly have tremendous respect for him, and he was a pleasure to listen to. I am looking forward to the documentary you mentioned."

I thought Esther was quite good considering that for most of her career her office was in Ken House and her studio was the Theatre, and Bobby was, well Bobby. And Why Wogan?

After the second viewing I felt a bit better about it. I'm waiting for some reactions from a) colleagues who work in TV but not at the Centre and b) friends outside the business.

Peter

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Amigo

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Re: "The Story of Television Centre"
Reply #5 - May 20^th, 2012, 12:25pm

I was only there for a relatively brief period. Even so, it was so exciting, live programmes from one studio after another, the canteen filled with interesting people. Wink

It was a cauldron of talent, all feeding off each other, costumes, scenery, sound, cameras, production, wardrobe, make-up.. everything needed to make a vibrant television service, under one roof.

It was a "Family". Grin

, you helped one another.

"Auntie", if you like, but we were there for one reason- to make the best television we could, as well as we could.

The "overnight set and light" proves the point.

One day a studio could be producing a school's programme, the next "TOTP", followed by "Doomwatch". They were flexible, and yet.....

there was The Television Theatre, Lime Grove, Riverside.. and, of course "AP".

It is so sad, and yet, understandable.

TVC is rather like The Royal Yacht "Britannia", iconic, and yet impractical to maintain. Sad

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Administrator YaBB Administrator Offline Posts: 3268	Re: "The Story of Television Centre" Reply #6 - May 21^st, 2012, 11:51am There are many more reviews of the programme here. Courtesy of Bernie and his site:- http://tech-ops.co.uk/
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JohnW Senior Member Offline Posts: 282 Eggington, Bedfordshire Gender:	Re: "The Story of Television Centre" Reply #7 - May 22^nd, 2012, 8:51am ... and it's got a fairly lengthy series of comments on LinkedIn (including from Mike Smith - Sarah Greene's other half!). About the only place I haven't seen much about it is in Facebook, but then that's hardly surprising.
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Administrator YaBB Administrator Offline Posts: 3268	Re: "The Story of Television Centre" Reply #8 - May 22^nd, 2012, 10:44pm Announcer Corrie Corfield went round TVC on the 22/5/2012, and took some photographs. They are here.
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