Memories Fighting for Theft levels of TVC the galgos ‘unacceptable’ page 3 page 6 page 9 June 2010 Number 4 An election like no other page 3 With highlights from Ariel News TVC It’s a wrap: Centre forward to a Election 2 010 5Facts new national future • Did you spot any faces you Ty Davies writes: recognised in the virtual reality I responded to the news of the possible sale of House of Commons on Election Television Centre in the November 2007 issue 2010? The ‘MPs’ were actually of Prospero by putting forward an idea for its BBC staff members who sat in development into a National Museum of for the graphic. Performing Arts. Since then, English Heritage have succeeded in having a grade II listing on • 40 satellite trucks were brought part of the complex. PROSPERO in from across Europe, to ensure The RTS and the National Media Museum V&A National Video Archive of Performance. Equity ‘would like to see the idea considered’. June 2010 the BBC was live at more have since convinced me that a National Centre The major difference between the development The three Secretaries for State for CMS who counts than any other for the Performing Arts would widen and make of a centre rather than a museum, would be the have held the post since 2007 and the shadow broadcaster. better use of the complex. Instead of possible establishment of a music and dance secretary have all responded favourably. museum-style exhibits there could be galleries academy and there could also be facilities for If the BBC would like to take the lead and • A news producer was locked in with historical displays drawn from existing education and training for all professions across progress the idea further into a plan, it would Prospero is provided free to with the psephologists all day museum collections including: a V&A Theatre the complete range of the performing arts. BBC demonstrate to the license payers its on May 6, ensuring nothing Gallery, a combined BBC/NMeM gallery, a BFI The BBC and other production companies training could be relocated to the Centre and commitment to be the major cultural and retired BBC employees. It can leaked as they crunched the moving image gallery. This would limit the need could still use studios for live audience become a part of the campus. performance arts supporter in the UK and begin also be sent to spouses or numbers for the exit poll, which for permanent on-site curatorial staff. The recordings and audience facilities could be The reaction from most of the organisations to put into practise the second of the five The culmination of the most gripping election was very accurate. National Gallery has also stated interest, as has upgraded in a studio permanently allocated to has been favourable and there have also been priorities. Also ensuring another 50 years for the dependants who want to keep the British Library, which currently has over the Royal Opera House for live relays. Facilities favourable comments from BAFTA, The Mayor ‘Centre of Excellence’ as described in the August campaign for decades – and the most challenging • BBC Parliament had ‘a good 12,000 titles relating to the performing arts. and space could be allocated to the growing of London and The London Borough of H&F. 2009 issue of HERITAGE magazine. in touch with the BBC. It campaign’, doubling its includes news about former in BBC history, according to Mark Thompson – audience during the last four colleagues, pension issues, weeks, and achieving its highest produced strong TV viewing and a weekend of ever weekly reach of 942,000. the early and developments at the record traffic to BBC News Online. The channel broadcast the Dry sherry on BBC. Prospero includes morning press conferences, years The audience for Election 2010, anchored by David and all local radio stations. Coverage was also on plus highlights of the day’s TVC classified advertisements. To Dimbleby, peaked at 6.6m, with an average of 4.7m, the Red Button and the BBC’s Facebook and campaigning, and all debates. advertise in Prospero or the a 36.1 per cent share and a 16.1m reach. The Twitter sites and Ceefax. The mobile election We had a good response to our call for your memories and programme was broadcast on BBC One, the News results pages had more than 1m views. • For the first time, reporters memorabilia about the history of BBC Television Centre, broadcast live and on the move TVC’s 6th floor which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. We hope to BBC Staff magazine, Ariel, Channel, BBC HD and BBC Two in the nations. The nations ran their own programmes on BBC Programme editor Craig Oliver said: ‘It was an One, and attracted healthy audiences, with using Live U, essentially a publish more in the next issue of Prospero . see page 12. extraordinary privilege to work with such a talented Northern Ireland taking a 31 per cent share, Wales computer fitted with sim cards The first time I saw Television Centre was what Attenborough and my father discussed but Patrick O’Neill kindly sent us a copy of the Practical team on one of the most exciting and intriguing 24 per cent and Scotland 26 per cent. from various networks. When when I was a schoolboy in the early 1960s, not I do remember how graciously I was treated by Television March 1960 issue, which had as its cover story the construction of TVC. We were interested to read that ‘the cost stories. The journalism was extremely sharp, the A veteran of six general elections at the BBC, connected to a camera, Live U long after it opened, a few years before the household-name star presenter of Zoo Subscription information for production had real impact and the technical staff Mark Thompson said he couldn’t remember I unexpectedly joined the BBC at the end Quest. Attenborough talked to me in such an of building the mains block and works block and completing compresses video and uses 3G the restaurant section will be in the order of £10 million Ariel is on page 12. performed miracles. What more could you want?’ another one as complex or demanding as this one. mobile signal to stream footage of the decade. uncondescending way, almost as an equal, Across all channels the BBC’s tv election night And the output was ‘first class’, he said: ‘Brilliant My late father Dr Kenneth P. Oakley had been listening intently to my juvenile opinions as if including technical plant and wiring’. programming had a total reach of 17.7m between campaign coverage was followed by an election back to a server at TV Centre. invited in one afternoon to meet David the schedules should be immediately shifted to 9.55pm and 2am. night (and its fascinating aftermath) which showed The technology allowed North of Attenborough, who must have been Controller accommodate them. But the best bit was when There was a live results service on Radio 4, 5 live, the BBC at its very best – clear, authoritative, fair England correspondent Chris of BBC2 by then. My dad worked at the a drinks trolley suddenly appeared as if by BBC Scotland, BBC Wales, BBC Northern Ireland but also unbelievably gripping.’ Buckler to broadcast live from Natural History Museum and sometimes magic. I was asked what I’d like to drink and Fantastic facts the Conservatives’ battlebus appeared on radio or TV because of his role in no-one batted an eye when I asked for ‘a dry I joined the BBC in ’67 and worked in East Tower TVC in Scenic Servicing before helping expose the Piltdown Skull hoax in 1953 sherry’, my idea of the height of sophistication during David Cameron’s 36-hour moving to Studio Management where I worked as a Floor Assistant and Assistant 11.4m marathon and political and as ‘a treat’ he took me in with him. based on ‘special occasions’ round at my The number of unique users who visited the BBC News website on Friday May 7, breaking the Floor Manager until ’78. correspondent Mike Sergeant I remember the sweeping sense of light and grandparents’ house. previous record of 9.2m on the day of the Obama election victory. There were more than 100m from the Lib Dem campaign trail. airy modernity the new building conveyed, and Of course I had no idea then that one day I The facts about the fantastic TVC that I can remember are… page views in total and, at peak, 1,200 searched for a constituency result every second. I was impressed by Attenborough’s sun-filled would be a regular on that same 6th floor, still 6th floor office with its panoramic view of the showing off and trying to persuade successive 1. The staircase in the South Hall was the highest cantilevered staircase in Europe circular centre court below and its fountain channel controllers of something or other. at that time. Perhaps it still is. CROSPERO 148 12 surmounted by the gilded bronze figure of the Oh happy days. Greek God Helios. I have no recollection of Giles Oakley 2. There is another level below the basement which was built as a car park. Editorial contributions Devised and compiled by Jim Palm Unfortunately it flooded up to halfway and has always been unusable. 34 Complete the square using the clues; these apply only to words 3. The fountain in the centre had to be turned off as it was making employees go to running across.