A Teenager for the Second Time 27.01.2016
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A teenager for the second time 27.01.2016 A 113-year-old woman became a hit on social media last week after opportunistic reporting by BBC Radio Solent colleagues. Ariel caught up with Dominic Blake after he helped Gladys Hooper (pictured above with son Derek) tell her fascinating story. “I can see it now,” Gladys told me. “Everything was on fire up there.” She was describing one of the most famous incidents of World War One – the night that German airship SL11 was shot down after a bombing raid on London. A teenager at the time, Gladys Ada Elizabeth Hooper is the only surviving eye- witness to the spectacle on September the 3rd 1916, and is now the oldest person in Britain. With the help of her 86-year-old son Derek, she recalled how the sky was filled with pieces of flaming rag as the huge machine fell from 11,000ft before crashing at Cuffley in Hertfordshire. It was a remarkable account from the former concert pianist who was also one of the UK’s first lady drivers and a close friend of aviation pioneer Amy Johnson. The story could easily have been missed if it hadn’t been for BBC Radio Solent’s Kane Reeves. The producer had taken a call from Derek the day before, asking the station to play a 113th birthday request. He spotted its potential, and as the local reporter I was soon on my way to Gladys’ home at Ryde on the Isle of Wight. During my visit I shot a video of the encounter for the BBC Radio Solent Facebook page, and the level of interest has been staggering. It’s reached almost three million people, with just under a million views of the video itself. More than 15,000 people also ‘liked’ the post or used the site to wish Gladys happy birthday. It’s fitting that, as she becomes a teenager for the second time, Gladys can add ‘social media celebrity’ to her long list of achievements. The story of a remarkable man 27.01.2016 By Tony Lazzerini, Edit Producer on Children Saved from the Nazis: The Story of Sir Nicholas Winton It is only rarely that you can say that something you did was truly important, but for me "Children Saved from the Nazis" is one of those moments. The programme, directed by Matej Minac, pays tribute to an extraordinary man who saved the lives of 669 Czechoslovakian children from the clutches of the Nazis on the cusp of WWII. Sir Nicholas Winton, or Nicky as he preferred to be called, who died last year, never thought that what he had done was of much significance and told no-one about it. Indeed, we might never have known were it not for his wife Greta who found a scrapbook in the attic. This remarkable book contained all the details of those he rescued, complete with photos, addresses and passports. This all came to the public’s attention when, on That's Life in 1988, he came face-to-face for the first time with an audience filled with his "Kinder". Touching interview Partnerships are very important to the BBC and for this documentary we have been working with the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. Formed only a year ago, they had been searching for other survivors. Just weeks before transmission, they heard from Susie Lind – who for the first time in over 70 years came forward to tell the story of how she had been rescued by Nicholas Winton. In a touching interview with Natasha Kaplinsky, she showed us the handkerchief that her mother gave her to wipe the tears away as she was put on one of Nicky's trains. She has kept it freshly laundered ever since. With the Holocaust Memorial Foundation, we were lucky enough to arrange a screening event at Lancaster House. The Director-General Tony Hall was present to introduce the film. He said he had come across the story of Sir Nicholas in a very real way when he met one of Winton’s ‘Kindertransportees’ Lady Milena Grenfell Baines at the Gillard Local Radio Awards. She had won the Best Programme Award for her BBC Radio Berkshire documentary on hers and Sir Nicholas’ story. Over 125 people attended the event and I can honestly say that, in my entire life, I have never seen a room of 125 adults cry all at the same time. Chatting to Eric Pickles, who closed the event, he revealed that his biggest worry was being unable to speak because he was too emotional. Such is the power of Nicky's story. Children Saved from the Nazis: The Story of Sir Nicholas Winton aired last night on BBC One 10:45pm. Find out more here. Introducing... Racing Glaciers 26.01.2016 By Rob Adcock - Presenter, BBC Introducing from Stoke: 'The trumpet on this is amazing!' That was the text we got on BBC Introducing from Stoke from Mark in Newcastle-under-Lyme when we played Racing Glaciers for the first time on the radio on the 5th October 2012. The first time that Tim & Matt came into the show they were both very nervous. It was the first time they'd ever been on the radio but it didn't show. They told us all about how it had been recorded and how they had to make sure the house was quiet between takes. The band from South Cheshire had sent in a track they'd recorded in their living room via the BBC Introducing Uploader and, to be fair, Mark had a point. Since that day, things have gone pretty well for the lads. After releasing a debut EP, the band progressed from a week on the Radio 1 BBC Introducing playlist to performing on the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Glasgow. Their track, Moths, is a great song. It’s amazing to think that they’ve also been on the soundtrack to two huge Hollywood films (Transformers: Age of Extinction and Aloha) plus the cult America TV show Suits - not bad for an unsigned band from South Cheshire! A particularly surreal moment was seeing their name in the credits to the Transformers film whilst on a flight last year. We're not afraid to say we welled up with pride. It's fantastic to think that all these opportunities have come about through the initial help from BBC Introducing. BBC Introducing is so important because it's something only the BBC can do. The opportunities it provides to people are so unique and, for us programme makers, it is so fulfilling to see people we've featured on the radio going from strength to strength. Looking to the future, the boys moved in together and spent 10 weeks locked away in the remains of a Royalist stronghold in Lancashire recording their debut album. The tracks I’ve heard so far give you a lot to be excited about. Ahead of their UK tour, we brought them back on to BBC Introducing from Stoke to play a very special gig. Ariel Big Interview: Kamal Ahmed 22.01.2016 When Robert Peston left the BBC in the autumn for pastures new, there was intense speculation as to who would fill his shoes. After all, the job of Economics Editor is one of the highest profile broadcasting roles in the corporation. Before Christmas it was announced that former business editor, Kamal Ahmed, had got the much-coveted job and there can be no doubt that, with his CV and expertise, his credentials were, and are, impeccable. Describing his new role as ‘all-consuming,’ Kamal has taken to the new role with the enthusiasm and aplomb you would expect from someone with a passion for storytelling and distilling ‘difficult’ macro-themes into easily digestible packages. Kamal joined the BBC as Business Editor in March 2014 and before that worked on several national broadsheet newspapers. That experience taught Kamal what he describes as the most important journalistic lesson - never losing sight of your audience: “Whatever form of journalism you do – and I do think the distinction between print and broadcast journalism is much more blurred than it used to be – it is, ultimately, all about your listeners, your readers or your viewers,” he says. “I’ve been lucky enough to work for The Guardian, The Observer and The Telegraph and I think all those businesses are very conscious about who their readers - their customers – are. The BBC is trying to do the same thing with its viewers. “You need to think about what your audience needs and how you can best explain the world to them in a straightforward way that allows them to understand the things that affect their lives. “I believe one of the BBC’s key roles is to give context and explain why things are happening and why they might be important to our audience.” One of the things that Kamal has had to adjust to is the difference between being an editor and a commentator. While he was frequently called on to comment and express opinions about important economic or business developments, his new role requires a different approach to reporting. “Being a pundit, you basically go on and express an opinion,” he says. “But being an editor is vastly different. It is your role to provider analysis, context and insight but it is not your job to give opinions.” The key themes for 2016 There will certainly be no shortage of critically important economic stories for Kamal to cover during 2016.