Nor MANY PEOPLE REMEMBER THAT Huw WHELDON CUT HIS TEETH ON A CHILDREN'S PROGRAMME, "ALL YouR OwN" BELOW: MICHAEL BOND

Coming To You Live Mention the name Michael Bond and images of a small bear in a duffel coat and floppy black hat immediately spring to mind. It's not well known, however, that Michael emerged, not fr om Darkest Peru, but fr om a career as a Te levision Cameraman. For over a decade, during the industry's fo rmative era, he worked in fo r the BBC at Lime Grove and The Te levision Theatre. It wasn't until reaching the grade of Senior Cameraman at the new Te levision Centre that he decided to move fr om White City to Paddington.

PHOTO BY ANTHONY BARWELL

Alan Coren once remarked that When joined, seven crews television is more interesting than were responsible for almost the entire people. If it were not, we should have studio output in the UK and, apart people standing in the corners of our from films, almost everything went rooms. He could have said that out live. In those days it was an elite working in it was often much more job, not so very diffe rent from what it fu n than watching it. must have fe lt like being a pilot in the I count myself as fortunate to early days of fiying, and I never lost enter the industry when I did. It was the fe eling of excitement that came 1956 and ITVwas about to start up. over me whenever I entered a studio. The new companies were offering all manner of inducements to anyone If only they could speak, I with even a smattering of experience: wondered, what tales the kapok­ better pay, cars and interest-free covered walls of Lime Grove could mortgages to name but a fe w. tell ofThe Wicked Lady,Fanny by Consequently there was a big exodus Gaslight.The 39 Steps and all the of staff from the BBC's Lime Grove other films that had been made there studios and those aspiring cameramen in its heyday. Crossing the invisible line left behind found themselves thrown drawn between the red plush seating in at the deep end of a rapidly of the Te levision Theatre just around emptying pool. the corner on Shepherd's Bush

16 ZERB Autumn 1997 Green, and being able to mingle back­ enough, there was an ominous crunching fast as he could.There was a crash as we stage with the artistes waiting to go on noise from somewhere deep inside. landed on one end of the table. Making a never failed to give me a kick. It was in 'Another harpsichord,' came the sad grab for the opposite end in a vain the Te levision Theatre that Eamonn reply Then there was the time when an attempt to hold it down, Baron, who had Andrews uttered his immortal phrase interviewee brought along his two prize cultivated an upper class accent for 'This is Yo ur Life' and Danny Blanchfiower pets - a mouse and an eagle. Huw television, reverted to his humble begin­ replied 'Oh, no it isn't!'. That I was actually launched into a long dissertation about nings rather quicker than it normally took being paid to do something I enjoyed so how interesting it was that in the wild the him to recommend I /50th at fl I. much seemed almost too good to be one was the mortal enemy of the other, His cry of 'Gorblimey!' made next true. the morning's headlines.

Studio H at Lime Towards the end of 1956 the Grove, the smallest of the government ended the so-called four studios, was where most To ddler's Truce -a blissful period cameramen started off.It was between six and seven every where you could do the least evening when screens went blank harm whilst gaining the most so that parents could put their experience in the shortest children to bed - and in February possible time. It was home to 1957, sandwiched between all the a multitude of programmes: other programmes, Studio H from Barry Bucknell - the became an important arena in the tame home handyman - who battle of the ratings when the did it almost entirely by formidable Grace Wyndham himself every other week, to Goldie launchedTonight.The early Percy Thrower the indefatiga­ evening news was still only ten ble gardening expert - who minutes long and To night was the regularly nailed his onions to equivalent of a daily newspaper's batons of wood in case they middle pages. fe ll over during transmission. Hosted by , And from Studio H who had graduated from producing came All Yo ur Own - a All Yo ur Own, it went on the air at programme devoted to ten to seven every weekday children who showed a evening and quickly established particular talent in one way or itself a regular audience of eight another.Although in later million. It brought together a years he chose to ignore the formidable array of talent and in fact, it was here that Huw retrospect the credits read like a Wheldon first cut his teeth as Who's Who? of television. a presenter. He had a brisk, no-nonsense PAT KIRKWOOD AS MARIE LLOYD IN manner which went down well with the "THE PASSING SHow". Donald Baverstock was the pro­ viewers. Once, in an unguarded moment PHOTO COPYRIGHT BBC ducer and studio interviewers included over coffee in the canteen, he let slip that Derek Hart, Geoffrey Johnson Smith, if any of the participants showed signs of yet there they both were, getting on like Kenneth Allsop, Christopher Brasher, being difficulthe threatened them with a a house on fire. At that moment, almost Julian Pettifer, Brian Redhead and Po lly quick Chinese burn.The recollection inevitably, the eagle gobbled up the Elwes. , Alan Whicker, prompted one of his inimitable guffaws of mouse! MacDonald Hastings.Trevor Philpott and laughter. It was in Studio H one evening, John Morgan provided outside reports; aftertra cking in over a trestle table in film cameraman Slim Hewitt contributed Whether his story was true or order to show a close-up of a piece of dead-pan cockney pieces written by To ny tongue in cheek, there were occasions equipment being demonstrated by Baron, Jay, and the film editor was To ny Essex. when even he didn't have the last word. the Society photographer,tha t the Having interviewed a small boy who had producer called forme to crane down. For a time it was directed by the built a life -size harpsichord out of match­ The camera was mounted on one of the urbane and supremely unfiappable Ned sticks, he turned all avuncular and posed earlyVinten dollies and it was part of the Sherrin. He needed to remain calm, for the obvious question: 'And what do you tracker's job to raise or lower the arm by more ofte n than not the programme was plan to make next?' means of a wheel. My tracker, who'd literally put together on the air while film already shown a remarkable lack of reports were being biked across London, While waiting for an answer, he aptitude for the job when he managed to or the sound was being dubbed else­ placed one hand on the instrument - get the dolly jammed into a corner of the where in the building. rather heavily it seemed to those of us studio and couldn't extricate it, panicked watching through our viewfinders. Sure and began blindly turning the wheel as Chaos wasn't confined to the

ZERB Autumn 1997 17 gallery.The old Marconi cameras had completely filled three six-foot rails and losing the performance fe e, started seen better days and breakdowns were she spent half the time dashing wildly hissing 'Higher! Higher!' Despite Peter frequent. Almost unbelievably insensitive about the studio, stripping offas she went Bull's protestations, the combination of by present day standards, they required in order to be made-up and ready for her Mammon and Mama was a force not to so much light it wasn't unknown for the entrance in the following scene. be denied and the baby must have grown heat from the lamps to set the sprinkler up with a nervous tic. system off.Another hazard was that if There were over I 00 different sets they weren't kept moving, pictures had a stored in the adjoining scene dock and On Sunday; February 2 1958, nasty habit of sticking to the tube and had the huge sound-proof doors leading to it another pro­ to be burnt offby pointing the lens at the were permanently manned, opening and gramme went on the air.It was called nearest bright light. Conversely, catching a closing like Harrods during the Spring Monitor and it marked a fu rther step up bright refiection in shot would cause the sales. At one stage things became so the ladder of fame for Huw Wheldon. A picture to peel. frantic a group of scene hands suddenly film school in its own right, it gave many found themselves part of the action, but directors such as John Schlesinger and Camera cables were many times since the setting was a working class Ken Russell a chance to hone their thicker than they are today and weighed a parlour where there was a party taking talents. ton.They were attached by string to the place, no one noticed a few extra guests base of the old Eclair pedestals and since with their sleeves rolled up. An edition devoted to Kurt We ill cable guards hadn't been invented it was found me tracking through the bead easy to run over your own umbilical cord. At the end of it all Pat Kirkwood curtains of a Berlin night-club set in order It was then a case of waiting for a suitable received that rare accolade, a totally to isolate Lotte Lenya singing Surabaya moment between shots to get back over spontaneous ovation fromeverybody in Johnny. As she began her move towards it again. No self-respecting cameraman the studio; cameramen, sound crew, camera I gave the signal to start the track was ever without a supply of string, a reel scene hands, electricians, make-up girls, back. Nothing happened - it later tran­ of adhesive tape and a supply of yellow dressers and the rest of the cast. spired the dolly had lost its power - but at chalk for marking the fioor. the time all I was aware of wa, L0tte Playing the part of Marie Lloyd's Lenya's face registering alarm as it grew Despite the many problems, old manager was the actor, Peter Bull. larger and larger in my viewfinder. diaries I kept at the time show the Because he was a well-known collector of Fortunately, teutonic discipline triumphed enormous variety of programmes being bears, our paths were to cross many - she carried on singing to the bitter end put out in the fifties. Studio G was times over the years, but one occasion and afterwards I was congratulated on reserved for bigger things; epics such as which sticks in my mind was when, for the remarkably tight close-up. The Passing Show - a series of 90 minute some reason which totally escapes me extravaganzas covering popular entertain­ , he had to toss a very small baby Tight close-ups were the hallmark ment during the first half ofthe century. into the air and then catch it on the way of Face to Face. They were considered They were the brain child of Michael down. daring at the time, with the cameras Mills, the then doyen of BBC Light cutting both forehead and chin as they Entertainment, who had a reputation for Peter was a lovely man, but I doubt went in to show the subject, warts and pushing things to their absolute limit. if he had ever been near a baby in his life all. Directed by Hugh Burnett, John and he was clearly terrified of dropping it; Freeman set a standard in the art of The most successfu l episode was a fe ar which rapidly communicated itself interviewing in depth which has yet to be The Story of Marie Lloyd. It was sched­ to the infant which not surprisingly began surpassed. uled to last for two hours and during that roaring its head off. Tw o or three inches time Pat Kirkwood, who played the lead, of free fall was not enough for the Studio E saw the start of the had to age from 12 years to 52 years old. director. He kept calling for more, and the golden age of children's television. In the She had so many costume changes they baby's mother,alarmed at the thought of beginning Children's Hour had only gone out on Sundays, but in 1950 it was increased to three days a week, and later to every day. For the very young there was Sooty, and by the end of the decade older children were being catered for with pro­ grammes like Crackerjack and .Ther e were live plays too, and for a while Michael Crawford played one of the Famous Five in Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School. Rather

THE "TONIGHT" PRODUCTION TEAM, #957. PRODUCER, DONALD BAVERSTOCK IS ON THE LEFT, AND jONATHAN MILLER, FAR RIGHT, AS GUEST ARTIST. PHOTO COPYRIGHT BBC

ZERB Autumn 1997 19 COPYRIGHT BBC fittingly Billy Bunter Television (Gerald Campion), drama came - appro­ became a Brighton priately enough - from restaurateur: studio D, and being live, it was the most Programmes demanding of all involving marionettes programme making. were always the worst Film inserts were a to work on. At least luxury, only resorted with humans there to if there was no was usually some other alternative. indication of when Once the action was they were going to cued there was no make a move, and going back. There perhaps even more were occasions when importantly, where for one reason or they would be another rehearsals heading - a momen­ went badly or became tary tightening of the so bogged down a lips or a slight movement of the eyes. THE HEA T FROM THE LIGHTS OFTEN PUT complete run-through was never Marionettes took offwithout the slightest GILBERT HARDING, RIGHT, IN A BAD MOOD ON achieved, so there was no knowing if it warning, their arms, legs and head going "WHAT'S MY LINE?" would work at all. But somehow it always in wildly diffe rent directions. Cameramen did.The adrenaline flowed and colds PHOTO COPYRIGHT BBC used to sweat more over some of the which had flourished during rehearsals half hour puppet shows than they ever Gilbert Harding used to complain totally dried up on the night. did on a Sunday night play. loudly about the heat from the lights. It often put him in a bad mood for What's To most outsiders the complexity Studio E was also the venue for My Line? and he was apt to take it out on of it all; the fact that anything ever went Kitchen Magic. Fanny Cradock was the some unfortunate who was being tardy out at all was a source of wonder:Ofte n, most professional of performers. It's one with his mime. He once told a contestant if you took someone on a guided tour,all thing putting together a half- hour cookery that he was tired of looking at him. they could think ofto say at the end was: programme in an editing suite; selecting "Where does the man who reads the the shots from a multitude committed to One day, when he was particularly news sit?" It always seemed a bit of a let­ video tape over a period of hours. It's short tempered, an enterprising lighting down to reply: "Alexandra Palace". One another matter entirely doing it live and supervisor rigged an extra and entirely evening Maurice Wiggin, the television still coming out on time, which is what unnecessary 2K lamp pointing straight at critic, was allowed into the gallery to she did week after week. The programme him and then, after a lot of complaining, watch a production. As it happened the was also recorded on I 6mm film for agreed to turn it off From that moment Mole camera crane developed a squeak. archive purposes, and on one occasion on Gilbert's lamp became part of the Afterwards he wrote about a "mole" we were waiting for the OK to wrap up standard rig. being loose in the studio. when word came down from the gallery that the sound supervisor had a problem Paradoxically, Music Hall, which had Attacks of temperament were rare; and could it be done all over again. been killed off bytelev ision, found a new there simply wasn't time and they got home there for a while. Richard Afton scant sympathy. Rudolph Cartier, in Mrs Cradock didn't suffer such was a theatrical impresario of the old particular,had a short way with anyone things lightly. Picking up a large carving school, who always directed rehearsals who complained. Born in Vienna, he had knife, she waved it at the microphone from behind a cloud of cigar smoke in the served his apprenticeship in the pre-war 'Where is he?' she cried. 'Bring him to stalls. He liked nothing better than to Berlin UFA studios and was a genius at me. I'll have his balls offand fry them in dress The Te levision To ppers up as nuns tackling productions on a grand scale, batter!' Needless to say, the fault cleared and have them sing Ave Maria as they producing effects far in excess of the itself in record time. walked down the ramp carrying all before resources he had at his disposal. Once, them. He had also cornered the market during a break in rehearsal while some The phrase 'It can't be done' didn't in unlikely turns; the sort of acts Woody technical problem was being sorted out, a have a place in anyone's vocabulary in Allen filmed with love and affection in forlorn looking extra rose up out of a those pioneering days. On one occasion a Broadway Danny Rose. People who could thick cloud of dry ice and asked via the sound engineer,ur gently in need of an hum one tune while whistling another, Studio Manager if she could stand for a echo chamber, had the bright idea of and at the same time juggle half a dozen while. The response was short and to rigging a microphone and speaker at plates in the air:They were the backbone the point. "Certainly not! Te ll her zis is opposite ends of one of the toilets at the of variety, but sadly most of them were her chosen profession!" Te levision Theatre. All went well until in living on borrowed time. One brief the middle of a musical number someone appearance on television and that was That line always comes to mind pulled the chain! that. whenever I hear anyone complain about

20 ZERB Autumn 1997 their job. Most of these rejoinders lost It went an even darker shade of Nowadays they are hardly allowed to something in translation, for it was part of blue during the closing stages of what had draw breath in case they switch channels. the Studio Manager's job to keep the been a long court-room drama. When peace. the foreman returned to deliver the Sometimes, of course, the reverse 'Tell her zis is her chosen profes­ verdict his eyes suddenly went dead; was true. By sheer coincidence, while I sion' became simply 'No, I'm afraid not.' always a bad sign.There was a pause was writing this piece I received a letter while he mentally tossed a coin. Math­ out of the blue from Pat Kirkwood. She Producer Douglas Moodie's classic ematically it should have been a fifty-fifty has just finishedwriti ng her autobiography 'Tell that girl she's not getting value for chance, but the dice were loaded against and someone had drawn her attention to money at her acting school' became him. He got it wrong and phones in the a mention I made in Bears and Forebears 'Would you mind doing that again?'. duty office beganringing as viewers of her mammoth performance in Marie complained. He was lucky to get out of Lloyd. She reminded me, among many For thetechnical crew it was a the studio alive. things, that the programme had over-run continual memory test; repeating at by three-quarters of an hour, but in the speed shots and camera positions They were fu n days and one could excitement nobody cared! I had totally carefully worked out during rehearsals, fill a book with stories about them. But in forgotten both the over-running and a knowing all the time that there was no the early sixties BBC Te levision began moment towards the end of the show stopping .. moving to the new purpose-built. state of when she collapsed and died as she was the art Centre at the White City. A senior taking her final bow. We were all so For the performers, who until then cameraman by then, I helped form Crew caught up with the story one of the had spent their time rehearsing in church 17 - and that was just in London alone. technicians ran onto the set and tried to halls with chalk lines for walls, there was Anything was now possible, but as with revive her. Like the earlier occasion when the need to accustom themselves quickly everything in life there was a price to pay a group of scene hands were caught in to the set. making even the simplest of With the arrival of video editing it was shot. it looked so authentic no one things, like the opening and closing of a like working on a production line; all very outside the studio realised it was a door, lookas though it was something efficient,but the sense of immediacy had mistake. As Pat Kirkwood says in her they did every day of their life . gone and with it a lot ofthe job satisfac­ manuscript " ... a 'live show" if ever there tion. There were no longer the highs was one. With more than enough problems when things went well or the lows when to occupy their minds, they oftendi s­ they didn't. But nothing is forever, and in the played a touching faith in the ability of a years since I left, the BBC has also large camera dolly to stop on a sixpence, Eventually,on April I 1966, I took changed immeasurably Once upon a sometimes only a matter of a fe w inches the plunge and moved back into the real time, for all its faults, it was the envy of away fro m their face. Aftera particularly world outside, swapping the panning the world; now it seems to have lost its fast move across the studio from one set handle for the pen.The years went by, way, like a giant ship without a rudder, to another - a move which we had never until one day in 1990 I received an and with it has gone much of the respect quite made during rehearsal - we ended invitation from the BBC to attend a party it once enjoyed.To an outsider the staff, up hitting the end of a bed in which Felix being held at the to not surprisingly, seem dispirited. That. too, Aylmer was about to die.To say he didn't mark their final closing. The old scene is sad. One hopes it won't stay that way bat an eyelid would be untrue, but just as dock, now empty of sets, had been for ever. the vision mixer cut to us he did give a turned into a buffet and was packed with very realistic final tremor. familiar faces. Some people came bound­ The Lime Grove studios have been ing up, hardly changed afteralmos t demolished - there was no last-minute I don't recall a drama production twenty-five years; others hobbled around reprieve, and where they once stood ever totally grinding to a halt, although with the aid of a stick, hard to recognise. there is now a block of flats. In its day it there were times when it came perilously had been a wonderfu l dream factory; a close.There were also occasions when It was a strange occasion; a step miniature Hollywood in a London back one saw impending disasters through the back into the past. But the memory of all street.There had been a spirit of adven­ viewfinder and there was absolutely the happy times I had spent there was still ture, of pushing things to their limit, and nothing to be done about it. fresh in my mind and I fe lt sad as I said for the public something for everyone, goodbye for the last time. Sad that in regardless of viewing figures. Once, when I was holding a shot of more ways than one the party was over. an empty window, an elderly actor who Perhaps it's a sign of age, but there is a lot The BBC missed their chance when was making his way back to the dressing to be said for the days when progr ammes the wreckers moved in. I'm sure a lot of room, appeared on the other side just as occasionally finished early and there was us would have been only too happy to the director cut. He then proceeded to time to relax for a few moments; watch­ make an offer for some of the rubble; make a meal out of peering into the set ing the potter's wheel, or the endlessly enough perhaps to build a small flower to see what was going on. Since the viewable speeded-up film of the London container in the garden, or even a tiny action of the play was supposed to be to Brighton train journey.There was even window box. It would have been nice to taking place on the thirtieth floor of a a time when the BBC rang a bell during be able to point to it and say: 'Once upon New Yo rk skyscraper, the air in the gallery the interval of a play to warn viewers it a time that was part of Studio G - Ah, was blue for a while. was time to take their seats again. yes, I remember it well!' 1

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