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Gus Honeybun and Auntie Stella

(February 2021)

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IS
Inspector Sands

It's given me a vision of CA's closing down their station sat in their pyjamas drinking a mug of cocoa. Smile

Like this?
parrferris and Markymark gave kudos
RL
Running Late

It's given me a vision of CA's closing down their station sat in their pyjamas drinking a mug of cocoa. Smile

Like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR5V2j-wOpw


Absolutely, I thought of that sketch after I posted. Thanks.
CO
Coronavision
Si-Co posted:
Going off-topic a bit, but I’ve heard similar tales of how continuity announcers unofficially slipped out of the building during a film, schools hours or Children’s ITV - some “moonlighting” by recording VOs or similar at a location elsewhere in the city. I suppose that was one reason you didn’t always get an apology during a breakdown!

In some regions, the same announcer stayed on shift from startup (as early as 8.30am in the pre-TVam days) until closedown (which was often as late as 1am). I expect they were officially supposed to be at their desk at all times except to answer calls of nature, and probably ate lunch and dinner in the booth?


The TTTV announcers were known to spend some of their time in the Egypt Cottage with a pager in their pocket...
SC
Si-Co
Si-Co posted:
In some regions, the same announcer stayed on shift from startup (as early as 8.30am in the pre-TVam days) until closedown (which was often as late as 1am). I expect they were officially supposed to be at their desk at all times except to answer calls of nature, and probably ate lunch and dinner in the booth?


I know that this was a practice Tyne Tees did well into the 1980s, but I can’t think of any other regions where the announcers were on duty from start to close.


I think the YTV announcers did full days for a while too? The situation at Tyne Tees changed in 1985 when they introduced an early and late shift, and the announcers couldn’t do back-to-back shifts.

Prior to this I had witnessed Bill Steel do three full days in succession - this was in mid-December so possibly he swapped around to get some tine off over Christmas.

The rumour about announcers drinking in the Egypt Cottage while on shift reminds me of another (unsubstantiated) story I heard about a certain well-known Tyne Tees presenter driving home from the Egypt somewhat the worse for wear and crashing his car.
RL
Running Late
Si-Co posted:
Si-Co posted:
In some regions, the same announcer stayed on shift from startup (as early as 8.30am in the pre-TVam days) until closedown (which was often as late as 1am). I expect they were officially supposed to be at their desk at all times except to answer calls of nature, and probably ate lunch and dinner in the booth?


I know that this was a practice Tyne Tees did well into the 1980s, but I can’t think of any other regions where the announcers were on duty from start to close.


I think the YTV announcers did full days for a while too? The situation at Tyne Tees changed in 1985 when they introduced an early and late shift, and the announcers couldn’t do back-to-back shifts.

Prior to this I had witnessed Bill Steel do three full days in succession - this was in mid-December so possibly he swapped around to get some tine off over Christmas.

The rumour about announcers drinking in the Egypt Cottage while on shift reminds me of another (unsubstantiated) story I heard about a certain well-known Tyne Tees presenter driving home from the Egypt somewhat the worse for wear and crashing his car.


An early example of car crash TV? Smile
CO
commseng
Si-Co posted:
Going off-topic a bit, but I’ve heard similar tales of how continuity announcers unofficially slipped out of the building during a film, schools hours or Children’s ITV - some “moonlighting” by recording VOs or similar at a location elsewhere in the city. I suppose that was one reason you didn’t always get an apology during a breakdown!

In some regions, the same announcer stayed on shift from startup (as early as 8.30am in the pre-TVam days) until closedown (which was often as late as 1am). I expect they were officially supposed to be at their desk at all times except to answer calls of nature, and probably ate lunch and dinner in the booth?


The TTTV announcers were known to spend some of their time in the Egypt Cottage with a pager in their pocket...

It may be difficult to imagine this now, but there was a huge culture of drinking in the broadcasting industry going back a few years.
To single out the announcers is a little unfair, although as they were the familiar faces and voices of the stations, it is possibly not surprising.
Before mobile phones there would be the phone numbers of pubs where staff were likely to be on file - and I have been in pubs when the person behind the bar has taken a call and asked if there were any BBC engineers in there......

I really don't think that the broadcast industry was alone in that - associated trades - such as journalists and musicians didn't seem to be shy of a pint or two.
There were some extreme cases, going back to announcers, there were two who couldn't be rota'd on shift together as they would encourage each other to have yet another "bollocking pint".......
Night Thoughts, Markymark and Coronavision gave kudos
MA
Markymark
Si-Co posted:
Going off-topic a bit, but I’ve heard similar tales of how continuity announcers unofficially slipped out of the building during a film, schools hours or Children’s ITV - some “moonlighting” by recording VOs or similar at a location elsewhere in the city. I suppose that was one reason you didn’t always get an apology during a breakdown!

In some regions, the same announcer stayed on shift from startup (as early as 8.30am in the pre-TVam days) until closedown (which was often as late as 1am). I expect they were officially supposed to be at their desk at all times except to answer calls of nature, and probably ate lunch and dinner in the booth?


The TTTV announcers were known to spend some of their time in the Egypt Cottage with a pager in their pocket...

It may be difficult to imagine this now, but there was a huge culture of drinking in the broadcasting industry going back a few years.
To single out the announcers is a little unfair, although as they were the familiar faces and voices of the stations, it is possibly not surprising.
Before mobile phones there would be the phone numbers of pubs where staff were likely to be on file - and I have been in pubs when the person behind the bar has taken a call and asked if there were any BBC engineers in there......

I really don't think that the broadcast industry was alone in that - associated trades - such as journalists and musicians didn't seem to be shy of a pint or two.
There were some extreme cases, going back to announcers, there were two who couldn't be rota'd on shift together as they would encourage each other to have yet another "bollocking pint".......


I visited an electronics factory in the 80s.They had an on site bar. Friday lunchtime it was as busy as any city centre pub on a Friday night
CO
commseng
Only on Friday?!
MA
Markymark
Only on Friday?!


That's the day I visited!

That said, the company I worked for had two sites, three miles apart. My site had a bar, that opened at 5pm on Fridays. The folk from the other building, who we never really met in person, would come over too. Loads of stuff that was causing problems would get sorted out in that bar. A few years later, we all relocated to a new building. There was no bar, and despite all of us sharing the same building, those 'Friday sort out' sessions were lost forever.
CO
commseng
On any OB there was always so many issues sorted out over a pint or two.
Especially when you were not all on the same site - such as at a midpoint.
Often there would also be equipment to swap too!
HC
Hatton Cross

I can't remember his name, but in the 80s there was an article I read about one chap who did work for many ILRs, and spent hours driving up and down motorways


A similar story is recounted by Peter Dickson in his very readable autobiography. After he left as contiunity announcer/newsreader for Radio Two (presenting Nightcap, You the night and the music and cover shifts, were additional 'out of contract' work) he spent so much time on the road doing commercial reads and voice over sessions.

In a way, he was thankful for ISDN when it was installed at his home and home studio, but then wistfully muses that you don't get to spend time in different radio and television studios, and he missed that different 'technical smell' that each of them have.
CO
Coronavision
Si-Co posted:
Going off-topic a bit, but I’ve heard similar tales of how continuity announcers unofficially slipped out of the building during a film, schools hours or Children’s ITV - some “moonlighting” by recording VOs or similar at a location elsewhere in the city. I suppose that was one reason you didn’t always get an apology during a breakdown!

In some regions, the same announcer stayed on shift from startup (as early as 8.30am in the pre-TVam days) until closedown (which was often as late as 1am). I expect they were officially supposed to be at their desk at all times except to answer calls of nature, and probably ate lunch and dinner in the booth?


The TTTV announcers were known to spend some of their time in the Egypt Cottage with a pager in their pocket...

It may be difficult to imagine this now, but there was a huge culture of drinking in the broadcasting industry going back a few years.
To single out the announcers is a little unfair, although as they were the familiar faces and voices of the stations, it is possibly not surprising.
Before mobile phones there would be the phone numbers of pubs where staff were likely to be on file - and I have been in pubs when the person behind the bar has taken a call and asked if there were any BBC engineers in there......

I really don't think that the broadcast industry was alone in that - associated trades - such as journalists and musicians didn't seem to be shy of a pint or two.
There were some extreme cases, going back to announcers, there were two who couldn't be rota'd on shift together as they would encourage each other to have yet another "bollocking pint".......


Yeah there are some infamous stories of drinking habits in broadcasting.

Not just in the UK either of course. The US version of Blankety Blank was notorious for the atmosphere on post-Wednesday episodes (they'd be produced a week in a day, the first three before lunch, the Thursday/Friday and prime-time syndicated version afterwards). The whole cast and crew would have a liquid lunch inbetween, and often would be absolutely blotto in the latter episodes -- even the camerawork was distinctly "wobbly" in some of them. Other shows will of course have been the same, but bringing a load of celebs together for such a production over a weekend made it more obvious here.

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