BC
Blake Connolly
Founding member
In contrast to the article on this site, here's some memories of a personal tour I got of TV Centre in (I think) 1987. I was only about 6 or 7 years old at the time, so obviously it's all a bit hazy.
Well, it began outside the gates of the famous building, and while me and my mum were waiting for our guide to turn up (a BBC worker who was the son of my mum's boss, or something like that), we watched Smith and Jones peform a sketch on Wood Lane. It must have been edited into something else, because it didn't seem to make much sense - just lots of people popping up saying 'This is BBC ONE'. The way they filmed it, you'd have no idea it was right in front of TV centre.
Reception back then was in a different place to now, as that building (the one that was hit by the bomb) wasn't even built yet. I'm not sure if the big mural designed by a 'Going Live' viewer was there at the time. Anyway, the reception was seen on-screen quite often, one example being the titles to 'Alexi Sayle's Stuff', and it looked pretty much the same as on TV. On the far wall were a few TV screens showing the then small amount of BBC TV output - BBC 1 & 2 and pages from Ceefax.
Each studio has a viewing booth high up in the corner, where people can look down to see what's going on. It also has a big screen showing the studio's output. In one we saw Judith Hann rehearsing for that night's live episode of 'Tommorrow's World' in the old very blue studio. The invention she was describing wasn't there yet, so in it's place she was holding an apple! In another there was Elane Page or someone like that in a corner of a vastly empty studio doing a song for '21 Years of the Two Ronnies' (which it seemed to be every year of the 80's!) which would be put into the programme, seemingly in front of a studio audience.
At one point we passed some stairs with some heavy security. We were told it was BBC News, and very few people were allowed in. I don't know if that was always the case, or if it was shortly after the incident involving Nicholas Wichell and some lesbians.
We also went through that famous circle containing the statue 'Ariel' that Martin mentions, and it probably hasn't changed much since.
After that, we went to the viewing booth for Studio 1, the BBC's biggest studio, where 'Blue Peter' was going out live. We weren't alone, as some proud parents were also in the booth to watch thier children perform on the show. We went down to the studio floor afterwards, just as the presenters were going to the dressing rooms directly on the side of the studio and lights were being lowered from above.
We also went down into the bowels of TVC, where the editors were working. It seemed very different to the rest, dark and messy compared to everywhere else. I seem to remember finding an episode of 'Fawlty Towers' that someone was playing backwards pretty amusing.
And, well, that's all I can remember. If anyone's interested, I've also been on a more public tour around BBC Elstree that I could write about too.
Well, it began outside the gates of the famous building, and while me and my mum were waiting for our guide to turn up (a BBC worker who was the son of my mum's boss, or something like that), we watched Smith and Jones peform a sketch on Wood Lane. It must have been edited into something else, because it didn't seem to make much sense - just lots of people popping up saying 'This is BBC ONE'. The way they filmed it, you'd have no idea it was right in front of TV centre.
Reception back then was in a different place to now, as that building (the one that was hit by the bomb) wasn't even built yet. I'm not sure if the big mural designed by a 'Going Live' viewer was there at the time. Anyway, the reception was seen on-screen quite often, one example being the titles to 'Alexi Sayle's Stuff', and it looked pretty much the same as on TV. On the far wall were a few TV screens showing the then small amount of BBC TV output - BBC 1 & 2 and pages from Ceefax.
Each studio has a viewing booth high up in the corner, where people can look down to see what's going on. It also has a big screen showing the studio's output. In one we saw Judith Hann rehearsing for that night's live episode of 'Tommorrow's World' in the old very blue studio. The invention she was describing wasn't there yet, so in it's place she was holding an apple! In another there was Elane Page or someone like that in a corner of a vastly empty studio doing a song for '21 Years of the Two Ronnies' (which it seemed to be every year of the 80's!) which would be put into the programme, seemingly in front of a studio audience.
At one point we passed some stairs with some heavy security. We were told it was BBC News, and very few people were allowed in. I don't know if that was always the case, or if it was shortly after the incident involving Nicholas Wichell and some lesbians.
We also went through that famous circle containing the statue 'Ariel' that Martin mentions, and it probably hasn't changed much since.
After that, we went to the viewing booth for Studio 1, the BBC's biggest studio, where 'Blue Peter' was going out live. We weren't alone, as some proud parents were also in the booth to watch thier children perform on the show. We went down to the studio floor afterwards, just as the presenters were going to the dressing rooms directly on the side of the studio and lights were being lowered from above.
We also went down into the bowels of TVC, where the editors were working. It seemed very different to the rest, dark and messy compared to everywhere else. I seem to remember finding an episode of 'Fawlty Towers' that someone was playing backwards pretty amusing.
And, well, that's all I can remember. If anyone's interested, I've also been on a more public tour around BBC Elstree that I could write about too.