BU
Have to say, they did a very good job with that TOTP from a gallery. It almost feels like TFI Friday 8 years early. At one point they refer to "our party" which is presumably how they set it up. Of course this would be the same asbestos scare that led to a Doctor Who story being filmed in a tent in the car park at Elstree - luckily one set in a circus!
According to Popscene there's a TOTP from 1979 which I assume we'll see on BBC4 next year which is presented with voiceover only due to a strike.
Another I remember was Live and Kicking from the final series of the show where due to a strike they pre-recorded the whole thing on the Friday. Wouldn't have happened in the 70s
According to Popscene there's a TOTP from 1979 which I assume we'll see on BBC4 next year which is presented with voiceover only due to a strike.
Another I remember was Live and Kicking from the final series of the show where due to a strike they pre-recorded the whole thing on the Friday. Wouldn't have happened in the 70s
SP
Wasn't there a Points West about 5 years ago which was affected by a power cut? I think they just had one soft light and one camera, plus the newsroom camera, and the presenter was sat next to the Christmas tree. I think it fell off air before the end.
IT
Oooooh good youtube find! The legendary TV-am emergency service from Thames, is there nothing that won't turn up on Youtube!
HC
Fasinating that.
As there was none of the usual 80's style back into regional sync-lock rolls when they went to the Elton John VT, I take it that Thames was the designated 'disaster recovery' site for Tv-am, and a collection of interviews and other fillers were kept down at the Euston Road studio incase Hawley Cresc. was disabled for any reason?
As there was none of the usual 80's style back into regional sync-lock rolls when they went to the Elton John VT, I take it that Thames was the designated 'disaster recovery' site for Tv-am, and a collection of interviews and other fillers were kept down at the Euston Road studio incase Hawley Cresc. was disabled for any reason?
SP
I don't think Thames as a DR scenario was pre planned, it looked very ad-hoc to me.
more likely they grabbed a few tapes and took them to Thames - if it was more planned they would have had proper bumpers into the breaks rather than a shot of a tape level.
more likely they grabbed a few tapes and took them to Thames - if it was more planned they would have had proper bumpers into the breaks rather than a shot of a tape level.
MA
There was a clean cut from Thames to TV-am at 07:10, so it may have been that TV-am had enough juice
to power their gallery/MCR, but not the studio lighting until 7am. In which case the Thames IVC studio
was just an external source, and fed in (as any other) via a frame sync. So the VTs could very
well have been played out from Tv-am, and not Thames.
Presumably the BT Tower were functioning well enough to feed Thames to TV-am on
the local ends ?
I gather that Tv-am went to Thames as Hawley Cresc had lost power. Did they not have Emergency back up then or had this failed as well?
There was a clean cut from Thames to TV-am at 07:10, so it may have been that TV-am had enough juice
to power their gallery/MCR, but not the studio lighting until 7am. In which case the Thames IVC studio
was just an external source, and fed in (as any other) via a frame sync. So the VTs could very
well have been played out from Tv-am, and not Thames.
Presumably the BT Tower were functioning well enough to feed Thames to TV-am on
the local ends ?
CO
There were two "voiceover only" episodes of TOTP from consecutive weeks in 1979; one with the voice of Peter Powell, and another with the voice of DLT - so at present, only one of those will be aired.
Talking of TOTP and strike action, there's also a week from March 1981 (hosted by Tommy Vance) where he presents the links into repeat performances or promo videos in-vision in front of a CSO screen; - and a period of eight weeks from February to April 1984 where, due to industrial action, they couldn't use their full studio set, so used a smaller version in (I assume) a smaller studio than usual, or a shared section of a different studio, at TVC.
Strikes also meant just one Christmas episode in 1978 and nine weeks off air when the Musician's Union took industrial action in 1980 - a similar blackout also happened in the summer of 1974.
According to Popscene there's a TOTP from 1979 which I assume we'll see on BBC4 next year which is presented with voiceover only due to a strike.
There were two "voiceover only" episodes of TOTP from consecutive weeks in 1979; one with the voice of Peter Powell, and another with the voice of DLT - so at present, only one of those will be aired.
Talking of TOTP and strike action, there's also a week from March 1981 (hosted by Tommy Vance) where he presents the links into repeat performances or promo videos in-vision in front of a CSO screen; - and a period of eight weeks from February to April 1984 where, due to industrial action, they couldn't use their full studio set, so used a smaller version in (I assume) a smaller studio than usual, or a shared section of a different studio, at TVC.
Strikes also meant just one Christmas episode in 1978 and nine weeks off air when the Musician's Union took industrial action in 1980 - a similar blackout also happened in the summer of 1974.
SP
Or TV-am were routed through Euston Road for the rest of the morning in case Hawley Cres lost power again? They said they were leaving Richard Keys there just in case. It would have been easier to do it with TV-am as an outside source into Thames so they could get on air straight away if there were further problems.
JO
For me, one of the most inspiring
Show must go on
broadcasts is from radio, not TV. It's from Falklands Islands Radio (or Falklands Islands Broadcasting Station) on the night of the 1982 Argentine invasion.
There's almost two hours of recordings from the night (apparently made by a listener) which have been uploaded to youtube, which are a history lesson in themselves.
Particularly interesting excerpts are:
A few hours before the invasion, the presenter announces that the station will keep broadcasting overnight:
http://youtu.be/agX45iQ1lP8?t=2m20s
The station cuts from some ominous classical music to the Governor, who provides an update and promises to keep broadcasting for as long as possible:
http://youtu.be/agX45iQ1lP8?t=10m36s
The studio gets eventually gets taken over by Argentine soldiers who have to deal with a rather bullish presenter
http://youtu.be/REGYK49DAIY?t=3m3s
I guess it's easier to keep radio on-air than TV in these circumstances? It sounds like he's the only person in the studio for most of the night.
There's almost two hours of recordings from the night (apparently made by a listener) which have been uploaded to youtube, which are a history lesson in themselves.
Particularly interesting excerpts are:
A few hours before the invasion, the presenter announces that the station will keep broadcasting overnight:
http://youtu.be/agX45iQ1lP8?t=2m20s
The station cuts from some ominous classical music to the Governor, who provides an update and promises to keep broadcasting for as long as possible:
http://youtu.be/agX45iQ1lP8?t=10m36s
The studio gets eventually gets taken over by Argentine soldiers who have to deal with a rather bullish presenter
http://youtu.be/REGYK49DAIY?t=3m3s
I guess it's easier to keep radio on-air than TV in these circumstances? It sounds like he's the only person in the studio for most of the night.
WO
The 2000 BBC power cut when Huw Edwards was in virtual darkness in N6 and in 2003, when the same thing happened and News 24 came from the Westminster newsroom set with Darren Jordan and Carrie Gracie.
Another moment was the IRA bombing of TVC in 2001, when they also came from a corner of the Wesminster newsroom.
Another moment was the IRA bombing of TVC in 2001, when they also came from a corner of the Wesminster newsroom.
Last edited by Worzel on 10 November 2013 10:41pm