With highlights from Ariel

December 2010 Number 9

page 3

A special messagefor Freda

Play Schoolrememberedpage 6

The BBCSchemedeficitpage 2

Ann makesa standpage 8

BBC Pensions

PROSPERODecember 2010

2 • • December • 2010

Editorial contributions

Write to: ProsperoBBC Pension and Benefits CentreBroadcasting HouseCardiff, CF5 2YQTel: 020 7765 1414

Email prospero@bbc.co.uk

Please make sure that any digitalpictures you send are scannedat 300 dpi.

Prospero is provided free toretired BBC employees. It canalso be sent to spouses ordependants who want to keepin touch with the BBC. It includes news aboutformer colleagues, pensionissues, and developments atthe BBC. Prospero includesclassified advertisements. To advertise in Prospero orthe BBC Staff magazine,Ariel, see page 12.

Subscription information forAriel is on page 12.

How big is

What is the valuationabout?We are legally obliged to have a full actuarialvaluation of the Pension Fund at least onceevery three years to help ensure that the Schemehas ‘sufficient and appropriate assets to cover itsliabilities’. This involves reviewing the Scheme’sfinancial position, to determine the appropriatelevel of contributions for the years ahead.

When will we know theresults and on whatbasis will they beprovided?Probably not before next summer. But I can assure all members that the results, whenpublished, will show the size of the deficit bothbefore and after allowance is made for thechanges the BBC intends to make to the Scheme.

Why does it take over ayear to produce thevaluation results?Because it’s a long, complex process.Much of the preparatory work has beencompleted. For example, we have looked at how

many members the Scheme has and whetherthere is any change in the life expectancy ofmembers since the last valuation. But we can’tdo some of the calculations until theconsultation on the BBC’s pension proposalsends and the way forward is clear. Agreeing allthe relevant details after that will take some time.

The importance of theassumptionsAssumptions need to be made about uncertainfuture events such as the effect of inflation, how long members will live, future salaryincreases and investment returns. The Trustees,with advice from the Scheme actuary, choosethe assumptions to be used to carry out thevaluation. These must then be agreed with theBBC. The starting point for the assumptionsunderlying the 2010 valuation will be thoseused in 2007. Any subsequent adjustmentsmust be justified by changes to legal,demographic or economic circumstances. Small changes in any of these key assumptionscan have a significant effect on the valuation results.The legislation requires the agreedassumptions to be ‘prudent’. What this meansin practice will also depend upon the strengthof the employer’s ‘covenant’. By ‘covenant’, wemean the financial strength of the employerand, in particular, its ability and willingness tofund the Scheme in the future.The liabilities (the pensions currently beingpaid and all benefits to be paid in future) needto be valued. To do this, the Scheme actuary

uses the agreed assumptions to estimate eachindividual future pension payment formembers. The projected future payments arethen converted back to amounts in currentmoney terms. This part of the process is called‘discounting’ and in effect it is the opposite ofadding interest from one year to the next. The Trustees’ choice of interest rate (or‘discount rate’ as it is called) will depend ontheir view of the BBC’s covenant; if they thinkthat the covenant is weaker than it was in 2007,they will choose more cautious (ie lower)discount rates, which will lead to a higher valuebeing placed on the liabilities. However, as withall the other assumptions, the discount rateshave to be agreed with the BBC.

Complete the square by using the clues; these apply only to wordsrunning across. Then take these words in numerical order and extractthe letters indicated by a dot. If your answers are correct, these letterswill spell out a well-known festive first line.

Please send your answers in an envelope marked Crospero to TheEditor, Prospero, BBC Pension and Benefits Centre, BroadcastingHouse, Cardiff CF5 2YQ by 7 January 2011.

Clues: 1. Having a lot to say (5); 2. Skin complaint (4); 3. Instrument(4); 4. Film star Shearer (5); 5. Eat away (5); 6. Relating to Earth’sextremities (5); 7. Stair post (5); 8. Poorly (3); 9. Give in (5); 10. Furious(5); 11. They go with buts (3); 12. North African capital city (5); 13.Unspoken (5); 14. Lack of stress (5); 15. Author Nevil (5); 16.Accomplishment (4); 17. Sussex river (4); 18. Laziness (5)

Solution to Crospero 152: Ajar; Oases; Nor; Ant; Nil; Nag; Gee; Sly;Anode; Rate; Nabs; Bloodsucker; Hast; Dado; Avows; Ale; Tin; Bop;Yes; Ate; Ore; Skews; Mend.

The programmes were Jennings at School and Toytown. The winnerwas John Dean of London.

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CROSPERO 153Devised and compiled by Jim Palm

& why do we have Throughout the debate over the proposed pension scheme changes,they’ve been the two questions that just won’t go away. Here JeremyPeat, chairman of the Pension Fund Trustees, explains the complexprocess necessary for a full valuation of the Scheme.

December • 2010 • • 3

BBC Pensions

Talks between the BBC and unionrepresentatives over the fine details ofthe proposed pension changes tookplace in mid-November, as both sidessearched for a settlement to the disputewhich led to thousands of NUJ memberstaking strike action earlier in the month.

The talks began after the BBC agreed toclarify certain aspects of how theproposed CAB 2011 scheme will work. Inresponse the NUJ called off strike actionplanned for 15-16 November.

Management insists the talks are purelyclarificatory, while the NUJ hopes tonegotiate changes to the new scheme. At the time of Prospero going to print,neither side had offered any comment onhow the talks are going.

Meanwhile the BBC has closed entry to the existing pension scheme (on 1 December). Staff who were eligible tojoin but hadn’t yet done so had until thatdate to join up, after which they will beoffered CAB 2011. New joiners will onlybe offered CAB 2011. The BBC

announced it has chosen FriendsProvident to provide the new scheme.

Director of People Lucy Adams said:‘After a rigorous selection process webelieve they offer the best value andflexibility for future members of the plan.’

She also re-stated the BBC’s pledge toconsider suggestions for further changesto CAB 2011 which have come out of theconsultation process (which closed onNovember 15) – providing they don’t addto the cost or risks of the scheme.

the deficit

Still talking about details of changes to pension scheme

MONEYMATTERS

Some importantchanges to State pensionsFollowing announcements in theGovernment’s spending review, cuts tofunding and services are under way andof course, State pensions are in the‘firing line’ for change.

There is an accepted view that as weare living longer and the growth in thenumber of pensioners is likely tooutstrip the growth in the number ofworkers, State pensions as they aretoday, will become unaffordable in the future.

Changes in the State Pension Agehad already been planned but the firstmove, to increase the age to 65 forboth men and women, has beenbrought forward to November 2018,formerly April 2020. It is then proposedto increase that age from 65 to 66between December 2018 and April 2020.

This does not of course affect anyonewho is already over the current age butmay well be a concern and a planningissue for those younger and likely to beaffected. What it means, particularly forwomen, is that more of them will haveto bridge the gap between age 60,when they might have expected toreceive their State pension, and thetime that they will actually receive it.

Anyone who is hoping to stopworking at an age earlier than StatePension Age should be looking at themost appropriate means of saving andinvesting, so that they can afford tofulfil that ambition without reducingtheir standard of living.

There is a sting in the tail however.Those who do save and who are onmodest incomes in retirement, will seea freeze in the Savings Credit elementof the Pension Credit. The maximumSavings Credit, currently £20.52 for asingle pensioner and £27.09 forcouples, is to be frozen at that level forfour years from 2011/2012.

Furthermore, future increases in Statepensions and benefits are to be linkedto increases in the consumer priceindex (CPI), apart from 2011/2012,where the basic State pension is toincrease by the retail price index (RPI)as part of a Government guarantee forthat year only. Historically, increases inthe CPI have tended to be at a lowerrate than RPI.

Taken together, these measures arelikely to impact upon hundreds ofthousands of households throughoutthe UK. Those who have the meansand can afford to do so shouldcontinue to look to make the best useof their available capital and income.Good income and tax planning remainkey elements to offsetting the affects ofthese changes.

Bob Perkins DipPFSTechnical ManagerOrigen Financial Services

MONEYMATTERS

to wait to find out?

They came from all corners of the world tocelebrate Freda Young’s 100th birthday. Fromthe Snowy Mountains in Australia, San Diegoin California, Singapore, Prestwick in Scotlandand even… Worthing.I first visited Freda when she was a sprightly88-year-old, offering to do shopping for anyothers of my ‘elderly’ pensioners!Freda spent her early years in South Africa,was orphaned in her teens, settled in England

and became a ‘travel agent’ for BBC staffvisiting abroad. Not surprising then, that herson and grandchildren have scattered acrossthe world. But 2 November 2010 was a dateto bring them all together for a trulymemorable celebration, including thepersonally signed letter and photograph fromElizabeth R. Margaret Steven, BBC Pensioners’ Visitor

A birthday to remember

Paying back the deficitHowever big the fund deficit is, the BBC islegally obliged to eliminate it as quickly as it canreasonably afford, over a period agreed betweenthe Trustees and the BBC. This is called the‘recovery plan’. Such a recovery plan would consist, at least inpart, of additional cash contributions. However,if appropriate, some allowance might be madefor the possibility that investments couldperform better in practice than the (deliberatelyprudent) discount rates used to calculate the deficit. The BBC could also assist therecovery plan by giving the Scheme rights over named assets.

Assessing the covenantThe Pensions Regulator expects trustees toassess the employer’s covenant as part of thevaluation process. An external adviser will helpus form an objective view of the quality of theBBC’s covenant, taking due account of therecent licence fee settlement.

What happens ifmarkets improve afterthe BBC’s changes areimplemented? This would obviously be a welcomedevelopment; although we have seenimprovements in stock markets since thevaluation date, the underlying cost of providingpensions has also increased. If the funding position improved, the Trusteeswould look to invest more in bonds and less inequities, to reduce volatility in investments andprovide more certainty that benefits to memberscould be met from the fund without furtherrecourse to the BBC if (say) stock marketscrashed again.

Do the BBC’s proposalsneed to be implemented

before the valuation is finalised?There is no legal requirement for the 2010 valuation to take into account the BBC’s proposals and we would have preferred the BBC to consider a range of options with the Trustees within the context of the valuation process. But there is no doubt, given the anticipated scale of the deficit, that changes are required to theScheme for new and existing members to address the future build up of liabilities. It is also clear that the BBC’s proposals will reduce the size of the deficit, which in turn affects the recovery plan.

What happens next?We have had a preliminary discussion with theBBC about the key assumptions for thevaluation, to see what the ‘base case’ would beif there were no Scheme changes. Once we know the outcome of theconsultation process on the proposed changesthe Trustees will estimate the impact of thosechanges on the liabilities, and we’ll need to agreeall aspects of the recovery plan with the BBC.We’ll meet the BBC again in early December,when we hope to have further discussions onassumptions and agree a final timetable. To confirm, once this complex work has beendone we will inform members of the size of thedeficit both before and after allowance is madefor Scheme changes.

Letters

Visiting SchemeIf you would like a visit or information onhow to become a volunteer visitor, pleasering 0845 712 5529. You will be chargedonly as a local call.

QueriesFor benefit and pension payroll queries,call the Service Line on 029 2032 2811.

ProsperoTo add or delete a name from the distribution list, ring the Service Line(number above). Prospero is provided freeof charge to retired BBC employees. Onrequest, we will also send it to spouses ordependants who want to keep in touchwith the BBC. Prospero is also available onaudio tape for those with sight impairment. To register, please ring the Service Line

on 029 2032 2811.

BBC ClubThe BBC Club in London has a retired category membership costing £24 a yearfor members; and £36 a year for familymembership. Pre-1997 life members arenot affected. Regional clubs may have different arrangements. Please call BBC Club London

administration office on 020 8752 66 66 oremail member.relations@bbcclub.com.

Benevolent FundThis is funded by voluntary contributionsfrom the BBC and its purpose is to protectthe welfare of staff, pensioners and theirfamilies. Grants are made at the discretionof the Trustees. They may provideassistance in cases of unforeseen financialhardship, for which help from othersources is not available.

Prospero SocietyProspero Society is the only section of theBBC Club run by and for retired BBC staffand their spouses. Its aim is to enable BBCpensioners to meet on a social basis fortheatre visits, luncheons, coach outingsetc. Prospero is supported by BBC Clubfunds so as to make events affordable.The only conditions (apart from paying a

small annual subscription) are that youmust be a BBC pensioner and a memberof the BBC Club. Write for an applicationform to: Graham Snaith, 67 NewberriesAvenue, Radlett, Herts. WD7 7EL. Telephone: 01923 855177 Mobile: 07736 169612 Email: graham.snaith@yahoo.co.uk

BBC productsBBC retired staff are entitled to a 30% discount off the RRP of most productsin the BBC TV Centre shop. There is apostage charge of £2.95 per order (notper item). Pensioners must quote theirBBC pension number when ordering.Contact: BBC Shop, Audience Foyer,Television Centre, Wood Lane, LondonW12 7RJ. Tel: 020 8225 8230. Email: tvc.shop@bbc.co.uk.Other ways to order (quoting yourpension number when ordering):By phone: 08700 777 001

8.30am-6pm weekdays. By post: BBCShop, PO Box 308, Sittingbourne, KentME9 8LW. Email: bbcshop@bbc.co.uk. Or visit BBC Shops in Eastbourne,

Brighton, Leicester, Birmingham orLiverpool. UK postage £2.45 for telephone, post and email orders.Overseas: £4.50 for one item and £2 foreach additional product for telephone,post and email orders.

BBC PAFor details of how to join the Pensioners’Association, see panel on page 5.

Contacts This issue… The Research Department vs ‘Bits ‘n’ Pieces’;

4 • • December • 2010

The letter from Tony Luke about the first livephone-in (Prospero, November 2010) remindedme of the night of the first Late Night Extra. Iarrived for the rehearsal to find a new additionto the studio’s equipment – the AMP160telephone balance unit, the Research

Department’s answer to balancing the low leveldistant end to the local studio end, which wouldbe Don Davis on the microphone. It seemed all very simple – press this, twiddlethat, and the result was pretty poor. A furthercomplication was that the whole output of thestudio had to be put through a tape loop, so theproducer, John Simmonds, could stand by thetape machine, fader in hand, ready to fade out

if someone should blaspheme live on air. This of course caused further complicationswith continuity during news breaks. Dear PeterHaigh, the compère of the show, found this allquite acceptable in true BBC fashion.Now it came to pass that a new live phone-inprogramme, introduced by Robin Day, calledIt’s Your Line, had found the quality producedby the telephone unit not suitable for seriousdiscussions. Research Department was asked to producesomething better and they rose to the challenge.It transpired that at the same time, a God-likestudio manager had tried out his own balanceunit, using some string and an old transformerfrom a type-A desk. Word got out! A challengematch was proposed by his daring manager,who was the studio manager of the first LateNight Extra, now demoted to manager.The day arrived, Research Departmententered the ring and demonstrated their evenmore complicated AMP160. Next came the‘bits and pieces’ balance unit for demonstration. The adjudicator, the producer of It’s Your Line,Walter Wallich, was amazed at the simplicity in

setting up and the clarity of the bits and piecesunit, and demanded its use on his programmes.I believe the studio manager, Barry Taylor,received the princely sum of £75 from thetight-fisted management at the time, but hisdesign rewrote the telephone balance unit book.Joe Taylor

I WAS FASCINATED by Tony Luke’smemories of the history of phone calls on radio(Prospero, November 2010).During my ten years as an instructor in theLocal Radio Training Unit, I had the benefit ofa number of valuable attachments. I wanted tokeep in-touch with the front line. I worked fora few months on a couple of our local radiostations and also Radio 2 Light Entertainment.That was under Con Mahoney and DavidHatch…wow.I produced Late Night Extra once a weekunder Tony Luke, the senior producer, for acouple of months. ‘Mystery Voice Challenge’ran every night, but it was not a phone-in. Itwas a phone-out. The calls were live, but theywere set up to listeners who had sent a postcardto the BBC. The production secretary picked afew cards from a tombola machine in AeolianHall and rang the potential competitors in theafternoon to check that they would be available.During the programme, we rang them to set upthe call.I sat in on some recordings of the Don Davispop music challenge. It worked on a similarsystem and took half a day to record. With alimited number of outgoing lines to originatethe calls, it was very ‘stop-start’.I know there were live phone calls on air longbefore Radio Nottingham in 1968. My claim isthat we were the first to take spontaneousphone-in calls in the ‘What are they up to now?’programme. When we went on air we had noidea what response we would get, unlike Radio2 which was all set up hours earlier. I didsomething even more spontaneous in myBreakfast Show, which was self-op; but that’sanother story.David Wilkinson

Phone-ins & phone-outs

‘…a God-like studio managerhad tried out his own balanceunit, using some string andan old transformer..’

David Hatch, Richard Willcox (Producers of Late Night Extra), John Simmonds(Chief Producer, Light Entertainment, Radio 1 and 2), CJ Mahoney (Head ofLight Entertainment, Sound), Mike Lennox, Bob Holness and Terry Wogan(Compères of Late Night Extra)

Robin Day (right) discusses with producer, Walter Wallich, a question phoned inby a listener to It’s Your Line on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday, 3 September 1975.

Loudspeakers thatenjoy the music!In response to Cedric Stansfield’s ‘speakersaga’ in the last edition of Prospero.Nothing is guaranteed to generate emotionlike the views on loudspeakers! My article(Prospero, June 2010) was primarily aimed atsmall, but accurate speakers for the domesticenvironment.However, like Cedric, I also have a pair ofSpendor BC1s – and indeed they are both adelight and also my reference speakers, butnot my domestic listening speakers, becauseof their size, delicacy, and critical positioning!I well remember when the Spendor BC1sfirst arrived in Manchester – an absolutebreath of fresh air for their accuratemonitoring, and above all their musicality –the first speaker I had ever heard that seemedto actively enjoy playing music!I’m still very happy to help colleagues withany speaker problems. Please email me atiancreed@lineone.netIan C Reed MIET

Letters

So who are the now-departed Exec Board members?

December • 2010 • • 5

What, no monitor?The story in the October issue about ‘Grisewood’(probably Freddie, not Herman) doingcommentating without benefit of a monitor,reminds me of similar horrific experiences.Covering the inaugural commercial flight ofConcorde to Bahrain in 1976, Peter Sissons(then ITN) and I had to fly on to Kuwait tohave our film edited and transmitted for Newsat Ten and BBC 9pm. Mine was not ready until 8.50pm and mymonitor failed as soon as we started. It was someseconds before I realised the transmission toLondon was continuing, and there would be notime for a second take, so I swallowed myhalf-spoken curse and continued talking,hoping for the best. The producer fed the resultunseen into the news bulletin two or threeminutes later. In those days it was hell for us butfun for the viewers!During Apollo I frequently phoned livereports for bulletins and Newsround againstNASA film I had never seen, but some of theyoung women producers, notably Anne

Mereworth, were brilliant at producing twominutes of pictures illustrating what I hadwarned them I would be saying. Thankgoodness I never saw the results.Reg Turnill

Happy birthday Radio MedwayI wish ‘Happy Birthday’ to the wonderfulteam that came on air 40 years ago on 8 December 1970 as BBC Radio Medway – ateam that remained together for many years inChatham in Kent and became BBC Radio Kent.The opening night was a ‘star’ night. WithAdam Dell, Tony Blackburn, FrankChacksfield, Henry Hall, Peter Brough withArchie Andrews, Vera Lynn, Bruce Forsyth andmany more.Many of the team still live in Medway andKent, and BBC Radio Kent today still bringsin a big audience. As manager from 1970 to1985 I am very proud of such a wonderfulteam in those early years, 40 years ago.Harold Rogers OBE

Neil RichardsonMay I add a postscript to Bill Bebb’s excellentobituary last month of Neil Richardson.Neil, the son of a vicar, was our Director ofMusic at ChristChurch Chorleywood. He hadthe great gift of arranging a hymn such as‘Thine be the Glory’, for woodwind, stringsand brass, of making each part fairly easy forus amateur musicians but when they cametogether making them sound very grand. In rehearsal he had a lovely way of gettingwhat he wanted: ‘Don’t get me wrong, I likewhat you’re playing but I think I’d prefer thenotes that are written.’ He composed incidental music for Nativityplays and played the clarinet or sax beautifullyfor concerts. On one occasion, jazz in churchwas a real innovation.For professionals – and amateurs – he wasone of the very best, to be cherished.Robert McLeish

There are many interesting articles in theNovember issue, but I am not sure if thepicture feature on page 2 was meant to be anew competition or not.For those of us who left the BBC some timeago and are thus not so familiar with thecurrent management, it is difficult to work outwhich picture goes with which name in theaccompanying article – except, of course, thatof Mark Thompson!Please give picture name credits in future sowe can all put the right names to the rightfaces. I should add that in the rest of the paperthis was done, or it was obvious from the textwho was in the accompanying pictures.Rex Palmer

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT we no longersee the great and good in the corridors of

power so we have no idea what the luminariesof the executive board look like. We canpresume that the pictures on page tworepresent some of them - but which? Who is(or was!) who?Photographs need captions...even more sofor the elderly and forgetful.Puzzled pensioner (aka Mike Chaney)

The lack of captions on the mugshots on page 2of the November issue of Prospero seems to haveconfused and bemused several of our readers. Weapologise for the oversight and will make moreof an effort to caption photographs goingforward! For future reference, the names (fromtop, left to right) were as follows: Erik Huggers,Zarin Patel, Jana Bennett, Mark Byford, MarkThompson, Tim Davie and Helen Boaden – Ed.

Picture perfect

I am an audio restoration engineer workingwith the estate of the late Matt Monro. In his30-year career he appeared in literallyhundreds of television and radio shows. Ofthese only a handful survive in officialarchives. Over the past few years Matt’sdaughter Michele and I have been attemptingto track down and recover as much material aspossible. Some of this material has come tolight from dubs made by engineers orproducers on tape or disc (Matt was even inpossession of a couple of these himself ).Matt’s career spanned from 1955 through to1985 and he took part in the BBC’sexperimental stereo radio and colour televisiontests, was a regular contributor to the BBCShow Band show, hosted his own radio series,radio and TV specials, etc. All of these have now gone or were never

officially recorded and if there is only oneshow missing from a series he appeared in, youcan bet it’s the episode featuring Matt (1964Eurovision and 1966 Royal Variety, forinstance, are both missing where most or allothers survive). We are therefore hoping that someonereading this may have air checks or dubs ontape or acetate, video or film footage or evenphotographs taken on set or in the studio thatthey would be willing to allow us to copy withthe original and a restored version beingreturned to you. Please contact: michele@mattmonro.com orrichard@mint-audio-restoration.com or writeto: Richard Moore, Matt Monro Estate, 52Taywood Road, Thornton–Cleveleys,Lancashire FY5 2RTRichard Moore

Seeking Matt Monro

Pension changes ‘ill-timed and ill-judged’The Pensioners’ Association has a legitimateinterest in the pensions crisis: current staff areour future members.The BBC argues it has to do something tolimit its long-term liabilities as employerbecause financing the scheme could otherwisecost around 10 per cent of the licence fee. Butwe believe the changes actually proposed wereill-timed and ill-judged.The BBC’s contributions are negotiated everythree years with the pension scheme trusteesfollowing the scheme actuary’s report. This isdue to be published next year. But even if thereis a large hole in the scheme’s finances, theproblem does not have to be solvedimmediately. Bizarrely, the uncertainty over thefuture benefits and staff contributions beingimposed on staff has made it more difficult forthe actuary to predict what the BBC’scontributions should be. The BBC sought to justify its tactics byselecting its own assumptions and calculationswhich were then worked on by KPMG. TheNational Union of Journalists has challengedthe BBC on the validity of these calculations. Itremains to be seen how closely the BBC/KPMGpredictions match the figure from the pensionscheme’s actuary. Relations between staff and managementreached a low point because of the peremptoryway in which the pension proposals werelaunched and because of widespread angerinside and outside the BBC about excessiveexecutive pay and needless layers ofmanagement. Changes at board level areobviously intended to take the edge off things.

But Sarah Montague’s comment on the Todayprogramme that 10 out of the 20 best-paidpeople in the country in human relations areemployed by the BBC will pour petrol on the flames. As I write in mid-November everything is stillup in the air. Strikes are still on the cards iffurther negotiations fail with the NUJ. Theunion argues that if the actual deficit turns outto be lower than predicted the BBC shouldthink again. Lucy Adams (Director, BBCPeople) says disingenuously this is unacceptablebecause it would involve ‘breaking faith’ withthe other unions which have accepted themodified BBC proposal. What a muddle!The BBC Trust has taken a back seat in theprocess. We think this is unfortunate: what hasbeen happening has affected public support forthe BBC – crucial to its survival.Zarin Patel’s position as a trustee is untenable.She can either fulfil her responsibilities as BBCFinance Director or as chair of the pensionscheme investments committee but not both.What’s good for the scheme is not the same aswhat’s good for the BBC.In recent letters to the Director-General andthe Chairman of the BBC Trust we expressed anumber of these concerns. The DG replied tosay the BBC has no plans to replace Zarin Patel.He does, however, reassure us that pensions inpayment are unaffected by the changes. Thecorrespondence is on our website –www.BBCPA.org.uk. Meanwhile, we urgenon-members to join the association. David Allen, BBCPA chairman

Memories

6 • • December • 2010

On 23 October, I was invited to the launch ofHere’s a House – a Celebration of Play School.This book, by Paul R Jackson, has been over 20 years in the making and boy, is it worth the wait! Besides being Play School’s biggest fan, keeper ofthe Play School archives and sharing the same birthdate as my daughter, Paul worked at the Beeb inthe Duty Office for five years and since 1996 hasfreelanced as a Stage Manager on the NationalTelevision Awards and the British Soap Awards.I presented Play School for 14 of its 22 years(600 editions) in the 60s and 70s and couldn’twait to meet up with the old crowd, and I domean CROWD. Paul tracked down 85presenters, directors, musicians, designers andthe programme’s originator Joy Whitby, whonamed the programme Play School as ‘play is thechild’s first school.’

Play School was the first programme to betransmitted on 21 April 1964, launch day forBBC2, as Battersea power station blew a fuse,and the rest is history.

Play School never moved from its remit; forthree to five year olds, probably watching ontheir own, with anchor points like the toys,windows, pets, calendar and clock. Reading this book from cover to cover, in onesitting I might add, I filled in the missing links.So much affectionate, irreverent informationabout all concerned; the politics, the anxietiesof the presenters, who never had a long runningcontract, just a casual booking when needed.Help! Pre-Play School, children’s programmes werejust entertainment. Now the child could anddid join in. It was ‘their’ Play School and suchan innovation. I was amazed to read that theviewing figures did not include the targetaudience, presumably because they were ‘just’little children and yet the figures in early 1965were 1.35m to 1.7m, not bad for a children’sprogramme on a new channel.Paul’s tenacity has paid off. The interviews inthis book are revealing to say the least. I learneda great deal about my fellow presenters, whotrusted Paul with candid observations. The tiethat binds us all is the love of Play School andPaul captures this brilliantly with hundreds ofpreviously unseen photos. Personally, I havenever been quoted so accurately in nearly 50years in the biz. For those of you who worked with us then,get the book and find out what really went on.For those of you who watched the programmesas children, get the book and see how PlaySchool came to be. A perfect Christmas present

AND there is volume 2 in the spring taking upthe story from the 1980s.I think of Play School as the best work I everdid; and not work really, just a pleasure. I stillmiss it and would love to be there again, albeita bit wrinkly. I am grateful to Paul, because nowI can pop back to those glory days of the Beeb(three or four cameras, a dangly boom and afloor manager) whenever I want. May I say‘Hello’ and ‘Thank you’ to any of you I workedwith over the years and do buy the book. Muchlove, Julie Stevens, Provence, France.

Julie Stevens, one-time presenter on Play School, enjoys a nostalgic tripdown memory lane as she reviews Here’s a House – a Celebration ofPlay School.

Play School

Paul Foxall was a film cameraman beforejoining the staff of BBC TV, where he workedas a film editor on programmes like Panorama,Tomorrow’s World and Braden’s Week. Nowretired, he looks after a film archive thatbelonged to the late David Clarke, a formerfilmmaker and racing driver and friend ofStirling Moss who enjoyed a sporting rivalry inthe fifties. Paul writes:The photographs shown above are stills takenfrom a programme about how motor racingwas covered in the fifties before televisionbecame involved.

The BBC arranged for Stirling Moss and meto be at the Silverstone Classic in July wherethese pictures were taken. The producer was Tony Roe from BBCNottingham and the film was shown on InsideOut last month on BBC East Midlands and onBBC East. The camera that Stirling is holding is a16mm clockwork Bolex of the type usedextensively in those days. The big problem wasthat, although the films were in glorious colour,they took an age to complete with the labs, theediting, the dubbing and the process of

producing optical sound prints fordistribution. These vital operations were timeconsuming – consequently, thousands of fanshad to wait until the winter months to see theirfavourite drivers and teams in action.I can recall filming the Grand Prix D’ Europeat Spa in 1958 and using just four cameras, anda lap in those days was eight miles! They were all wind-up models, plus you werealways adjusting the focus and checking theexposure. As filmmakers we were allowed tostand next to the track to get our shots – inwhat, looking back, were suicidal positions!Nevertheless they were wonderful days to befilming Formula One, with drivers like Moss,

Hawthorn and Fangio who were heroes for ageneration of enthusiasts like myself. I’ve known Stirling since he was leading theBritish Vanwall team in 1958 but this is thefirst time we’ve been photographed together.’ The programme included clips from the1955 Monaco GP that Moss almost won untilhis Mercedes surprisingly let him down. After 15 years with the BBC I left to becomea freelance film director and amongst mydocumentaries were two films for The SouthBank Show, one on the Drama Group atWormwood Scrubs prison and another on theaffinity between Max Wall and Samuel Beckett.

A new trainee cameraman joins the BBCCarol Chell, Paul Jackson and Don Spencer.

Sir Stirling Moss.

Paul Jackson and Julie Stevens.

Reunions

December • 2010 • • 7

Since Sally had had a big hand in organisingreunions to mark the 21st and 25thanniversaries, and in Mari we had an inspiredorganiser on the spot in Oxford, it wasn’tsurprising that a celebration lunch at thePlough in Wolvercote was soon arranged forthe birthday itself.What was surprising was the turnout of asmany as 48 former staff, contributors andpartners mainly from the era of the firstmanager of the station, Donald Norbrook. Histwo sons, David and Hamish, represented thefamily, and amongst the others attending weretwo former Lord Mayors of Oxford, thecurrent Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire,a god-daughter of Charles de Gaulle, a brace ofmathematicians, a former head of the

Historical Monuments Commission, adistinguished biochemist, BBC engineers,former secretaries, former radio and TV bosses– one of whom had just arrived back thatmorning from Zambia – and journalists andbroadcasters of the calibre of Bill Rennells,Tony Adamson, Garry Richardson, DavidBobin, Libby Purves and Hugh Sykes. Well,this was vintage Radio Oxford after all!Twenty-two of the company had agreed inadvance to give a one-minute reminiscence oftheir time at the station and tell how theexperience had shaped or informed their latercareers. It was amazing that with the wealth ofbroadcasting talent present, very few managedto keep to the 60-second limit but all wereforgiven as the stories poured out, bathing usin a warm tub of nostalgia.Why was Radio Oxford so special for us? Wehad the most benevolent of bosses in Donaldwho would offer gentle advice and commentwhilst practising his golf swing in the corridor.But we also had the most extraordinaryamount of freedom to make programmes andto recruit and develop the hundred or morekeen contributors who gave the station itsspecial flavour. No layers of editorialbureaucracy stifled our creativity. There ismaybe a lesson in those early years for thepowers that be who run local radio today.Owen Bentley (Programme Organiser RadioOxford 1970-72)

It all started back in the summer when Sally Wright emailed to remind me and Mari Prichard that on29 October, Radio Oxford would be reaching its 40th birthday and should we do anything about it?

Radio Oxford remembered

In September 1960, 13 teenagersreported to the Langham to embark on athree-year Technical Trainee sandwichcourse run by the BBC.

Six months of each year were spentstudying at Hendon Technical Collegeand six months training at Radio and TVStudios, Outside Broadcasts,Transmitters, and Engineeringdepartments throughout the BBC. Thegoal was a Higher National Diploma inElectrical Engineering.

One of the first steps was a workshopcourse at Wood Norton, the idea being toteach some practical skills to these‘college students’. Ironically, half a

century of progress later, the practicalskills that were learnt on that course areprobably more use now than any of thevalve and circuit theory studied later.

On 1 October 2010, eight of these ex Technical Trainees (and wives) met for a weekend of events to celebrate the50 years. Four couples were already incontact, but others were traced and onewas found with the help of the BBCPension Department.

The reunion began with lunch at theAnchor Inn, Wyre Piddle, Worcestershire.In the afternoon, the group wereentertained by a talk from the Head ofthe Training Academy, Andy Jones, to

catch up on how things have changedsince the early 60s.

In the evening The Angel Hotel,Pershore was the venue for a celebratorymeal and overnight stay.

The next day a visit was made to part ofthe Wood Norton site no longer ownedby the BBC, including the empty Hall, thedilapidated accommodation blocks and alast remaining training hut. This was asad experience. A reprise of the coursephotograph in front of the Hall wasfollowed by a river trip at Evesham.

On the Sunday the reunion concludedwith a visit to the technical areas of avirtually deserted Television Centre. Like

the visit to Wood Norton this was anoccasion for sombre reflection on howthings have changed over 50 years.

Those meeting up again were: RonArnett, Alan Edginton, Dave Lancaster,Guy Martin, Nigel Phillips, Brian Potter,Bill Seymour and Roy Vitty.

Of the original 13, two (Dave Dillon andMike Laughton) are deceased and one(Clive Wapshire) was unable to attend.Dave Gilroy and George Nixon are stillmissing. If you are out there, please getin touch.Tempus fugit!Bill Seymour

Technical trainees celebrate gold

Pictured are from left to right: Anita Wright, Penny Scrivener, Gerald Sacks, Cliff Wright, NickUtechin, Chris Rogers, David Bobin, Phil Rapps, Susie Bobin, Liz Simpson, John Skrine,John Simpson, Angela Rennells, Tony Adamson, Bill Rennells, Giles Woodforde, SanchiaPhillips, Derek Ashton, Richard Stanley, Andy Finney, Roger Main, Kip Warr, Nick Shrimpton,Sharon Amos, Mif Warr, Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Peter Esnouf, Sally Wright, Hugh Phillips,Mari Prichard, Angie Straker-Nesbitt, Owen Bentley, Hugh Sykes, Annie Utechin, AngelaHassall, Ita Sacks, Tony Williamson, Hamish Norbrook, Barbara Williamson, Tom Hassall, Jill Bentley, Mary Walter, Ann Spokes Symonds. (Photo credit: Chris Rogers.)Missing from group shot though present at the event: Libby Purves, Thomas Prag, DavidNorbrook, Jane Rogers, Garry Richardson, Jill Adamson.

The trainees then… Back row (L-R): Brian Potter, Dave Gilroy and DaveLancaster. Front row (L-R): Bill Seymour, Mike Lawton, (three inserts –Ron Arnett, Guy Martin and Nigel Phillips), Roy Vitty and Alan Eginton.

At the reunion, 50 years on… (L-R): Guy Martin, Bill Seymour, Brian Potter, Alan Edginton,Andy Jones, Dave Lancaster, Roy Vitty, Nigel Phillips and Ron Arnett.

8 • • December • 2010

Back at the BBC

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020 8752 6666 Time to dance in praiseof older womenAnn Widdecombe, unlikely star of Strictly ComeDancing, whose performances to date haveprompted the judges to compare her to ‘a pinktoilet brush being flung around’ and morerecently ‘a sick canary who never manages totake off’, believes she is making a stand forordinary older women. ‘I feel I’m flying the flag for older women whoare not gorgeous, or agile or look amazing fortheir age, and showing them that they can stillhave fun,’ she told Ariel.As to whether this group gets a tough deal ontelevision, Widdecombe points out that herown broadcasting career did not start until shewas in her 50s and that ‘some of the best of ithas come in my 60s’.Now 63, she has presented documentaries,been a TV agony aunt and hosted Have I GotNews for You. ‘I really don’t think there isageism,’ she declares. ‘I think it’s a bit likesexism. If you go looking for it, you’ll find it. Ifyou don’t go looking for it, you just accept thatsome things are bad luck.’Invited every year since 2004 to do Strictly,she had always turned it down as she thought itwould be too physically demanding andtime-consuming.‘Then two things happened. First, JohnSergeant proved you could do it at your

own pace. Second, I retired and suddenly I had time.’She also says that while she was an MP, shebelieved she had a duty ‘not to behave in a waythat might be considered inconsistent with thedignity of the office’.But after retiring at the last General Election,and deciding finally to give Strictly a whirl, shepredicted it would go one of two ways: ‘EitherI would get knocked out very early on or, ifpeople wanted a bit of entertainment, I mightstay in it for quite a while.’And stay she has. ‘I’ve enjoyed it beyond allexpectation,’ she laughs. ‘It is tremendous fun.Part of it is the freedom from responsibility.When I was an MP everything I did had thepotential to affect people – for better or worse.This doesn’t.’Despite Strictly’s popularity, and her delight atbeing involved in such a big hit, the formerpolitician who served as shadow HomeSecretary has not changed her views about the

BBC: ‘It should chase excellence rather thanratings,’ she states firmly.‘Having said that, I’m as bad as anybody andthe first thing I inquire about on Mondays isthe viewing figures. I’m not going to pretendI’m above that.’A fan of Radio 4, World Service and Songs of

Praise, she also finds plenty to enjoy on BBCFour, regularly choosing it above themainstream channels: ‘Because I know the mainchannels will have swearing, sex, violence,irregular living, people shouting at each otherand estuary English.’She confirms that she and fellow contestantPatsy Kensit have bonded over prayer sessions.‘Patsy and I both pray to St Jude, patron saintof hopeless causes.’

Hundreds of World Servicejobs to be cutWorld Service director Peter Horrocks sayshundreds of staff jobs will go and services willclose because ‘we cannot continue to do everything.’He was answering questions from theCommons Foreign Affairs select committeeabout how the switch of funding from theForeign Office to the licence fee might affectWorld Service output. He told the committeethat even before the BBC takes over its funding,World Service has to make substantial savingsbecause of a reduction in the Foreign Office grant. Committee chairman Mike Gapes said theforeign secretary had told them he wanted asettlement that would ‘allow’ the World Serviceto become more efficient without affectingservices. Gapes asked: ‘Is that possible?’ Horrocksreplied: ‘We can’t continue to do everything.’

Asked how many jobs would be lost he said: ‘It will be broadly in line with the level of savings we need to make – more than 16%.Our staffing is 2,000 so you can work it out relatively straightforwardly. It will behundreds of jobs.’As for service cuts, he said: ‘We will want to propose that some services should close– not just because of the settlement but alsobecause of competitors and the patterns of our services.’Horrocks explained that in some placesshort-wave radio audiences were dropping, sothe cost of those transmissions could be cut, andhe thought editorial costs would be reducedwhen the World Service moved into W1 andworked in close collaboration with News. But hesaid: ‘There will be real changes that audienceswill notice, undoubtedly.’

Success forlocal stations Radio Lincolnshire’s listeners aretuning in for longer than any other radioaudience, either local or network, anastonishing 18 hours a week onaverage. Managing editor CharliePartridge said: ‘I don’t think it’s acoincidence that this increase mirrorsthe work done over the last 12 months.’

The station has made on-air changes,and employed Tim Johns to takecharge of trails and on-air promotion.Johns said: ‘To have these positiveresults and to come out number one inthe UK is a real boost and says to allthe staff we are performing well.’

Not only that – the breakfast show,fronted by Rod Whiting, has overtakenLincolnshire’s commercial rivals for thefirst time in a decade.Radio London now has 560,000

people tuning in each week – thehighest audience for two years. AndGaby Roslin joining Paul Ross on thebreakfast show at the start of the yearhas given the programme its highestaudience, up 51% year on year to268,000. David Robey, managing editor,Radio London, welcomed the results: ‘Iam delighted with the way we haveperformed across the station, andclearly part of that has been thebreakfast show. I think we have foundthe right format and Gaby and Paul hitif off instantly.’

A vision in pink: Ann Widdecombe and partner Anton Du Beke.

December • 2010 • • 9

Back at the BBC

She is the leader Mark Thompson creditswith a ‘creative transformation’ at BBCWales. But ten years at the top isenough for anyone, says the nation’soutgoing director Menna Richards.

Under her tenure, Cardiff has growninto a powerhouse of network drama –from the catalyst of Doctor Who to brandnew daytime series Indian Doctor, viaTorchwood, Merlin, Sherlock, BeingHuman, Whites and Upstairs Downstairs.

The expanding BBC Wales factual slatehas produced network hits like Tribe andLast Chance to See, as well asground-breaking series for Welshaudiences like Coal House and therecent Snowdonia 1890.

And last year, the BBC NationalOrchestra of Wales moved into their newstate-of-the-art concert hall and recordingstudio in Hoddinott Hall, part of the WalesMillennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

Richards, who leaves in February,won’t be around for the opening of thenew Cardiff Bay drama village which willbe home to Doctor Who, Welsh languagesoap Pobol y Cwm, The Sarah JaneAdventures and Casualty by the end ofnext year.

She says: ‘I’d like to think the whole ofBBC Wales could be relocated alongside

the drama village in Cardiff Bay, in due course.

‘We know the importance of a criticalcreative mass. Having people excited bythe possibilities of a new building in afabulous location is bound to make adifference to how creative we can be.That’s important for Wales and the entire BBC.’

Even before last month’s radicallicence fee settlement, which includes apartnership with S4C whereby the BBCwill contribute £76m a year to the costsof the Welsh language channel from2013, Richards was already exploringways in which BBC Wales and S4Ccould cut costs by sharing resources,including moving into a single newmedia centre. Despite opposition fromthe S4C Authority and Welsh politicians,Richards is optimistic about thepartnership’s chances: ‘I’m confidentwe’ll get to the right place,’ she says.

‘Both organisations care a great dealabout providing the best possible tvservice in the Welsh language. There’s alot to talk about, a lot to get right.’

The former managing director of HTVWales took over as the BBC’s nationalcontroller in Cardiff with a view to stayingfive years: ‘But when that time came,there was still a lot to achieve and it wastoo exciting to move on. Ten years isprobably about enough,’ she concludes.

The director has talked recently about‘unprecedented financial pressures’,which even before the new licence feedeal, saw BBC Wales having to find £3msavings this year. There had been ‘toughdecisions’ to balance shrinking budgetswith creative ambition, she says.

Emailing colleagues last week sheacknowledged her teams’ achievements:‘I never had any doubt that Wales hadthe talent to make a real difference andit’s your passion and determination thathas taken us on this extraordinaryjourney together.’

Passion, determination andan extraordinary journey

Charity Christmas cards

For the first time, you can buy Radio Times Charity Christmas cards based on some of the mosticonic Radio Times Christmas covers ever. There are two packs to choose from, with 10 cards in each. Each pack has five different designs.

Prospero readers can get a pack of 10 for just £3.50 (normally £3.99) plus £1.50 P&P, with 10%going to BBC Children in Need. And if you buy four packs you get a fifth one free. To order call 0844 543 9804 quoting offer code Prospero.

O’Reilly awaits tribunal decisionThe employment tribunal hearing Miriam O’Reilly’sdiscrimination case against the BBC has concluded with thepanel members reserving judgement. Their decision couldtake up to six weeks.

O’Reilly claims she was the victim of sex and agediscrimination because she was dropped as a presenter onCountryfile when the show was revamped and moved to apeaktime Sunday slot. The BBC denies the claims.

Heather Williams, QC for O’Reilly, said that the 53 year oldwas ruled out from working on the new look show ‘in onesentence’ from former BBC One controller Jay Hunt.

Williams was referring to evidence from Andrew Thorman, the Countryfile editor whoreplaced O’Reilly and two other older female presenters with younger people, whilekeeping on John Craven, who is in his late 60s. Thorman told the tribunal that whenhe asked Hunt about retaining the three women, Hunt replied: ‘I think theirexperience is mainly radio. No.’

Hunt told the tribunal: ‘I am a 43-year-old woman, I have had my own difficultiessurviving in this industry… the last thing I would ever do is discriminate againstanyone on the basis of gender or age.’

We’ll do more to makeshows ‘fresh and new’Jana Bennett, director of Vision, has pledged tocontinue to strengthen BBC One, Two and Fourfollowing a BBC Trust review that found all threechannels are performing strongly but could domore to make themselves truly distinctive.The main conclusions of the service review are:• BBC One should be more ambitious and takemore creative risks in peak time. In particular,it should increase the range, variety andsurprise in pre-watershed peak time, and showgreater creative ambition at 9pm. The Trustsays it expects to see signs of improvement inaudience perceptions by the end of 2011

• BBC Two should do more to re-establish itsposition as a channel that viewers recognise asbeing manifestly different from BBC One

• Daytime output on One and Two should

make a greater contribution to thecorporation’s reputation for quality and distinctiveness

• BBC Four, where 80 percent of output is ratedoriginal or different (the highest margin forany channel), should find ways of increasingits impact. To help it achieve this, the Trustwants the Executive to signpost and promoteBBC Four content more effectively on other networks.

The review’s interim findings were published inJuly. In their final report the Trust notes the

progress made by management since thesummer, particularly in terms of axingsome long-running daytime lifestyleshows, and developing ‘robust plans’ forcurrent affairs on BBC Two.Bennett points out that BBC TVincreased both its reach and share overthe past year, and that viewers alreadysay that it leads other channels forquality, originality and distinctiveness. But: ‘Audiences continue to have astrong appetite for ‘fresh and new ideas’.This is a reflection of the TV industrymore broadly, and expectations arerightly highest when it comes to theBBC. We will be taking the leading rolein meeting audience expectations.’

After a decade as head of BBC Wales MennaRichards leaves a ‘creative critical mass’ asher legacy.

READY STEADY COOK, the TV show in which chefs create meals from ingredients brought in by celebrityguests, has been axed after 15 years, 21 series and nearly 2,000 episodes. No more episodes will be made,although repeats are likely to be shownfor at least the next year.

BRITISH AIRWAYS passengers will soonbe able to watch their favourite BBCprogrammes while flying. FromDecember, more than 100 BA planes with

in-flight entertainment will offer channelsBBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge andBBC Lifestyle. Young travellers will beoffered a Cbeebies service.

A TOTAL of 21.2 million people watchedBBC News TV coverage of thecomprehensive spending review on 20 October. The main news programmesall had above average audiences, theNews Channel had more viewers thanSky News, and the BBC News websitehad around 4.2m unique users.

NEWSBITES

Obituaries

10 • • December • 2010

Joan BarnardJoan Barnard died recently at her home inBristol and will be fondly remembered by manyof her colleagues. Joan joined the Corporation(as we called it in those days!) in 1944 inTranscription Service and when thatdepartment closed she moved to Music Libraryat Yalding House, where she remained untilretirement in 1984 – 40 long years of service! For me, Joan was a very special friend and wehave kept in touch all these years thanks,especially over her latter years, to her husbandRon, who regularly drove her to a midwayhostelry betwixt Bristol and Birmingham.Thanks to Ron, also, Joan was able to stay athome for many years longer than would havebeen the case but for his constant care. I am surewe would all wish to thank him for that and toexpress our deep sympathy in his great loss.Joan Green

Bach scholarand talentedmusic producer

Richard Butt,who has died atthe age of 82, wasone of the mostimportant andinfluential peoplein the history ofthe BBC’s musicoutput in the

Midland Region and far beyond. He was a music producer in

Birmingham for 25 years and was thesenior music producer for the last 16 ofthem. As such he worked with, andbecame the friend of, many of theworld’s greatest artists who all came toappreciate his gentle guidance and hisdeep knowledge of the world of music.

He brought into the studios andconcert halls a care and understandingof the needs of musicians that led manyto ask for him in particular to producetheir broadcasts. He was softly spoken,always had a smile on his lips, modest– perhaps overly so – but at the sametime he was a perfectionist whoexpected those around him to work tohis own high standards. He was a manof high moral convictions with a greatsense of humour, sometimes naughtybut never cruel, that was enjoyed by all.

Richard was born in Salisbury wherehe attended the Bishops Wordsworth’sSchool from which he graduated to theRoyal Academy of Music in London.There he studied conducting and theviolin and in due course becameapprentice conductor of the YorkshireSymphony Orchestra. After a periodteaching the violin in Norfolk hebecame music director for theLeicestershire Education Authority andit was from there that, in 1961, hemoved to the BBC.

He had many other strings to his bow,most notably his work as conductor for26 years of the Birmingham BachSociety. During that time he conductedmany notable concerts but, perhaps,none more so than a memorableperformance of Bach’s B minor Mass inBach’s own Church in Leipzig just beforeunification. From that he was invited toconduct the Leipzig GewandhausOrchestra on several occasions. A notedBach scholar, Richard collated andpublished a catalogue of Bach’sCantatas which still serves today as areference book for Bach scholars.

He was a close personal friend ofBenjamin Britten, Peter Pears andImogen Holst who used to ask Richard’sadvice on the performance of Bach.

He leaves his partner, Stanley Sellers,and his brother David who, for manyyears, was principal flute for the BBCSymphony Orchestra.

I personally, having worked withRichard throughout the whole of histime with the BBC, will remember himmost of all, apart from his wonderfulmusicianship, for his kindness, gentleguidance and for all I learnt from him aswe sat together at the control desk. Alan Ward

From Welsh presenterto Controller, BBC Wales

Owen Edwards will be remembered by ageneration of viewers as one of the mostsuccessful, charismatic and popular televisionpresenters in the Welsh language.A consummate communicator and

professional, his popularity dominated Welshscreens during the 60s, first of all as presenterof Granada television’s Dewch I Mewn and thenas a presenter of BBC Wales’ long-running dailyprogramme, Heddiw.During the 70s he deserted life in front o thecamera for the more sombre existence of anadministrator, first of all as a programmeorganiser and subsequently the BBC’s Head ofProgrammes, Wales. Though never completelycomfortable in either role, they served him wellas an apprenticeship for his subsequentappointment as controller, BBC Wales, wherehe flourished once again as a popular publicfigure and careful and fair manager.It was during his time as controller that RadioWales and Radio Cymru were launched. A time,too, of linguistic turmoil which called for all hisdiplomatic skills as he led BBC Walessuccessfully in the run-up to the creation of S4C. It was no surprise, therefore, that on thecreation of the new channel he was invited tobecome its first chief executive. Owen and histeam laid solid foundations for a channel which,before long, ceased to be looked upon as an

experiment but as an integral part of the fabricof broadcasting and of Welsh life in general. Theploughed a new and independent furrow in thehistory of Welsh language television withremarkable success.Throughout his career, Owen displayed greatloyalty towards public responsibility and service.He had inherited from his father andgrandfather a remarkable understanding of themeaning of ‘duty’ in public life. It guided himthroughout his years as a broadcasting executive,and the sadness is, because of illness, he wasunable, in retirement, to extend his experienceand expertise to pastures new.He fought gallantly with a serious anddebilitating illness for over 20 years, and at theend of it all, perhaps, the most forceful memoryI have of him is of the enormous courage heshowed in doing so.His wife Rosemary, and daughters Elin andMari, were a source of joy and comfort to theend. They, together with Owen’s grandchildren,his brother Prys, and all the family, grieve forhis departure. As do we all.Coffa Da Amdano. Fond memories.

Geraint Stanley Jones

Londoner turned‘Northcountryman’One Friday in 1975, an ashen-faced BrianRedhead walked into the Manchester office ofStanley Williamson, the producer of Redhead’sRadio 4 programme, A Word in Edgeways.‘I’ve just resigned my editorship of The

Manchester Evening News,’ announced Redhead.‘Not again?’ Stanley responded wearily.‘Yes, but this time they’ll not let me withdrawit. They want me out!’‘Don’t worry, Brian, journalism’s loss will bebroadcasting’s gain. Let’s go and record anothergood programme.’Stanley Williamson’s laconic prophesy provedcorrect. Redhead became a ‘national treasure’on Radio 4’s Today programme and was onlyone of many BBC contributors who werecomforted, cajoled, nurtured and supported byStanley – whose own career covered fourdecades in radio and television.Joining the BBC in 1941, at the age of 20during the London blitz, Stanley Williamsonworked as a recorded programmes assistant inthe underground studios at 200 Oxford Street.His first job was retrieving and cueing-uptranscription disks. He progressed to become astudio manager, occasionally (and unofficially)‘filling in’ for continuity announcers who failedto appear on time. In 1946 he was appointed acontinuity announcer for the BBC North Region

in Manchester. It was a move he never regretted.On a BBC staff-training course in London, in1949, he observed: ‘It wasn’t until I left Londonthat I really began to live. By going North I haveleft behind some of the mostparochially-minded people under the sun.Londoners as a whole can’t see anything that’shappening more than twenty miles North orWest of Oxford Circus unless it’s happening atthe other end of the world. They don’t knowhow the rest of Britain lives and works, and theydon’t bother to find out.’By joining a seriously under-resourced part ofthe BBC, he discovered there was virtuallyunlimited scope for his talents. Within monthshe was fearlessly diving into the 300-foot depthsof the Gaping Ghyll pothole at Ingleborough inNorth Yorkshire. Later he was reporting fromthe strike-bound mining village ofGrimethorpe. Neither of these assignmentswould have been possible for a continuityannouncer in London.After promotion to producer, StanleyWilliamson became responsible for the radioseries, The Northcountryman, which began in1952 and was broadcast continuously for overten years.In this period Stanley also found himselfworking with two talented filmmakers, NormanSwallow and Denis Mitchell, who he helpedwith the Prix Italia-winning documentary,Morning in the Streets. He made his ownpioneering programmes including the first-everlive radio rock-climb broadcast during which hewas almost killed because of the effect of windon the unexpected weight of themicrophone-cable. As an interviewer, Stanley Williamson wassensitive, thoughtful and seemingly unhurried.His 1956 profile of LS Lowry, at a time before theartist became famous, is a classic of its kind.Recorded in Lowry’s home, his studio and SalfordCity Art Gallery, it captures the essence of a quietman who is unsure about the sources of his owntalent and the appeal of his paintings. After therecordings had been completed, Lowry said, ‘Youcan take a couple of paintings home with you, ifyou really like any of them.’ Under pressure,Stanley chose two modest pencil sketches.Stanley Williamson’s most importantprogramme was The Munich Air Disaster, firstbroadcast in October 1967 as part of his Trialby Inquiry series. Having studied German atCambridge, he was able to carefully review theGerman report into the 1958 BEA crash in

which 26 people died, including eightManchester United footballers. Captain Thain,the captain of the BEA aircraft, was blamed forthe crash and, as a result, lost both his pilot’slicence and his job. Stanley became convincedthat Thain was simply a scapegoat and that vitalevidence had been suppressed. He and Thaintravelled to Munich, via Stuttgart so they wouldnot be recognised by the airport authorities, andinterviewed two key witnesses who confirmedthat the plane had been unable to becomeair-borne because of icy slush on the runway.The broadcast of The Munich Air Disaster wasacutely embarrassing to BEA, the British Boardof Trade, and the German authorities – none ofwhich wanted their previous decisionsquestioned. Nevertheless, the British Inquiryhad to be reopened and eventually exoneratedCaptain Thain.Colin Shaw CBE, a former North Regioncolleague and subsequently chief secretary of theBBC and founder-director of the BroadcastingStandards Council said: ‘Stanley’s devotion toNorth Region was exemplary and he producedsome very good programmes for both theRegion and the network. I fear that his like isnot very easily found these days.’Stanley Williamson married hislife-companion, Margaret Elizabeth (Bettie)Emerson, in 1948. She survives him togetherwith their daughter Elisabeth.Robert Houlton

Obituaries

December • 2010 • • 11

Colour pioneerPeter Tingey was bitten by the radio bug at theage of 13 when he received a copy of ‘AeroplaneSpotter Weekly’ containing three circuitsdescribing a radio receiver. This early interestwas to set the stage for the rest of Peter’sprofessional career. While a teenager in Southend he wouldregularly pass the huge EKCO television factory.It was his dream to be an engineer at the works,a dream which he fulfilled in 1953 when hejoined EKCO (from the Royal Electrical &Mechanical Engineers) as a TV design engineer. His first contact with the BBC came when theQueen opened the BBC Television Centre atWhite City: a domestic EKCO 405 line colourreceiver was set up and an entertainmentprogramme was relayed from Studio H, LimeGrove for her to view. Peter and a BBCcolleague were standing behind a curtain just incase anything went wrong…While still at EKCO Peter became a memberof CCIR UHF Working Committee No. 5,where he met Tom Worswick, then a sectionhead in BBC Designs Department. It was in hissection that Peter started his BBC career inWestern House in 1963. Peter was one of thepioneers of colour television, having workedboth as a designer of the first generation ofcolour TVs and participating in thestandardisation process for the entire system. In November 1964, Peter was one of a groupof BBC engineers who were sent to Moscow tohelp the Russians develop their televisionbroadcasting. Peter was sent out again inJanuary 1965 where he came to the aid of theBBC correspondent Eric de Mauny, asdescribed in Prospero October 2006.Prior to the 1967 launch of BBC2 with colourTV, he was asked by Tom Worswick for designideas for a test card suitable for colour TV.Initially rejected by the UHF committeemeeting, Peter’s idea was later accepted as thebasic starting point of the famous Test Card F.I first met Peter in 1973 when I joined theRadio Frequency section of Designs Department,then headed by Johnny Johnstone. Peter was aprolific designer of broadcast equipment: he wasthe engineering equivalent of a hyperactiveyoungster, ever on the move, rushing between laband office, and turning around developmentprojects faster than anyone in the department.However, he always had the time and patience toassist others with thorny problems, technical orotherwise. Similarly, he had much patience withtraining new graduates who showed promise.Many trainees went on to have successful careersin the electronics industry.

Peter had a full and satisfying career inDesigns Department, transferring to theTransmitter Section of TCPD at BrookmansPark in 1982/3. He developed a radiocommunications system for the M25 DartfordTunnel and worked on a number of confidentialprojects for BBC Transmission. Following hisofficial retirement in 1989 he continueddesigning and developing projects for the BBC,Sony, Phillips, Westland Helicopters, Fordmotor sport and a number of other companies. On a personal level he revisited his love forcaravanning after retirement, travelling with hiswife Kaye mainly to the south of France, but alsovisiting places in the former East Germany suchas Colditz, Berlin and Peenemunde (the site ofthe V1 and V2 factory). He also continued toenjoy radio communications, (this time as anamateur), and daily music sessions on his babygrand piano. Peter died suddenly in July last year,leaving his widow Kaye, two children Gail andGraham and a grandson Thomas. John Sykes (from Kaye’s excellent briefing notes)

Radio Stoke jack-of-all-tradesJohn Abberley was well-known print journalistfrom the Sentinel before Harold Williamsrecruited him into the original team preparingto launch Radio Stoke. We first met all together in the Potteries inthe summer of 1967. At some point on that dayI walked through the centre of Hanley withJohn and it seemed that every second person inthe street greeted him – so well known was hefrom his time on the local paper and as asportsman and an entertainer. What shouldhave been a two-minute stroll took a good halfhour, for John stopped and talked to them all.From the start he was the mine of informationon Stoke and north Staffordshire that the restof us quarried gratefully. To have someone sowell-known on the station in those days whenwe were on VHF only was a huge asset. Healone must have added thousands to ouraudience. The people of north Staffordshireloved him, and we, his colleagues were sooncaptivated by this gentle giant both on and offmic’. He was such good company. Not only was he knowledgeable about NorthStaffordshire but he was exceedingly well-read.He was our theatre reviewer in the early yearsand a huge supporter of the amateur stage and

operatic societies like the North Staffs. He wasalso a perceptive but friendly critic in thehalcyon days of the Peter Cheesemanproductions at the Vic in Newcastle. John’s way with words were telling in those theatrereviews illustrating so well how he had adjustedto the spoken word after years of dealing only in print.One radio discipline on which John was a bitof a maverick was timekeeping. You gave him alive microphone at your peril because you couldnever get him off air. I can remember a StokeCity game when they were playing a SouthAmerican side and I think Pele was in the team.As I left my seat to go home, John, who’d beencommentating, started his summary of thegame. A half-hour later when I got through thecrowds to my car he has still going strong andwhen I got back to my flat in Burslem 45minutes later he was still in full flow. Godknows when he finished.In those early days of Radio Stoke we had tobe jacks of all trades. In a single week Johncould be heard presenting the breakfast showThe Clock on Club, spinning discs for a recordrequest show, chairing a discussion on localpolitics on Platform 7, playing a 19th century

potbank owner in one of David Harding’sdramatised schools programme and hosting theSaturday afternoon Sports programme. Whenelections local or national came round he wasthe natural choice to anchor the live resultsprogramme because of his encyclopaedicknowledge of the local political scene and hisphenomenal memory for names and events. Healso did the big political interviews with thelikes of Enoch Powell, Ted Heath and MargaretThatcher. However his greatest love was inmaking documentaries where he could craft hiscarefully edited interviews and beautifullywritten linking scripts into little masterpiecesof the broadcaster’s art.John stayed for 22 years at Radio Stoke butwithin a week of his retirement in 1989 he wasback at the Sentinel where he rekindled his fameas a columnist celebrating the history and lifeof the Potteries and contributing his lastcolumn only weeks before his death fromcancer of the oesophagus.John was married three times. He leaves hiswife, Tessa and his four children, Stephanie,Tom, Joe and Will.Owen Bentley

James Matthews-Joyce died in October. Hewas 88. He was known as Jimmy to those ofus he worked with in Children’s Programmes,as a stills photographer in the 1960s.With today’s sophisticated technology wetend to forget the days of black and whitephotographs mounted on caption cards,together with the hand-crafted graphics of thetime when ‘cut and paste’ meant literally to cutand paste. All of which demanded considerableskill from those like Jimmy who worked ingraphics. Jimmy made a valuable contributionto Children’s Programmes, in particular toPlay School and Jackanory. He was one of the

pioneers who helped to established Jackanory,especially with the stills he took for ‘the photostories’ in places as far afield as Norway andBerlin. Recruited by Hugh Tosh, Jimmy joined theBBC in 1962 and, shortly afterwards, wasadopted by Children’s Programmes as theirphotographer. However he was equally athome when photographing either a concertpianist or Jemima, Play School’s ragdoll, andeven on one occasion a live panic-strickencockatoo trying to beat a hasty retreat, fromthe Play School studio, via the lighting grid!Jimmy was born in Wales but shortly

afterwards moved to Barnstaplein Devon. From school he wasapprenticed to a painter anddecorator. In his spare time heattended evening classes in art,as his first love was painting anddrawing. On being called up forwar service he joined thephotographic side of the RAFand saw service in Singapore,where he had the harrowingtask of, for record purposes,photographing Allied ex-internees newly released from

the Japanese prison camps. On demobilisationhe continued his photographic career withmore congenial assignments, such as weddingsand portraiture in studios in Scotland andBristol before joining the BBC.Jimmy had an aversion to filling in forms andattending meetings, a common trait in thosewith an artistic temperament, but he wastotally reliable when it came to deadlines, tothe extent of taking material home to processand print for a studio recording the next day!Jimmy took early retirement in 1978 and heand his wife Belinda, together with their twoyoung daughters, started a new life inCornwall, where Jimmy went back to his firstlove of painting in watercolours. He had a longand happy retirement and was a familiar figurein the port of Looe, the subject of many of hispictures. He achieved a very productive ‘lifeafter Auntie’. His pictures were widelyexhibited in the West Country. He will be greatly missed by all of us who hadthe pleasure of his company, remembering hiswit and generous smile. It was a privilege tohave worked with him in those formative yearsof Children’s Programmes.Brian Hawkins

Radio Oxford stalwartRoger Clark, a long-time radio freelancejournalist, died on 27 October at the age of 73after fighting a year-long battle against cancer.He began his career on the Northamptonshire

Evening Telegraph during the 1960s, and longremembered travelling with The Beatles on afour-week tour just as they were rising toprominence.When BBC Radio Birmingham opened in1970, Roger made the transition to broadcastjournalism and became the station’s newseditor; but he soon rejoined the freelance world,working at the country’s first commercial radiostation – LBC in London.In 1976 his recognisably gruff, but alwaysfriendly, voice, started to be heard on RadioOxford. A quintessential ‘rough diamond’,Roger’s knowledge and advice was always freelyoffered to younger journalists who came to thestation in the late ’70s and early ’80s, amongthem Peter Grant, Mike Curtis, Gordon Rogers,myself and many others.

Stills photographer and talented artist

With his extensive list of contacts, he became the station’s acknowledged expert ontrade union activity, especially at Cowleyduring its many troubled times. Roger was alsoa regular producer and presenter ofprogrammes covering city and county councilaffairs. Outside journalism, his great love was for theturf. An expert on form, he had been abidinglygrateful to a colleague who gained himeligibility for entrance to the Royal Enclosureat Ascot for the first time in 1976. He never married, but his long-timecompanion was another Oxford character,Ailish Hurley, who for many years managedthe bar at the Randolph Hotel. Her death in2005 was a serious blow to Roger. It is especially poignant that he died in thesame week as founding members of RadioOxford gathered to celebrate its 40thanniversary (as reported on page 7).Nick Utechin

The pic of the boy was taken in the music library,where staff were clearing up bomb damage to themusic library in Broadcasting House. A delayedaction bomb came through the telephoneswitchboard room on the seventh floor, at 8:10pm. It exploded at 9:20pm and blew through the NewsDepartment on the west side of the fifth floor.Listeners to the nine o’ clock news heard theannouncer pause, and then continue with hisreadings. Seven people were killed in the building,and others injured.

12 • • December • 2010

History

The next issue will

appear in February

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UK: 6 months £26 1 year £50Overseas: 6 months £36 1 year £60 Please phone: 0161 485 6540

But there’s one BBC department which believes the BBC’spast is the key to its future – BBC History. Historymanager, John Escolme explains why he wants to engagestaff past and present with the BBC story, and he needsyour help to do it:With an organisation that dates back to the 1920s, it’shardly surprising that there’s plenty to celebrate. Every week we mark a key moment in the BBC’s historyon our website www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc butincreasingly the main radio and TV networks are lookingto us as a place where there’s a good story to be had. BBC local radio and regional TV are getting particularlyexcited as the stations themselves are becoming moreaware of their own heritage, with many of the stationsturning 40 over the next few years. To make these anniversaries work on radio or TV, reallife stories from people who were there at the time areessential, and that’s the difficult bit! Recent successesinclude tracking down a trainee sound engineer who wasin Broadcasting House when the building was bombed inOctober 1940. John Longdon gave BBC London awonderful insight into what happened, and was able topaint an evocative picture into how the BBC coped at the time. Anniversaries coming up include Jackanory’s 45thbirthday in December. In January 2011 it’s the 70thanniversary of the Brains Trust, and the 40th anniversaryof the Open University, and at the end of the month TheWeek’s Good Cause is 85 years old. Were you involved inany of these programmes? Get in touch, your story isimportant, and we want to hear it!Contact: John Escolme, BBC History Manager, TheDirector-General's Office, Room 5126, White City,London W12 7RJ. Tel: 0208 752 6400 (Mon-Thursinclusive) or email john.escolme@bbc.co.uk

When faced with a long list of anniversaries marking bigevents in the BBC’s history, it’s not immediately clear whythe public would get excited by them.

Help tell the BBC story

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In this autobiographical account of the London Blitz andlife as a childhood evacuee, veteran journalist andbroadcaster Robert Trevor recalls his childhoodexperiences in London during the Blitz and as asix-year-old evacuee in the English countryside.The first quarter of the book vividly describes life inLondon in the last months of the 1930s, before theoutbreak of war – and how little changed during the‘phony war’, before the Blitz. Robert recalls how the Blitz arrived in London the daybefore his 6th birthday, with an attack on WoolwichArsenal, which would surely have taken the life of hisgrandfather, but for the fact that he had left work early totake his young grandson out for a birthday treat. Robert’s writing brings a clear sense of what it was liketo be in London in those days, in a ‘close-knit communityof eight million’. When his father joins up, ‘Bobby’, hismother and baby sister are sent to Pangbourne to sit outthe duration of the war, where they share a single room ina dilapidated old Rectory, struggling to survive on theirmeagre wartime rations, with the philosophy of ‘make doand mend’ very much in evidence throughout. This is where Bobby is persecuted by the villageschoolchildren (Fat Boy, Ginger Girl and others), whoattack him relentlessly. The daily playground battlesmirror the hostilities taking place in the wider world. However, things take a turn for the better when theRoyal Canadian Engineers arrive in Pangbourne andBobby is befriended by a trio of native Canadian soldiers(‘How exciting to meet a real live Red Indian!’) They takehim under their wing and provide a protective escort toand from the school gates. They teach him, and the otherCockney kids who are being bullied, to defend themselves,and Bobby enjoys spending days in the outdoors, learningto track wildlife and build makeshift igloos.

The storycontinues withBobby’s brief returnto London – wherethe lack of schoolingopportunities leads tohim being shippedoff once again, thistime to Liverpool tostay with relatives. The book, which ispeppered with thisyoung boy’srecollections of thewar and of life ingeneral, would be aninteresting read for people who lived through it, and alsofor those of us born later who would like to understandwhat their parents and grandparents endured.

Blitz Boy: Testament of an Evacuee is available onAmazon and through any good bookstore (RRP £9.95).

About the authorRobert Trevor joined the BBC in 1970 as part of the teamthat put Radio London on air, and three years later wentto World Service as sports editor. After nine years in thejob he moved back into news and became editor of RadioNewsreel. In 1984 he was the Corporation’s first EasternMediterranean Correspondent based in Ankara. He endedhis career in 1994 as managing editor World Service TVNews. He is currently writing a book about the life of hisgrandfather Joe John, the lightweight boxing champion ofWales, who volunteered for the army in 1914 aged 20 andcame home a broken man.

Blitz Boy: Testamentof an Evacuee

BOOK REVIEW

Recognise this logo?If you do, then you

were one of the pioneers of RadioHumberside. Next year, 2011, it willbe 40 years since the radio station firstwent on air from the studios inChapel Street Hull, and the landmarkanniversary will be celebrated with ahuge party for the 1970s team.If you worked or were associatedwith Radio Humberside between1971 and 1984, and would like toremember that special decade at aparty on 30 April at The CountryPark Inn, Hessle, please send an emailto Chris Cooke (nee Waddington)cookie@raymondecooke.wanadoo.co.uk or Jill Hopkins (nee Ward)jillhopkins@hotmail.com for a ticketapplication form.