Associated Rediffusion
Rob Kennedy
Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
building of Associated Rediffusion?
Did Ready Steady Go and Five o'Clock Club (starring Ollie Beak and Fred
Barker of course) come from there or elsewhere? And Laurie West with his
slatted rotating weather maps?
Rob K (in uncontrollable nostalgia mode)
Ed Ellers
Rob Kennedy <rk...@soas.ac.uk> wrote:
"Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
building of Associated Rediffusion?
"Did Ready Steady Go and Five o'Clock Club (starring Ollie Beak and Fred
Barker of course) come from there or elsewhere? And Laurie West with his
slatted rotating weather maps?"
I know RSG came from Kingsway, using Marconi Mark III (3" image orthicon)
cameras, because I heard it mentioned on one episode. Aside from that I
have no idea.
Jeremy Rogers
The message <34325F...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta>
from Rob Kennedy <rk...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta> contains these words:
> Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
> building of Associated Rediffusion?
There were studios there, but I believe they were limited, at least
in the early days; one producer called them 'too small to take still
pictures in'. These were I think used mostly for the same kind of
stuff which still populates morning television, such as discussion and cookery.
> Did Ready Steady Go and Five o'Clock Club (starring Ollie Beak and Fred
> Barker of course) come from there or elsewhere?
Wembley I would guess by then, which they acquired from MGM. They
also used the Granville Theatre at Walham Green.
> And Laurie West with his
> slatted rotating weather maps?
Squadron Leader Laurie West was accidentally left in the building
when the RAF left. He was put to work by Paul Adorian to earn his keep.
Seriously, there was a man at Kingsway for 6 months in an office,
before someone realised he was nothing to do with A-R and was squatting there!
Jez
--
Michael Harrison
In article <34325F...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta>, Rob Kennedy
<rk...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta> writes
>Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
>building of Associated Rediffusion?
>
>slatted rotating weather maps?
>
>Rob K (in uncontrollable nostalgia mode)
Rob: Yes there was a studio there, my wife tells me. Gill was a PA with
AR and she did childrens' programmes (for under-fives) from that studio.
She can't, at the moment, remember the name of the programme but I'm
sure she will later.
--
Michael Harrison (ex Granada/Anglia/ABC)
Nick Blackham
In article <34325F...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta>, Rob Kennedy
<rk...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta> writes
>Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
>building of Associated Rediffusion?
>
>Did Ready Steady Go and Five o'Clock Club (starring Ollie Beak and Fred
>Barker of course) come from there or elsewhere? And Laurie West with his
>slatted rotating weather maps?
RSG came from Wembley.
Five O'Clock Club from Presentation also Wembley, with Muriel Young.
Local News came from Kingsway, presenter Gordon Honeycombe, in the
basement, ITN upstairs.
Now for the tricky bit; where did ABC present London ITV at the weekend
from?
Was it Foley Street, which I only know as an ATV site?
--
Nick Blackham
Ed Ellers
Mike Brown wrote:
"True. Though R-S-G in fact came form Kingsway at first, moving to Wembley
later when the production required more space."
Looks like it already did -- the episode I have on tape that was done at
Kingsway shows a *very* crowded stage set. (This one featured The Beatles,
Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield and Alma Warren in part 1. I don't have part
2 of that episode; when Dave Clark sold the package to The Disney Channel he
took part 1 from one episode, part 2 from another and inserted three clips
from other shows -- one of the Dave Clark Five, of course -- between them.
Part 2, featuring the Rolling Stones and Martha and the Vandellas, appears
to be in the same studio but had different signs on the cameras.)
Bob Tomalski
>>Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
>>building of Associated Rediffusion?
>>
>>Did Ready Steady Go and Five o'Clock Club (starring Ollie Beak and Fred
>>Barker of course) come from there or elsewhere? And Laurie West with his
>>slatted rotating weather maps?
I attended a few programmes in the making, back in the days of A-R.
As I recall, Five O Clock Club came from the Wembley Park studios.
It was presented by Whally Whyton and Muriel Young.
At Kingsway there was a large-ish downstairs studio and a tiny
'interview' studio at street level. The latter was most-used for the post-
news South East topical programme 'Today' presented by Eamonn
Andrews. In the summer, the programme spilled out on to the
pavement, with members of the public joining in.
--
Bob Tomalski - Technology Journalist & Broadcaster
b...@medianet.demon.co.uk * 10055...@compuserve.com
Laurence Taylor
In article <8nY4pHAg...@medianet.demon.co.uk>
b...@medianet.demon.co.uk "Bob Tomalski" writes:
-> At Kingsway there was a large-ish downstairs studio and a tiny
-> 'interview' studio at street level. The latter was most-used for the post-
-> news South East topical programme 'Today' presented by Eamonn
-> Andrews. In the summer, the programme spilled out on to the
-> pavement, with members of the public joining in.
Was "Today" going in Rediffusion days? I only remember it as a Thames
production. (I can still remember the theme - a brass/orchestral version
of the Association's "Wendy").
rgds
LAurence
Andrew Emmerson
In article <R8a15AAH...@lnntx.demon.co.uk>, ni...@lnntx.demon.co.uk
(Nick Blackham) wrote:
> RSG came from Wembley.
The word 'later' is missing! I've just spoken to Daphne Shadwell (producer
of RSG) and she confirms the 'glory days' of the programme were when it
was at Television House. The change came as a direct result of the
Musicians' Union ban on miming, which meant the programme had to go out
live. Since there was no room for elaborate sound equipment at Television
House, they had to move the show to Wembley. This totally changed the look
and feel of the programme, she says.
Andy Emmerson, 405 Alive magazine.
Tony Quinn
In article <+eiQpFAk$RP0...@weybr.demon.co.uk>, Michael Harrison
<Mi...@weybr.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>Bob (perhaps this deserves a new thread) I wonder if you also remember
>Granada's studio at the Chelsea Palace (where I was a boom-swinger). I
>have some stories to tell about that place (of which I have fond
>memories). We did Chelsea at Nine, The Army Game, Criss Cross Quiz and
>many other programmes).
Along with Brian Turnbull, Don Raw, Harry Weiner et al.???????
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Quinn --- The Voice of Insanity
replies to tony...@sixpints.demon.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Harrison
In article <8nY4pHAg...@medianet.demon.co.uk>, Bob Tomalski
<b...@medianet.demon.co.uk> writes
>>>Does anyone know what (if any) studio facilities existed at the Kingsway
>>>building of Associated Rediffusion?
>>>
>>>Did Ready Steady Go and Five o'Clock Club (starring Ollie Beak and Fred
>>>Barker of course) come from there or elsewhere? And Laurie West with his
>>>slatted rotating weather maps?
>
>I attended a few programmes in the making, back in the days of A-R.
>As I recall, Five O Clock Club came from the Wembley Park studios.
>It was presented by Whally Whyton and Muriel Young.
>
Granada's studio at the Chelsea Palace (where I was a boom-swinger). I
have some stories to tell about that place (of which I have fond
memories). We did Chelsea at Nine, The Army Game, Criss Cross Quiz and
many other programmes).
Michael Harrison
Rob Kennedy
Laurence Taylor wrote:
> Was "Today" going in Rediffusion days?
More pointless nostalgia: a far-distant precursor to "Today" was "Town
and Around" presented by ex-ITN newsreader Huw Thomas, 6.45pm weekdays
on AR (or maybe just R). Dunno why I still remember the opening credits
with a Routemaster bus going round Trafalgar Square.
Around that time Benny Green was presenter of AR's chat-show "Three
After Six". He's been known to nostalge about it on his current LBC
radio show, Saturday evenings 7 to 10 pm.
I think AR also made one season of a quiz show called "Groucho" -- an
attempt to bring Mr Marx's huge American hit "You Bet Your Life" across
the sea. It seemed awfully dull to me, and was a big disappointment
after just discovering the wonderful madness of the Marx bros films. I
don't think Groucho was too happy about it either.
This is all getting off the "tech" bit of this newsgroup; hope that's
acceptable to all.
Oh, and there was that filmed music they used to play in breakdowns.
Raoul Raoul and his Latinamericans. With apologetic announcements from
Redvers Kyle.
Rob K
Jeremy Rogers
The message <343E55...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta>
from Rob Kennedy <rk...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta> contains these words:
> I think AR also made one season of a quiz show called "Groucho" -- an
> attempt to bring Mr Marx's huge American hit "You Bet Your Life" across
> the sea. It seemed awfully dull to me, and was a big disappointment
> after just discovering the wonderful madness of the Marx bros films. I
> don't think Groucho was too happy about it either.
From what I have read about this, the concept was that the British
public asked Groucho questions, put to him by Keith Fordyce.
Pre-dates me, but it does sound rather boring.
Another similar moribund quiz show was 'The Celebrity Game' where
viewers submitted questions for 'celebrities' and received a one
pound premium bond if their question was used. Obviously a really big
budget show.
> This is all getting off the "tech" bit of this newsgroup; hope that's
> acceptable to all.
Let's try to turn it round then. If you look at the early A-R
schedules, such as the first full day which is can be found on
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/itw/AR-p.html (excuse the plug) there are
a number of very short shows, illustrating how limited their
facilities were. One not mentioned there was 'Kingsway Corner', where
a camera was taken outside on a long lead, and passers-by stopped and
interviewed. All very Live-TV.
The first head of drama apologised in an early 1956 TV Times that
nearly all of their early drama was on film, and promised that more
of it would be live as soon as possible.
> Oh, and there was that filmed music they used to play in breakdowns.
> Raoul Raoul and his Latinamericans. With apologetic announcements from
> Redvers Kyle.
When they got their first VTR for some months afterwards they would
have the actors in the studio during transmission, so that if the
tape broke they could take over live.
Or so the story goes.
Jez
--
Ed Ellers
Jeremy Rogers wrote:
"When they got their first VTR for some months afterwards they would have
the actors in the studio during transmission, so that if the tape broke they
could take over live.
"Or so the story goes."
Sounds somewhat like what CBS did when they started using their first VTR in
fall 1956, to tape delay their evening newscasts for the West Coast. Before
video tape existed they had been making two "kinescope" film recordings for
this purpose, one on 35mm and one on 16mm to run as a backup. When that
first Ampex VR-1000 went into use they still made the two film copies and
ran *both* of them as backups in case the tape went sour!
(Incidentally, in 1976 -- the twentieth anniversary of Ampex's first
demonstrations of the VTR at the National Association of Broadcasters
convention -- they wanted to show the same machine at NAB, so they borrowed
it from CBS, which was still using it.)
Michael Harrison
In article <pCzMTJAn...@sixpints.demon.co.uk>, Tony Quinn
<tony...@sixpints.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <+eiQpFAk$RP0...@weybr.demon.co.uk>, Michael Harrison
><Mi...@weybr.demon.co.uk> writes
>>
>>Granada's studio at the Chelsea Palace (where I was a boom-swinger). I
>>have some stories to tell about that place (of which I have fond
>>memories). We did Chelsea at Nine, The Army Game, Criss Cross Quiz and
>>many other programmes).
>
>
If it doesn't sound rude, who are you? Where you there? Do you remember
Mike Roberts, Brian Ranger, Jim Goldby and Harry Storey? And, of course,
chief engineer Tom Marshall?
--
Michael Harrison
Andrew Emmerson
In article <343E55...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta>,
rk...@soas.ac.uk.sp.am.no.ta (Rob Kennedy) wrote:
> More pointless nostalgia: a far-distant precursor to "Today" was "Town
> and Around" presented by ex-ITN newsreader Huw Thomas, 6.45pm weekdays
> on AR (or maybe just R). Dunno why I still remember the opening credits
> with a Routemaster bus going round Trafalgar Square.
Yes, but _Town and Around_ was on BBC! This time I know I'm right because
I have a 1961 prog on tape! Undoubtedly there was an ITV equivalent but
Town & Around it was not!
AE.
Ashley Booth
With all this talk of Associated Rediffussion I have posted a
photo of Television House in Kingsway on my home page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/taboo
Other photos to follow soon.
--
Ashley Booth G8DPH
"Far away is close at hand in images of elsewhere"
Rob Kennedy
Andrew Emmerson wrote:
> _Town and Around_ was on BBC! This time I know I'm right because
> I have a 1961 prog on tape! Undoubtedly there was an ITV equivalent but
> Town & Around it was not!
Ooops. In that case, the AR version must have been "Here and Now".
Rob K
Jeremy Rogers
Looking in Independent Television in Britain (Sendall) the following
are listed as the Associated Rediffusion studios at the start:
1-4 Wembley
5 Granville Theatre
6 Viking Film Studio
7-8 Television House
The basement studio (9 I suppose) wasn't in use until November 1955.
The Granville Theatre and one of the small Television House studios
were closed in mid 1956 when they reduced their production by 12
hours a week, and made about 250 staff redundant.
Jez
--
Nick Blackham
>1-4 Wembley
>5 Granville Theatre
>6 Viking Film Studio
>7-8 Television House
>
>The basement studio (9 I suppose) wasn't in use until November 1955.
>The Granville Theatre and one of the small Television House studios
>were closed in mid 1956 when they reduced their production by 12
>hours a week, and made about 250 staff redundant.
When did Studio 5A & B start, I understand that the two together made
the biggest TV Studio in the world!
I seem to remember being told that only the Hippodrome show was big
enough to need the dividing wall raising. Fountain TV are there now.
--
Nick Blackham
Jeremy Rogers
In article K65ynCAl...@lnntx.demon.co.uk, Nick Blackham
<ni...@lnntx.demon.co.uk> writes:
>When did Studio 5A & B start, I understand that the two together made
>the biggest TV Studio in the world!
>I seem to remember being told that only the Hippodrome show was big
>enough to need the dividing wall raising. Fountain TV are there now.
I thought this information was on their web site at
http://www.studiofive.co.uk, but this address doesn't work any more.
And what about the production company that calls itself something like
Associated-Rediffusion Television Production Limited?
Jez
--
Andrew Emmerson
The Cockaigne overture by Elgar was used originally, although it was
replaced later by a march (not _Music Everywhere_ by Eric Coates which was
not used on television).
Andrew Emmerson
> If it is the "Rediffusion March", a.k.a. "Music Everywhere",
But it isn't! Sorry, Richard, but that's a newbie mistake! The Rediffusion
March was composed for radio relay purposes, long before Rediffusion ever
got involved in television. It was not used for AR-TV.
John and Lucy Hayward-Warburton
Jeremy Rogers (jeremy...@zetnet.co.uk) wrote:
> Associated-Rediffusion Television Production Limited?
Associated-Rediffusion Television Productions Limited produced
"Ads Infinitum" for BBC2 last December, and has its next
programme, "TV Offal", on Channel 4 on Friday 31st October
at 11.10pm. For more information, please visit the home-page
of Victor Lewis-Smith (http://www.lewis-smith.com).
Can anyone identify the composer of the original Associated-
Rediffusion opening music that started each broadcasting day?
There were shades of Walton in it, but neither Victor nor
myself can be sure. (Thank you to Darren Meldrum for putting it
on your website (http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp) some months ago.)
Best wishes,
John Hayward-Warburton
ar...@billabong.demon.co.uk
Webmaster for Victor Lewis-Smith, producer for A.R.T.V.
Richard Lamont
In article <623t46$2...@billabong.demon.co.uk>,
hay-...@nospam.billabong.demon.co.uk (John and Lucy Hayward-Warburton) writes:
> Can anyone identify the composer of the original Associated-
> Rediffusion opening music that started each broadcasting day?
> There were shades of Walton in it, but neither Victor nor
> myself can be sure.
If it is the "Rediffusion March", a.k.a. "Music Everywhere",
it was composed by Eric Coates in 1949.
You can find it on "The Music of Eric Coates", (various artists),
EMI Classics for Pleasure CD-CFPD 4456.
--
Richard Lamont Fight unsolicited bulk e-mail!
ric...@stonix.demon.co.uk Join CAUCE.
http://www.stonix.demon.co.uk/ http://www.cauce.org/
Laurence Taylor
In article <EI514...@cix.compulink.co.uk>
mids...@cix.compulink.co.uk "Andrew Emmerson" writes:
-> The Cockaigne overture by Elgar was used originally, although it was
-> replaced later by a march (not _Music Everywhere_ by Eric Coates which was
-> not used on television).
While we're on the subject, does anyone know the title etc of the music
that preceded the start of programmes, at least in London, on ITV in
Thames days?
This is not the Thames theme, it was played, presumably (I'm guessing)
from ITA facilities, over a list of transmitters. The Thames logo and
theme then followed.
The piece in question was an orchestral string composition.
rgds
LAurence
James Cridland
jeremy...@zetnet.co.uk (Jeremy Rogers) recently wrote:
> And what about the production company that calls itself something like
> Associated-Rediffusion Television Production Limited?
I hate to say this, but there's an e-mail address in the site below.
John Hayward-Warburton: hay...@billabong.demon.co.uk
--
James Cridland, production manager, Media UK
The Media UK Internet Directory: http://www.mediauk.com/directory/
Complete listing of tv, radio, magazines, newspapers with 8,000 visitors pw
Tel: 0701 0701 218 Fax: 0701 0701 219
Darren Meldrum
Jeremy Rogers wrote on Wed, 15 Oct 1997 20:24:44 +0100:
>And what about the production company that calls itself something like
>Associated-Rediffusion Television Production Limited?
Owned by Victor Lewis-Smith, who says:
"We bought the title some years ago, when the original company was dormant
and nobody cared about it. I suppose, technically, that makes us the oldest
Independent Television company in Britain. Just think. We gave Hughie Green
his first break into television, and we never even met him".
--
Darren Meldrum (dar...@meldrum.co.uk)
http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/ - Home of The Test Card Gallery
Mike Hall
Try http://www.ftv.co.uk/home.html instead.
Jeremy Rogers wrote in message <199710152...@zetnet.co.uk>...
>In article K65ynCAl...@lnntx.demon.co.uk, Nick Blackham
><ni...@lnntx.demon.co.uk> writes:
>>enough to need the dividing wall raising. Fountain TV are there now.
>
>I thought this information was on their web site at
>http://www.studiofive.co.uk, but this address doesn't work any more.
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