BBC Presentation Department, c 1993

Behind the scenes at the BBC Presentation department, c 1994.

[@frazzleface753]

I'm not sure there's anything quite like seeing THE voice of the BBC from my childhood, David Allan, opening up OU, replete with leather jacket and aviator glasses. Fantastic. Thank you for uploading.

[@ianoliver3879]

Lovely voice. And a very nice gentleman. Thank you, whoever made this.

[@tortysoft]

In my earlier day, OU was run from Ampex VR2000 Quad machines started by a cooker timer from the basement at TVC - if the thing was set up correctly the previous night ... I think I got it wrong once - sorry !

[@alanmusicman3385]

Such an iconic voice. I still have some OU that I tape on Beta and VHS and copied to digital (wobbly but watchable) and I think David is on some of those linking into them.

[@frazzleface753]

@@alanmusicman3385 I love the story that Reg Sanders tells about David Allan. They were chatting away in the presentation suite during a switchover of shifts (could have been the broom cupboard, not sure). Suddenly the live satellite feed of the international event being broadcast goes down. David just leans over to the mic (he wasn't even in the chair!) and makes the 'apologies for the interruption' announcement, and then goes right back to chatting with Reg, without missing a beat! Consummate professional.

[@smokerlad]

The BBC looks so nice back then and everybody was so well spoken. The picture was also so superior back in analogue and NICAM stereo etc and the classy idents

[@ForeverKnightCat]

Oh wow, my husband's on there towards the end! And he doesn't remember it being filmed, how on earth he missed the camera right there I have no idea. Absolutely brilliant. Really brought back memories of working there. Thank you for this.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Wow I have a question for you if you don't mind answering it

[@jeffcoote]

Colin Ward-Lewis was also the voice of the Generation Game conveyor belt. The room captioned NC3 was NC2 in the early eighties. I remember the day Pres A and NC1 went live. The GVG 300 & 1600 mixers were way ahead of anything we'd seen before but we still had to package trailers in real time, sometimes with voice, captions and digital fx live to air.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Thank you so much for uploading this to KZbin obviously when you are at home and you are watching the programmes from the comfort of your kitchen or living room then you are trying to get into that atmosphere and are not bothered about what is happening behind the scenes at BBC Television Centre.

[@deejayC]

Richard Straker is the announcer 'opening up' BBC One. David Allen is the announcer in OU Con. Also, at the very start of the video, the gentleman directing in NC1 is Colin Ward Lewis, who was also an announcer and did the voiceover on Big Break. Glad you liked the video.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Thanks for uploading this to KZbin this is absolutely fascinating to watch I bet this brings back many memories for you right

[@RobinCarmody]

The NC1 clip / 'Haircuts from Hell' / 'Bronco Billy' trailer etc. are from 30th December 1992, and the David Allan OU startup has to be 5th or 12th June 1992.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

This is absolutely fascinating thanks for this

[@chumpster69]

As someone who's been editing docs for the BBC for a number of years, it's interesting to see this step in the process of getting to air.

[@snorbitz5675]

Thanks for sharing this.

[@deejayC]

I believe this was filmed as part of an internal video for the engineering operations team. GLad you found it interesting.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Who's the person sitting to the left and right of the network assistant?

[@tortysoft]

I once shared a Late Night Transport taxi home to Ealing with David Allan, after shutting down BBC1 - when it did shut down. Very odd to hear him say ' Goodnight' to the world one moment via my VT monitor and 'drop me here, that's fine" - in person in the cab the next !

[@video99couk]

5:47 U-Matic wasn't really a broadcast format, even in its High Band form. But it was used as such even so, being just about good enough.

[@fraserkatie]

That was very interesting! Shall put this in my favourites!

[@alijanlondon]

Colin Ward-Lewis's voice popped up in all sorts of things such as a voice of a radio news reader on Terry and June, spoof continuity on Victoria Wood etc.

[@hungrywolffilms]

CON 1 - Always fun. CON 2 - my natural home. OU CON - Spent a few white knuckle rides in there...

[@frazzleface753]

Reg!

[@stephensnudden829]

For my sins, I worked on the PICS project from 1990-1994 and worked on the Programs, Presentation and Tapes UIs

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

I have a question for you regarding this

[@MrDunkiep]

@@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq You'll have to pose one of these questions, the suspense is killing me.

[@jeffcoote]

Colin Ward Lewis was the voice of the conveyor belt on the Generation Game. The room at the end is not sub- control which had a straight desk as in the video I posted from the "Did You See" programme. NC1 & 2 had curved control desks originally. When I left the BBC, NC1 had a GVG mixer as shown in the video but they were very reluctant to use the automation although I had used it on several occasions. The issue was that the programme timings weren't accurate enough for a computerised system. Channel Four solved this with their CATS system which we then also used at SuperChannel offering frame accurate automated payout systems.

[@michaelhenning8090]

I was the person at GVG responsible for the 1600-4S and M200 automation system and was the contact with BBC. I just found the video clips of the Transmission Control Rooms and my heart is doing flip-flops. Michael F. Henning Grass Valley, CA USA

[@Hertfordshire247]

I for 1 am thrilled by this news and will inform David Icke and Ted Heath at once.

[@beausexon435]

My dream job.

[@ianjonas7925]

Happy days, I joined Pres department a few years later than this

[@hungrywolffilms]

Great to see that, filmed during my 'tour of duty' - and here's a collection of what was at the other end of that transmission chain...over the years... kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqnLgqyCirxpaLs

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

00:55 00:56 The director in London did this to make it easier for the regional directors to opt out of the network and know when they had to rejoin for the weather.

[@marclaw4511]

Brilliant but it looks older than it is.

[@bbcbobYT]

One of the best bits of behind-the-scenes TV! :) Was this part of an internal film?

[@Joyousmicor]

Newsroom South East was broadcasting from Elstree, but feed through BBC1 South East from Television Centre :|

[@aidanlunn7441]

7:37, top right hand corner of those monitors. Notice they have both the first and second versions of the 1991-97 BBC1 clock?

[@deejayC]

Aidan Lunn incredibly well spotted sir! I'm just guessing that one was the clock available to the old manual control rooms and one was the newer version available to the NTA, which is the area featured in that sequence. The NTA didn't actually go on air until 1995/6.

[@aidanlunn7441]

deejay197401 The newer clock was used from just before Christmas 1991, the older one was introduced with the BBC1 virtual globe in February 1991, so the newer clock was already well in use by the time this clip was taken. Maybe the older clock was kept going as a spare should the new one break down?

[@samuelbanks8247]

what the bit of music call at the end ?? really like :)

[@markhodgson2348]

A great haven

[@deejayC]

I believe that was filmed in CON2 and was mocked up specially for the filming.

[@HCProds1]

title says 1993 but description says 1994

[@lukedavis436]

My dreams where crushed when i realised the duck wasn't Sentient

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Who were the other two people who were sitting between the network director Colin Ward-Lewis at the left and right side of him?

[@Hertfordshire247]

CAN SOMEONE ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS? TA... 1) Does "Gent" still exist? A) If so, when I left school in 2001 "Gent" clocks were still on the walls and our school had a "Gent" fire alarm/change lessons, start /end school days alarm in 1. CURIOUS 2) At 7:33, lit up on the buttons is "EMERGENCY OUT". What does this button do and what would it be used for? Is it as I think it would be, hit it, the tape comes out immediately regardless of where it is so the con announcer and pre-arranged emergency tape in the other videotape machine is ready to go I.E. Like when Diana died, if a nuke was about to hit, "London Bridge is falling down" etc.

[@deejayC]

Don’t know about Gent. The lights actually say Emergency Cut. It’s far less exciting than you might think. Essentially it is a separate, non automated bank of sources which can be used manually to cut between sources. It was used in emergencies if the automation had a meltdown.

[@Satters]

Gent is now a brand of Honeywell for fire alarms, no longer involved with clocks

[@juliam.mallen9019]

👌

[@mattjones1154]

Any clues as to the name of the magnificent piece of test card music at the end?

[@deejayC]

It was known on BBC Test Card and Ceefax tapes as “Europa Time”, however it is commercially released as Theme from L’Animal by Vladimir Cosma.

[@mattjones1154]

@@deejayC wow thank you!

[@barbaraannecortina7899]

is that Michael Hurll - the man who gave TOTP a good shake-up in 1980?

[@deejayC]

No, the gentleman directing is Colin Ward Lewis

[@fraserkatie]

Who are the announcers who appear in this very fabulous lovely video?

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Obviously when you are watching the programmes from the comfort of your own front room or your television lounge or kitchen then you are not bothered about what is happening at BBC Television Centre.

[@Westy1971]

When there was a 'joint' service for both networks, such as the death of Diana, was the BBC One control room used in preference?

[@deejayC]

Paul Westwood the original announcement and first play of the national anthem was actually coordinated by BBC World Presentation. The second time it was announced with the family ident, announcement and flag, was co ordinated by NC1, which by then had moved to the control rooms featured at the end of this video.

[@Hertfordshire247]

@@deejayC Is this why prior to this, a few years earlier, CBBC moved to Studio A as not only would it of looked dated but, moreover, the con s announcers area would've no longer existed in that form?

[@deejayC]

Cbbc used Pres A until the whole area closed around 1998 for redevelopment. They moved to TC9. The broom cupboard in this clip was used until around 1996 I think, then laid disused until 98. There was a new broom cupboard (Studio P) in the NTA area featured at the end of this video, but it was never used on air as far as I know.

[@dfluff]

@@deejayC Studio P: not on-air in this country, but it was used for a 2-way to Argentina (?) in the middle of the night once. It almost went to air as a CBBC Pres studio the day after the big power cut in 2000 (TC9 staff came up with a box of drawings to put on the wall and everything) but in the end they managed to get TC9 back in to a workable state.

[@jacksugden8190]

Better than working on a building site.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Who was that person sitting to the left and right of the network assistant at 01:19 01:20 and what were all those buttons they were pressing for?

[@johnking5174]

Sitting to the right on screen was the woman who controlled the presentation buttons, fading in/out. Controlling captions and links. Sitting to the right was the assistant who had to make sure everything was run to time. Every single minute had to be correct, especially when the BBC prided itself on always starting on the dot of the scheduled time. For example the One O'Clock News always started at exactly 1pm on the dot, and that was all down to the timings worked out by this assistant here in the gallery.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

@@johnking5174 Thank you

[@johnking5174]

@@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq Presentation back then at the BBC was far more simple than at ITV even in 1993/94. The ITV system of presentation and playout was far more complicated, especially in the old days of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

@@johnking5174 Where did the children's programmes on ITV come from did they come from different playout sources?

[@johnking5174]

@@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq Children's ITV was based in Birmingham, and before the umbrella brand of CITV was launched in September 1983, the children's programmes were left to each region to chose. From September 1983, they were all played out from ATV (later Central) in Birmingham.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Was Look North also broadcast through Television Centre even though their broadcasting came from Leeds?

[@8teillumin]

No LookNorth would be a Regional Opt-Out. Which means that all the Regions would look after their own transmission areas for anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes. Once finished the regions and nations OPT back into Network BBC 1 or BBC2 to resume national schedule.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

@@8teillumin Thank you for answering my question

[@markhodgson2348]

Stand by for energy downloads switch to storage two

[@gordonm2821]

Recognise pres engineer Darren at start of clip.

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

00:52 00:53

[@HCProds1]

sod that

[@mrhammadmossop1988ul-haq]

Who's doing the national news that morning?

[@wesleycracknell1623]

can hear gavin elser on the news

[@wesleycracknell1623]

simmiar voice

[@wesleycracknell1623]

i agree

[@wesleycracknell1623]

it does

[@wesleycracknell1623]

thats tricky