A BUSHMAN REMEMBERS
by Harold Hopkins (@ BU late 1961 - early 1980)
I joined the BBC as a Technical Operator (T/O) at the beginning
of November 1961 and after a week long induction course, put on
‘A’ shift, whose Technical Operations Manager (TOM) was that
lovely bearded man Nick Coombes, a professional chain smoker,
who only washed his beard when the colour changed from white to
orange. His assistant ATOM was Chiefy Willoughby, of “cor
buggery blimey”, fame and the Recording Supervisor was Freddie
Wiles, who smoked a pipe.
I remember the names of some of those who joined with me, and
they were: Malcolm Goodman, Bill Chesneau, Dickie Bird, David
Templerman, and Paul Staniforth. Of those who were already in
office, I remember: Ken Tink, Eddie Harris, Les Smith, Don
Archibald, George Harris, and of the females there were: Peggie
Cracknell, Helen Stockwell (Lovey), Eadie someone, Stella, and
many others.
The apparatus situation was that the Control Room was in centre
block, on the 6th floor south side. One approached it by walking
down a long corridor, to the left of which were a string of
continuities. On the left as one entered was MSP
(Miscellaneous Switching Position), EMX(Engineering Telephone
Exchange), SB (Simultaneous Broadcasting Position). Shift
maint had their cubby hole behind the EMX gantry. The hoover
back to front was used to blow up their lilos at night. There
were two C & M positions (Control and Monitoring), then the
Control Room Bookings office, with teleprinter comms with the
main Bookings Office downstairs on the second floor southeast
wing. Next to that was the TOM’s tank, so called because of the
two sound-proof windows, with the ATOM’s and Rec Sup’s desks
outside it. Further along were another batch of Continuities,
that made 10 in all. There were three big cons (Green, Purple
and Brown upstairs). Also in the C/R area were rows upon rows
of equipment and jackfields. The uniselectors and MDF were in
another room, while the ASU was in a small room near the MSP
position.
In each of the big continuities there was a control desk and
three Leevers Rich angle mounted tape players.
Down on the second floor centre block, south side, there was
recording and editing channel E1, which consisted of two EMI
BTR2 tape machines and a linking console. Across the passage to
the north was E2 which consisted of three EMI BTR2s and a
linking rack, as well as a Presto Disc recording apparatus.
Since it was next door to studio C21, it had a window so that
one could see into C21’s cubicle, and a slot in the wall for
‘posting’ discs through.
The other editing channels were all in the south east wing. On
the first floor, there was CTR1 and CTR2, then another channel
on the southwest corner. Further along past the tape library,
one came to an area that had channels all round the periphery,
one of which was E31, that had two BTR2s and a BBC disc
recording app. All the other channels had two BTR2s each and
linking consoles with source selection facilities.
CTR1 which was situated on the south side of the first floor,
facing the road, was used for recordings and playbacks to
studios etc. The recording circuits being set up by the CTR
operators and the replaying circuits being dealt with by MSP.
There was also a Rec Sup’s tank from where he could keep an eye
on his work force and listen to all the machines etc. I
remember there were about 12 BTR2s that could be linked in pairs
for two-reel playbacks. On the east wall was a huge sheet of
glass that showed all the machine bookings for the day. Time
along the top and machines numbers on the vertical. The
information was written up with chinagraph and removed with
meths. In the middle of the room was a large plinth on which
all the writing of labels was done. Somewhere in the middle was
a source selection panel for all the machines. The room was
staffed by several persons.
CTR2 was across the passage from CTR1 and was used for playbacks
only, the circuits being set up by MSP. There were usually two
persons working there. The machines were also BTR2s which
being very heavy meant that a large notice on the wall said only
one machine to be moved into the middle of the room at a time.
The ROTs were often recorded by the editing channels and played
back from CTR2, having being started by the appropriate
continuity. The wooden supervisor’s cubicle was removed and a
new control desk was fitted.
.
Eventually all the studios were fitted with Leevers Rich tape
machines so this meant that CTR1 became redundant, CTR2 became
renamed CTR and was used for recordings and copying. The source
selection panel being transferred from CTR1.. The sups tank in
CTR1 along with the rec channel, were knocked into one large
Quality Check Room, with an assortment of machines and variable
speed capstans to cope with varying speed on portable recorders
when the batteries were failing.
Not long after all the BTR2s were replaced by Leevers Rich
machines in CTR, the Phillips High Speed Duplicators arrived,
one player with 5 slaves, and copying at 60 inches a second
dramatically reduced the bulk copying times, The copying being
carried out backwards to save time with rewinding etc.
The first big change that I remember was the arrival of the VOA
(Voice of America) suite that occupied the southwest corner of
the control room area. It was built in oak and paid for by VOA.
It consisted of 9 Leevers Rich tape machines, three were players
only. It was beautifully designed and never gave any trouble.
There was a massive wall panel that programmed the networks and
tape playing etc.
Later there was an addition when the CBCIS position was
installed. This meant that three continuities were no longer
needed.
Then the next big change was the installation of MCP (Multi
Control Position) where one operator would be in charge of 6
networks. So that meant that a further 6 cons were no longer
needed, thus freeing up much needed office space.
It wasn't long after I joined that there was a rumour that we
were going to get some nice young female T/Os, it became true
and of them I remember Jackie Spacey, Chris Payne, and Alison
Gunn.
Then in the 1968/9 they found that they had a surplus of T/Os,
so it was decided that you had a choice, you could apply to
become a Studio Manager or a Technical Assistant leading to
Engineer status. I failed the SM/s interview, couldn't read
from a script and my voice didn't sound BBC’ish. So I asked for
and got an attachment to BH for 9 months, but sadly I didn't fit
in, I couldn't do crosswords, play MarJong, and wasn't any good
at Scalectrix racing cars. All the hobbies on night shift after
close down. So after returning to Bush I had to knuckledown
and study to become a TA.
At that time there was talk about the switching being operated
by a Computer Processor. This was new technology indeed, and
the first shock came, when on arrival one nightshift, we found
the C/R cluttered up with sections of a large oak desk.
Needless to say we registered our objection by exporting the
units to the equipment room. The next night they were back in
the C/R again but this time bolted together, not to be outdone
we again unbolted the items and rearranged the layout and bolted
them up again. The next night we received a strong warning
from the Office. We had made our point. It also came as a
shock to discover that we would no longer be sitting to use the
desk, but standing. The person who designed the desk usually
designed signal boxes, enough said. The Control Booking room
became the computer room with two PDP8Ls, a Sperry drum store
and a Teletypewriter and High speed tape reader, and Interface
bay and a plug, on the wall with 4 thousand connections, that
was used to slow down the comp output so that the slow
uniselectors could keep up. They also made an Emergency
Control Desk for use when the Processor failed, which it did
with monotonous regularity. Eventually the old SB and EMX and
MSP positions disappeared.. VDUs started to appear everywhere.
Because the C & M positions were also removed a new Despatch
Position was installed next to the TOM’s office. In addition to
the normal audio circuits, it could also handle telephone calls
and had at least 6 channels.
With the networks being processor controlled, MCP disappeared
and that room became the Shift Maint workshop. The VOA
operations were eventually taken over by Caversham so the VOA
suite also disappeared.
No story of Bush House would be complete without mentioning the
Old Control Room, which was situated on top of the swimming
pool, in the southeast wing.. It is said that every morning
after the floor had been swept, a floorboard was lifted and the
dust swept into the void. When the control room moved to the
6th floor centre block, the old c/r area became S16 with S17 as
a supplementary studio for programmes such as 20 Questions.
This was the situation in January 1980, when I left.
Since then a totally new Control Room was built where the
Administration, HXS ENG etc had their offices.
I hear there is now talk of them building another new control
rrom in the area used by the 1960s C/R. Full circle indeed.
