On Thursday 15th of March a 20 year old
Burghfield Coach arrived on time to take the party to the B.B.C. Television
Centre at White City in London. Our Chairman was the last to board the
coach but we still arrived an hour early for the tour, fortunately there
was a good greasy chip cafe in Shepherds Bush for us all to indulge.
Security guards outnumbered our party, no doubt the aftermath of
the recent bomb blast at the centre, but they seemed happy to allow
hundreds in and out, they were only looking for red taxis with Ben
Hara notice on the side and L-plates.
Our two guides shepherded us through the rabbit warren steering clear
of any 'active zones'. There were some visitors galleries which had
been clearly designed before about 100 arc lamps had been hung to
obscure the view. In many places beams move in and out carrying a
multitude of equipment, but everything looked neglected. Cables hung
from open windows and ceiling tiles lay on the floor exposing a spaghetti
of wires above. It reminded me of an ageing hospital I had visited
recently.
We got little technical information but the fact that a five camera
shoot was a standard set up explained the multiple angles possible
in most programmes, nearly everything is recorded so that smooth editing
and transitions are possible in what seems a 'live programme'
We spotted no celebrities which was a possible bonus. Ann Robinson
is a frequent visitor and by repute to be avoided
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