Outside Broadcast Simulations

After recreating a 1970s outside broadcast, a reunited crew of BBC veterans reflected on working culture of outside broadcast operations .

Click through the following sections to view some of the highlights of their reminiscences. Or click here to see a menu of extended reflections.

“When you woke up in the morning, you were more likely to see your senior cameraman than your wife”

Participants remember their pride in joining the BBC and the camaraderie sparked by the intense pressure of their work

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“You were working under pressure, therefore there tended to be disagreements. But when you got to the pub or the hotel in the evening, it was a pint of beer and you shook hands, and it was all forgotten for the next day”

Participants remember the 24-hour nature of their job and the casual way in which disagreements were sometimes resolved.

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Resolving disagreements

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“In those days, you were away from the base, and the backup from base, and you had to make it work. So everybody backed each other up.”

Participants reflect on the impact that teamwork and mutual support had on their working lives.

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Teamwork and mutual support

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“It was an art form, almost, to get the performance out of the gear, both in pictures and sound”

Participants remember the challenges of temperamental equipment, and reflect upon changes to maintenance since the transition to digital kit.

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Temperamental equipment

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“The thing I did get upset about was when you’d go to planning meetings or rehearsal days and all the ladies loos were locked.”

Former production assistant Jane Whitmore reflects upon the challenges and effects of being the only woman on male-dominated BBC outside broadcast crews.

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Women in outside broadcast

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“As the clock ticked round, and Jane counted us in at the start of that programme, I felt the years roll back”

The whole crew reflects, together, on the experience of making television with obsolete equipment, many years after they had last laid hands upon it.

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Reflecting on a reunion

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Explore this subject in greater detail

The clips in the story above are drawn from a longer discussion among Outside Broadcast recreation participants. To watch a short, medium, or long version of this discussion, follow the links below.