Anniversaries
Thomas Woodrooffe at the Coronation Fleet Review
20 May 1937
Some of the best remembered moments in broadcasting are not great programmes or events, but the times when things go wrong. One such was the Coronation Fleet Review on 20 May 1937. The solemnity of the occasion and technical achievement of the broadcast was forgotten as Lt-Commander Thomas Woodrooffe began his description of the illuminations, slurring "At the present moment the whole fleet's lit up!" He continued his drunken ramble for nearly 4 minutes, before he was faded out.
Woodrooffe's task was to describe the scene as King George VI inspected the Navy, moored at Spithead. However, reporting from his old ship HMS Nelson, Woodrooffe had plenty of time to drink with his former shipmates before his final broadcast at 10.45. Woodrooffe was suspended for a week, though his broadcasting career recovered. The BBC, keen to avoid similar incidents, developed a continuity system that ensured an announcer in the studio could take control if something went wrong in the field. This system, with the announcer separated from the technical operator, soon became the standard.
When Woodrooffe died in 1978 his obituaries invariably mentioned the Fleet Review alongside his achievements as a broadcaster and naval commander. The continuing appeal of broadcast mistakes is evident in the popularity of moments like the appearance of Lulu the elephant on Blue Peter in 1969. In these days of social media any on-air blunder quickly goes viral, guaranteeing cult status for the hapless presenter.
Also in May...
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth,
12 May 1937
The Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 was the big event of the early television service and the first true outside broadcast, using a mobile control van. The television pictures of the king smiling as his carriage passed by the cameras captured the imagination of the viewers and of the press, who declared it "the supreme triumph of television to date".
The BBC deployed three cameras - half the total number it owned at that point - each side of Apsley Gate. Frederick Grisewood provided commentary as the Royal Procession approached through Hyde Park and passed through the gate. The control van was nearby, with a second van on stand-by with a wireless link to Alexandra Palace, in case any of the cables failed.
In its first year the mobile outside broadcast unit went on to broadcast OBs as diverse as Wimbledon, The Armistice Day Ceremony, and an Omnibus Pageant at Chiswick, and revealed the great potential of television. The BBC reported that the Coronation of 1937 was watched by over 10,000 people. Today the BBCs expertise in OBs such as the Royal Wedding of 2011 is appreciated by millions, broadcast in hi-definition and carried on all platforms.
Broadcasting House opens 15 May 1932
The BBC's landmark central London premises, Broadcasting House, officially opened on 15 May 1932. It was designed by Val Myer, with the BBC's civil engineer Marmaduke Tudsbery. Together, they overcame the restrictions imposed by the location on Portland Place to create a building that contained 22 sound insulated radio studios and a concert hall, and is still in use today.
The south end of Broadcasting House, looking down regent Street, was the focal point. This was emphasised with a clock tower and a mast, and a 10 foot tall sculpture of Prospero and Ariel above the imposing main entrance. Eric Gill carved the figures on the instruction of the BBC Governors, who suggested that the spirit Ariel could serve as the personification of broadcasting. However, Gill gave Ariel stigmata, and said "in my view the figures... are as much God the father and Son as they are Shakespeare's characters."
Broadcasting House survived the war despite being hit by a bomb which killed 7 people. It was granted Grade II* listed status in 1981. At the start of the 21st century a major refurbishment of the building accompanied the development of a massive extension, by architects MJP, which fitted Broadcasting House for life in the future. When complete it will house BBC News, Audio and Music, and the World Service.
