Bond and Beyond

An Insider's View by Interactive Producer Michael Gray

This was the first time that Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night had ever been seen live on television or video in its illustrious 60 year history. As such, it was an honour for me to bring you the concert live in full technicolour moving pictures - if slightly leg trembling!

I'm one of the two producers who look after the BBC's music and radio output on the Red Button on your telly. Alongside Rhonagh O'Donnell and our boss Gregory Stevens, we bring to you a variety of the music sessions and festivals the beeb has to offer, from Glastonbury to the Proms to Maida Vale studio gigs. It's a tough life, but someone's got to do it! Sometimes we team up with our colleagues in Music Entertainment or Classical Music TV, or with the radio station's video team, and sometimes we produce the Red Button TV programme ourselves - like this week's 'Bond and Beyond'.

When I'm working with Radio 2, I like to try and match the extremely high quality of music, talent and production values they put into the programmes - and Friday Night Is Music Night is right up there.

It's not about making a constructed and scripted TV programme that bears no resemblance to what you may imagine when you listen. It's about showing off that concert, the musicians, the singers and presenters in the best way possible that reflect the event.

So to bring this concert to you as you hopefully already imagined when you listen, I brought in Proms TV director John Kirby with a crew where each member has decades of experience, and I start planning and creating what I want to do visually many weeks ahead.

For me, on the week of the live programme, it was many long days and sleepness nights as we headed towards Friday night at 3 minutes past 8. I always love the live day more than anything and Bond and Beyond didn't disappoint: people shouting their cues and prep in the tranmission gallery, the background murmur of the orchestra tuning up, then the sudden hush and 100% dedication as you go on air. My spine is tingling again right now as I write this!

Of course, it helps that the Radio 2 production team are a lovely bunch to work with. They're great because they're a bit old school, but I suppose I secretly love that! And they never fail to make you feel at home. (I'm expecting the fiver and Brian Matthew's autograph in the post by the morning, thanks).

I think we can all say that this week, in a slightly new way, we really did make sure that Friday Night, was Music Night!