For most of my life BBC North East has been the thread with which my day has been woven; BBC Radio Newcastle breakfast bulletins during the snowy days hoping that the school would be closed, the "It's a Goal Show" on a Saturday afternoon (and the unbearable tension of who has just scored), the unparalleled news coverage of all things local and of course the breaking sports stories of Keegan, Mirandinha, Cole, Shearer and Beardsley.
Added to this were more national stories; Prince
Charles & Lady Diana were in the North East when they broke news
of their divorce, the opening of Europe's largest shopping mall - The Metro
Centre, The Great North Run and right up to the chase
and standoff with Raul Moat - all these stories have had
national and international impact and were all captured and 'broken' by BBC
Newcastle.
Of
course, there is so much more to BBC Newcastle than simply the
local news & weather; Byker Grove, Inside Out, The Politics Show and
many more all are testament to the quality & diversity of our regional
productions.
So,
when we got the chance to take a tour around the 'Pink Palace' to
see how these TV shows & radio programmes are produced we jumped at the
opportunity. Situated just north of St James Park on Barrack Road, it's
really easy to find the broadcasting headquarters. We went on a Saturday
for the 13.30 tour and, along with a family from Stamfordham and a couple from
York we were warmly greeted by our tour guides for the afternoon.
Sarah
& Jessica were a
very welcome, friendly and smiley sight on a dismal afternoon of rain &
wind and they very quickly made us forget all about the outside weather.
Both girls are very knowledgeable about all things 'Beeb', as well as having
great insight into broadcasting in general. Sarah is in fact a budding
playwright (having already had a play produced at the Theatre Royal and a
commendation for an upcoming novel) while Jessica is already a successful Look
North researcher and reporter.
Our
tour started with a look back in time to see how BBC Newcastle first started
and the key people and changes along the way. From here we were taken
into the archive room to see just how big the library of previous news, reports
and programmes BBC Newcastle keep. As Sarah explained, the intention is
for this huge collection to eventually be digitised and made available through
the BBC On-Line service - no small task when you think that there is over
45 years of regional news as well as all the 'rushes' of outside broadcasts and
interview.
From
here we were given a great insight into the use of 'greenscreen' technology
(or, if I remember what the girls said, it is Colour Separation Overlay - CSO)
in a cosy studio used during the week for travel reporting - we too were Gilly
Hope stood above the A19. But if we were impressed by this technical box
of delights then the next stop was really going to grab our breath.
We
were taken through the news room, through some thick, soundproof
doors and into the main studio - and what an impressive set up this is.
The studio, complete with 80 huge ceiling-hung lights, is set up as the BBC
regional news desk, the weather board and the 'sofa-corner' used for the
evening Look North. In here we were given an overview as to how the studio was
built, how the scenery and backdrops work to give the impression of a news-desk
behind and how the weather presenters interact with the graphics. We got
to sit at Colin's news desk while reading the autocue and realise that
sometimes it's only him in there, all on his own, automatic cameras and no
tea/coffee boy. We all had chance to have our pictures taken before we
left the studio and followed Sarah into the control gallery.
This
is a technical Aladdin's cave with vision mixing, sound desk and the producer
& directors control areas. All through this both Jess &
Sarah were giving us commentary as to how the team come together on
broadcasting day, who takes the lead and just how tight to the wire things can
get. These girls are great; they obviously have fun doing the tours and
no question is too daft or simple for them.
We
then left the TV area and headed into BBC Newcastle - just as we were
leaving the Green Room and going into one of the empty radio studios to take a
closer look we were enthusiastically beckoned by Jonathan Miles (usual
presenter of the mid-morning show and, despite a very 'active' night, admirably
stepping into the breach to cover the Saturday afternoon slot) to come
into his studio while live on air. If you haven't listened to Jonathan
before, he normally tackles very thought-provoking issues in a completely
unique style, but this afternoon he was in a relaxed and somewhat mischievous
mood. In between announcing tunes and time-checking
he explained how he learnt his craft (naming Kenny Everett and Mike Aspel)
and how the play lists are now all pre-defined - mainly by groups of women
being asked to pick their favourite songs - no wonder I keep hearing Boyzone,
Take That and Daniel O'Donnel!!!
Bidding
adieu to Mr Miles and leaving him to take the listeners back to a mystery year,
we concluded our tour with a little something special - I am not going to tell
you what as it was a great surprise for us and it's best that you too have that
to look forward to.
This
was a wonderful way to spend a few hours in the company of two charming &
delightful guides. I would urge anyone who has ever watched a BBC Newcastle
show or listened to the BBC radio to book a tour, it's a unique chance to see
behind the scenes of OUR regional broadcaster.
Thank
you to Sarah & Jess and good luck in your future productions.
BBC
Newcastle Tours are available on Tuesdays & Saturdays at either 10.45 or
13.30 and can be booked through http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tours/newcastle.shtml
As BBC
Newcastle is a working environment, the different times & days for the
tours will mean various things are happening through the week.
