Visit to Broadcasting House – 10 May 2014

Jacky's arrangement for an EFOG visit to Broadcasting House in London attracted 14 members.

We met in the Media Café, which is the BBC's public café for the Radio Theatre audience. This is a bit strange, because you have to go through airport-style security before entering this part of the building. Nothing really unexpected about that, but the security system consists of being asked to take everything out of your pockets, placing them in the usual plastic box, and that being passed through an X-ray scanner. My confusion arises from the fact that there is no body-scan or search, so anything left in the pockets, for example, goes undetected.

More appropriate for a PC or a DR perhaps? Mis-directions to a WC..The Media Café overlooks the central newsroom, so that while waiting you can view the news-teams and presenters live, while screens show a live relay as seen on your television screen. Before the actual tour, the girls tried to make use of the Tardis, as an inappropriately positioned sign directed them that way!

Eleanor does the weather and Jill reads the newsThe tour was begun by an introduction to the BBC and its programmes, and the layout of Broadcasting House. We were told about the News Room, and observed the coats slung across the backs of the chairs which appear slightly out-of-focus when you see a news broadcast on the television. We went on to watch a news and weather forecast being broadcast, with Jill V. acting as one of the presenters and Marilyn's sister Eleanor acting as the weather presenter. Jill did a good job, reading from an auto-cue. Eleanor had a much more difficult job, standing in front of the blank screen and trying to keep her dialogue and hands in sync. with the weather patterns being presented to her on another screen. No auto-cue for Eleanor, hence her description off the top of her head that rain was falling over the Scottish Highlands because it was high ground. That's pretty good, really – particularly as no rain was falling over the SE of England because “it is drier here.”

Infamous characters on a famous sofa?We taken to the studio where such programmes as The One Show are made, and some of us sat down on a big green sofa where we had photos taken, then out of this newer building to enter the foyer of the original 1930s Grade II* listed Broadcasting House. The Art Deco foyer remains almost the same as it was in the 1930's.

Towards the end of the tour we were invited to take part in a radio play in the Radio Drama Studio, complete with sound-effects provided by the tour guides. The EFOG Radio Drama - "What the Butler said"?Most of the actors were EFOG members, reading from a script before their individual microphones. The plot was that a car-full of people, including Fred and Sara, had broken down and made their way to a large country-house. The door was opened by a butler, and they were offered accommodation and a meal. When asked what the meal would consist of, the butler replied “You!”, followed of course by evil laughter. Well I hope it was evil laughter: I was the butler!

Some of us afterwards went to an Italian restaurant chosen by Jacky for an evening meal before returning home.

Thanks to Jacky for organising another interesting and enjoyable visit to London.

Jacky, Amina, Eleanor, Fozi, Fred, Jill V., Jinan, Marilyn, Maz, Paul, Peter, Sara, Susan B., Val.

Paul Ferris, 14th May 2014