Around 1972 it was swapped with Birmingham for an EMI equipped scanner, CMCR6, which presumably became LO5. This meant the London fleet was now all EMI. The picture below shows her on the road, leaving Epsom after covering the Derby Day. The front number plate has moved to the bumper, and is now a reflective type- it is still in that position, but another later shot (see below) shows the plate on the grille. The fog lamps have also moved. However, we now believe the heavy steel bumper was added at Manchester.
She has also acquired a logo on the front, on the water filler flap under the windscreen pillar. It can be seen in some photos, but not well enough to make it out. It was believed to be the BBC coat of arms.
In April 1980 C9 was moved from Birmingham to Manchester to join CMCRs 7and 8, the other Pye equipped vehicles. It then became known as North 3. The first OB as N3 was a football match from Manchester City FC.
Apparently it was in better condition than the others, having been looked after more carefully (or used less, depending on your viewpoint!) It was considered past its sell-by date by the Birmingham crew, and it reached Manchester with the production control room decked with fake cobweb spray. It was dubbed 'The Phoenix', having 'risen from the ashes'.
This is now the second 'Flight of the Phoenix'!
CMCR9 AMU418H in 1971, taken at London Wall
Picture: Peter Newman, ccmv.fotopic.net
On the road around 1975, leaving Epsom.
Picture- PM Photography
We do not have many photographs or details of OBs done with C9 when she was CM1 at Pebble Mill. We have seen a few excerpts from programmes almost certainly done with C9, including 'Come Dancing' introduced by Terry Wogan, and an early OB drama about Birmingham's immigrant communities. One regular programme was 'Gardeners' World', with Percy Thrower, done from his garden 'The Magnolias' near Shrewsbury.
This photograph was taken at 'The Magnolias' after one programme (possibly the last from there, as it was moved to Clack's Farm) showing the crew and the Pye cameras. It was kindly donated by a former member of the crew, and we have managed to identify many of those shown.
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1 Ron Lane - rigger driver
2 Ron Pickering - vision engineer (ex sound)
3 Alfie Allsop - rigger supervisor
4 Don Cooper - camera supervisor
5 Barry Chatfield - TM (ex cameraman)
6 Phil Wilson - camera supervisor
7 John Abbot - TM (ex vision engineer)
8 John Allinson - TM
9 Bill Duncalf - Director
10 George Cartwright - rigger supervisor
11 Gordon White - EM
12 ?13 Tony Wigley - cameraman
14 ?
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15 Wally Wallwork - sound supervisor
16 John Lower - sound
17 Derek Price - EM
18 Ray Sperry - vision engineer
19 ?
20 Gardener's World P.A.
21 Captions man?
22 Brian Telford
23 Phil Franklin
24 Bob Few - rigger driver
25 London rigger?
26 Gordon Stambrook - rigger driver
27 John Moore - vision engineer
28 Peter Desmond became CM2 rigger supervisor
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Pictures: Roy Davenport
c9 shortly after arriving at Manchester in 1980
 
Pictures- Jerry Clegg
North 1 (C7) and North 3 (c9) at Oxford Road, and at Troon in 1982. her last OB? Maybe not!
We have found some more information which suggests that C9 was at another OB, the 'Grand Slam 1982' from Painswick House in Gloucestershire. This was in September 1982. The OB was crewed from London, but we have found 3 copies of a schedule in a cupboard in C9, and it possibly ties in with another record, but it does not say which scanner(s) were used.
Any ex BBC staff out there- do you remember this OB and if CMCR9 (N3) was involved? |
