BBC productions compiled and written by Brian Vaughton

[Stephen Byers]

Ref: www.cpatrust.org.uk/bham_ballads/

Wondering if these are lost?

BBC productions compiled and written by Brian Vaughton


1948: THE KING OF THE GOATS…Children’s Hour play adaptation (40′)


1959 or 1960: MOMENTS OF TRUTH…The Birmingham Bull Ring (40) (this production is not currently listed on the Friends of the Philip Donnellan website. But is documented in the Charles Parker Archive).


1961: THE JEWELLERY…The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter (60’)


1962: CRY FROM THE CUT…a documentary survey of the narrow canals, and the way of life of those who worked on them during the dying days of commercial boat traffic. (60′)


1963: “The Cat’s Whiskers” 40 th ANNIVERSARY OF BROADCASTING IN THE MIDLAND REGION (45′)


1963 or 1964: A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND…(2 Programmes – Diamonds/Gemstones) (30’ each)


1969: THEY BROUGHT THE SEA TO MANCHESTER…75th Anniversary of the Manchester Ship Canal. (60′)



Circa 1964 to 1968 In the ‘A WORLD OF SOUND’ series, making use of BBC Sound Archives and new actuality interviews:


THIS IS BIRMINGHAM (30’)


SUSSEX BY THE SEA (30’)


1967: WORCESTERSHIRE (30′)


1968: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (30′)


THIS IS THE MIDLANDS (30’)



Actuality soundtracks for SCAN items – the Midlands TV magazine programme:


WELL-DRESSING – STUDLEY HORTICULTURAL COLLEGE

Inserts for the monthly ‘Countryside’ programmes:


FESTINIOG RAILWAY – WELL-DRESSING – CONKER CHAMPIONSHIP



1958: HOLIDAY HOUR…Brixham trawler voyage, from Ramsgate to Antwerp. (25’)


LATCH-KEY CHILDREN…Midland Region current affairs programme


CHILDREN’S HOUR…recorded feature



Personal productions


1976: ‘SEAWAY TO THE WORLD’ a 16mm documentary film on the Port of Manchester (Manchester Ship Canal). This film was later made into a VHS cassette in the ‘Maritime Britain’ series, and sequences were shown on BBC/TV.


1978 ‘GOING PLACES’ a 16mm documentary film tracing the pioneering container ship operation of Manchester Liners Ltd (ML). From Manchester Docks services went across to Canada, up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Montreal, and onwards to Chicago. Travelling eastwards ML served Malta, Greece and Turkey.


2001: ‘LIFE…AS IT WAS an audio-documentary cassette/CD recording what life was like in rural Devon in times past. These unique recordings describe the lifestyle in the countryside for much of the 20 th century – and highlight the amazing changes that have taken place, as we moved from the horse age to the jet age. This documentary provides memories for the older generation – and enlightenment for the new. Listen – to living history.


2005: ‘THE WEAVERS’ TALES an audio documentary CD, to celebrate the 250 th anniversary of the making of the first Axminster carpet.


2007: THE LAST NUMBER ONES One of four contributors to a book celebrating the life and times of the boating couple, Joe & Rose Skinner, and the maker of an audio-documentary CD to accompany the book. (Joe and Rose were two of the canal boat people interviewed in 1961 for ‘CRY FROM THE CUT’.).

SB

[Stephen Byers]

Heard rumours that these have escaped from the dusty archives and are doing the rounds...

1961: THE JEWELLERY…The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter (60’)

1962: CRY FROM THE CUT…a documentary survey of the narrow canals, and the way of life of those who worked on them during the dying days of commercial boat traffic. (60′)

Actually the latter is on Vimeo - with images of the canals from long ago.

Sad that Brian Vaughton's legacy has largely been lost or locked away in various archives inaccessible to the public.

www.archivingmediaculture.org/brian-vaughton-birmingham-radio-documentary-producer/

[Barry Hodge]

I've copies of those two too - so I may actually listen to them now! I live 100 yards from a Birmingham canal, so it'll be an interesting hour-or-so. Thanks for the link!

[Stephen Byers]

The one I really want to hear again is

1969: THEY BROUGHT THE SEA TO MANCHESTER…75th Anniversary of the Manchester Ship Canal. (60′)

I have (well once had) this on reel-reel tape but this is a/ misplaced somewhere, b/ likely to have deteriorated beyond playing.

It even features the voice of Queen Vic. opening the Canal; and an old boy who had worked on the construction was interviewed and he said that when they opened the sluice gates at Latchford Locks the entire surrounding farmland / village (I think) was flooded, the water pressure was so strong.

Others remarked it was a miracle seeing ships cruising through the countryside on their to/from Manchester.

Sadly the original masters and associated documents is likely to have been lost with the closing and dispersal of the North West Sound / Film Archives (whatever), such is the nature of dusty and ephemeral archives.

[richardwoods]

Now that's interesting, I thought, wrongly it now seems, that the only known recording of Queen Victoria's voice was on the wax cylinder recorded to demonstrate the system to the royal family. Let's hope that this other recording survives too. Here's the link to more info. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-search-of-queen-victorias-voice-98809025/

[Stephen Byers]

www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/documents/The%20Manchester%20Ship%20Canal%20in%20Verse%20and%20Song.pdf

"...and on New Year's Day, eighteen hundred and ninety-four the Manchester Ship Canal was opened to commercial traffic. The crowning glory came on May 21st, of the same year, when Queen Victoria formally opened the canal, although this event was greeted in some quarters with rather less solemnity and sense of occasion."