Comments on: The great BBC Techcrunch debate

By: James Cridland

James Cridland — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:18:26 +0000

>More interestingly, upon Prospero’s buttocks, to the rear out of sight, he carved the out line of the torso of a naked lady< That picture is now on the web courtesy of my colleague John – http://fatcontroller.net/2008/07/26/hidden-beauty/

By: Simon Tuff

Simon Tuff — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:15:50 +0000

One of what I believe to be the “listed” Interiors is the Chief Engineers office at the front of BH on the 6th floor … although it has the same Tasmanian Oak Panelling as the DG’s office on the 3rd floor, it is alas smaller.
I like Mike Todd’s web site and its excellent on BH trivia. Mike, as an ex Broadcast Duty Manager for Radio, is a reliable source!
As for Gill’s statue over the front door ? its is claimed that not only Reith but the also the board of governors climbed the scaffold to inspect the appendage and then to insist upon its reduction ? Gill himself carved the statue in situ, up on the aforementioned scaffolding at 1st floor level, wearing a flowing artists smock ? under which, it is alleged by those passing below, he wore very little. More interestingly, upon Prospero’s buttocks, to the rear out of sight, he carved the out line of the torso of a naked lady ? I have a photo somewhere ? taken during BH’s refurbishment a couple of years back ? should any one be interested …

By: William T

William T — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:38:29 +0000

I thought the term “forward slash” had been banned ages ago – I also remember hearing a local radio presenter correct himself when he started to say the w-w-w at the beginning of the address, saying that he’d received an email instructing presenters not to use it.

There’s a great summary of BH, as was, here, including all the floor plans:

http://www.miketodd.net/other/bhhistory/index.htm

By: Dave Cridland

Dave Cridland — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:31:49 +0000

If that office was anyone’s it’d have been Noel Ashbridge, who was knighted shortly after, and became Deputy Director General, and later Director General.

By: Links for 2008-06-26 - tonyscott.org.uk

Links for 2008-06-26 - tonyscott.org.uk — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:14:48 +0000

[...] The great BBC Techcrunch debate [James Cridland] [...]

By: Mike Blunt

Mike Blunt — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:14:14 +0000

Regarding the ‘forward slash’ and its usage. If you listen to the Today programme, John Humphreys pointedly refuses to use the term, preferring instead the presumeably more correct – ’stroke’.

By: Hugo

Hugo — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:50:38 +0000

“Broadcasting House was officially opened on May 14, 1932″

“Reith was a former military man and a Scottish Calvinist who on the surface seemed to be all of the things that Eckersley was not and in 1929 when Eckersley divorced his wife, Reith forced him out of his job.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasting_House
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Eckersley_(engineer)

By: Hugo

Hugo — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:34:42 +0000

===
After Broadcasting House was opened, the sculpture of Prospero and Ariel above the main entrance caused controversy.

It was said that “maidens are said to blush and youths to pass disparaging remarks regarding the statues of Prospero and Ariel”.

In the Evening News of 23 March 1933, St Pancras MP G.G. Mitchelson, who lived opposite the BBC, suggested to Parliament that the figures of Prospero and Ariel were “objectionable to public morals and decency”.

The story goes that the sculpture was amended, at Reith’s request, but there is no hard proof of this.”
===
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/broadcasting_house.shtml

and

===
“All this, because the statue of the boy Ariel was thought to be sexually too well endowed. Rumour had it that John Reith, the first BBC’s Director-General, ordered Gill to amend the statue to make it less offensive to the general public.”
===
http://www.bbc.co.uk/broadcastinghouse/thepast/ariel.shtml