Everything then was shot in the studio and this rather lugubrious way with these great trundling television cameras, and the PA system in the actual control room, having to signal where the next cameras went, it was very curious. The television was set up like theatre in a way with rehearsals, and when it came to the actual shooting time you would have had a dress rehearsal like theatre, and then it cam to shooting time, and everything had been mapped out where each camera went. There would be four cameras to a play, and the shooting had to be very, very exact.
And live, as well.
And live, it was live. I remember a wonderful occasion. Yes, indeed it was live! And I remember a wonderful occasion when the wardrobe mistress got caught on camera, and she tried to flee, but everywhere she fled the camera followed her! So she was popping up under sofas, behind chairs, hiding behind curtains, but it always found her; she couldn’t get away. It was a great moment, and we laughed about it a lot. Of course, you were rather terrified at that time because as I say…
Sidney would be watching!
There were going to be a lot of people watching it and so you would feel rather foolish. But it happened quite a lot, actually.
And that was very much pioneering television.
Yes.
