Well, what happened in those days, with National Service, an employer was only obliged to take you back for 12 months after you finished your service. This was 1952. 1954 – came out in 1955.
We were going to get married. I admit we was offered a regular soldier with a guaranteed promotion but I said, “Sorry, no, I’m going to continue in Civvy Street in Accountancy”. Then, in the, it would be the December 1955, I saw a notice in the Manchester Evening News, a notice saying Granada Television were going to open television studios in Manchester, wanted Accounts Clerks. So I talked it over with Norma and me father-in-law and he said, “go for it – it’s the coming thing”. Now he was a businessman in his own right so I wrote. The next thing was I got an interview about the end of January it would be, beginning March, February – don’t remember the date.
Went down on the Saturday. Had this interview with a Mr Bill Dixon and a Mr Holden – can’t remember the other man – there were three of them anyway and I came out and thought that’s not promising anything.
Had a letter on the Tuesday morning going back for another interview on the Thursday. So I took the day off work, went for the interview. The same people but this time with a man, E L Jeffrey, who was Company Secretary of the Group. Fine, that’s alright. Then the next thing, I’d got an invitation to see, to go working for them starting on 9 April 1956.
I handed my notice in where I was and they offered to pay me the same rate that Granada were going to pay me to stay with them but for ten pounds a week. Anyway I said “no, I’ve accepted the job now.” And because of this 12 months still hanging over my head with them, ‘cos they never said I was going to be fired, I went to Granada and that’s what started it all.
