BBC Parliament Election Replays (Theories)

[Harry Hayfield]

Apr 20, 2017 10:42:20 GMT @jamesdowden said:

Mar 11, 2017 12:15:51 GMT Harry Hayfield said:

Sunday, June 11th 2017: Election 1987 (9.00am - 9.30pm)

That would be an interesting counterpart to this year's general election, if it still happens.

I get the impression that both 1997 and 1987 have been cancelled due to the election (which means we shall have to wait)

[neilm]

Yes, a great pity. I really want to watch 1997 all the way through. I've not done one since 1979 was repeated in 2009.

As an aside, the 1979 programme features an interview with someone called Ball Powell, who appears to be a stock exchange figure. Anyone know more about him?

[Davıd Boothroyd]

May 1, 2017 23:25:08 GMT neilm said:

Yes, a great pity. I really want to watch 1997 all the way through. I've not done one since 1979 was repeated in 2009.

As an aside, the 1979 programme features an interview with someone called Ball Powell, who appears to be a stock exchange figure. Anyone know more about him?

There are some Twitter references to a 'Sir Ball Wilson' but I think it must have been a mishearing. There was an "F.T. Wilson MBE" who was a deputy chairman of the Stock Exchange in 1979. Using the 1979 election on youtube, can you point me to the right point in the programme?

[neilm]

May 1, 2017 23:52:48 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

May 1, 2017 23:25:08 GMT neilm said:

Yes, a great pity. I really want to watch 1997 all the way through. I've not done one since 1979 was repeated in 2009.

As an aside, the 1979 programme features an interview with someone called Ball Powell, who appears to be a stock exchange figure. Anyone know more about him?

There are some Twitter references to a 'Sir Ball Wilson' but I think it must have been a mishearing. There was an "F.T. Wilson MBE" who was a deputy chairman of the Stock Exchange in 1979. Using the 1979 election on youtube, can you point me to the right point in the programme?

It's fairly late on IIRC, about the same time as the guy talking about his election bet. I'm away from home this evening but once I'm on my non work laptop I'll find it.

[Andrew_S]

Aug 1, 2015 11:43:25 GMT neilm said:

Changing tack to 1979. The BBC interviewed a man called Ball Powell (pronounced Bal) at some point mid morning. He had some sort of city job, but I can't seem to find out who he was (I'm not near a Who's Who or similar). Does anyone know anything about him?

Accidentally noticed that Neilm asked this question a couple of years ago on page 6 of the "TV coverage of elections" thread. I was searching for an answer to the question. The quote above is from that page.

[Andrew_S]

I've just searched through the 1979 show and I can't find the interview with Ball Powell. Must have missed it somehow.

[neilm]

Or I've imagined it! I recall watching the 1979 coverage when it was repeated in 2009- 9am until Midnight. An enjoyable day. I'll have to look it up again as I don't think I'd forget or get wrong such a distinctive name.

[rubric]

Mar 24, 2017 22:16:25 GMT Andrew_S said:

I'd very much like to see ITN's election shows in 1974 and 1979 but there don't seem to be even short clips available anywhere. ITN Source doesn't seem to include anything from those programmes whenever I've done a search.

A sometime lurker (who's just come across this discussion) de-lurks!

Pleased to let you know that there are in fact a number of short extracts of the 1979 ITV results programme hidden on the ITN Source site. Using the site's search engine, you need to search on 'The Nation Decides 1979' (or remove the year and substitute 'General Election Special'). Many of the clips are discussions with politicians in the studio between results, mostly being interviewed by the late Leonard Parkin. There's also a few interviews with candidates at counts (including Jeremy Thorpe, whom I don't think spoke to the BBC programme) and a few other bits (reports from Party HQs, outside broadcasts with the party leaders, the odd declaration etc.) 

Haven't found anything from either 1974 ITN results programe, but here's the a complete scan of the 1970 election week (and World Cup quarter- /semi-final week) edition of TV Times
radiosoundsfamiliar.com/complete-tv-times-june-13-1970.php
Note that as well as the listings for Thursday and Friday, there are relevant features on pages 11-13 - some of which are inevitably quite frothy. There's an air of trying to make what seemed as though it was going to be a wholly predictable election result, more interesting. There's also a reference to the Labour advertising campaign in the preview of the week on page 2 (the plasticine figures).

[Harry Hayfield]

It is being reported that Parliament will rise for the summer recess on July 20th 2017, therefore it seems reasonable that we will get the delayed archive elections during that recess. Dependent on which one they think is the more important that will now probably be screened on August Bank Holiday Monday with the least important screened on one of the weekends before hand

[Andrew_S]

The person who composed the famous BBC election night music is currently touring the country:

www.thsh.co.uk/event/rick-wakeman-piano-portraits-in-concert#tab0=details

[Lord Twaddleford]

Jun 23, 2017 22:02:13 GMT Andrew_S said:

The person who composed the famous BBC election night music is currently touring the country:

www.thsh.co.uk/event/rick-wakeman-piano-portraits-in-concert#tab0=details

Alas, 2005 was the last time his music saw use by the BBC election coverage. From what I've seen & heard, I think there was some royalties dispute and he withdrew all rights to the song for any future coverage, or something like that.

[Harry Hayfield]

Jun 24, 2017 13:38:05 GMT Lord Twaddleford said:

Jun 23, 2017 22:02:13 GMT Andrew_S said:

The person who composed the famous BBC election night music is currently touring the country:

www.thsh.co.uk/event/rick-wakeman-piano-portraits-in-concert#tab0=details

Alas, 2005 was the last time his music saw use by the BBC election coverage. From what I've seen & heard, I think there was some royalties dispute and he withdrew all rights to the song for any future coverage, or something like that.

If that was the case then the BBC covered it up well. Here's what they said in 2010:

"Richard Blair-Oliphant, enlisted by the BBC to compose its music, says he was asked to come up with something which reflected the fact "this is likely to be a fairly historic election". He was told it should be "serious, important and classy". "Essentially I had to come up with a good tune but not a cheesy one."
"Most people are only going to hear this thing once, so it's got to be instantly accessible to people," he says"

Of course whilst "Arthur" is the most well known, it's only one of several. For the 1955 election, all they had was the Westminster chime pattern (which I am sure does actually have some lyrics), between 1959 and 1970 they used Shostakovich, for February 1974 they went for Aaron Copland, then in October 1974 they came up with something of their own making, 1979 to 1997 was Arthur, then they went in house again for 2001 before Arthur came back in 2005, and then since 2010 the current theme.

[sirbenjamin]

Maybe the BBC feels that using a splendid theme composed by a Tory would compromise its impartiality?

[Andrew_S]

Radio 4's PM programme was using the theme every day during the campaign, so there can't be a problem with rights or with the BBC using it.

[clyde1998]

Maybe they just wanted an update? Wasn't 2005 a remixed version of 'Arthur', rather than the original? It's possible that the BBC were trying to find a replacement for 'Arthur' since the turn of the century, but the negative reaction from the 2001 theme meant that they were forced to try something different with the old theme in 2005 before settling on their new theme in 2010 (which they may have commissioned for 2005, but wasn't completed in time for that election).

[The Bishop]

Jun 25, 2017 11:29:28 GMT sirbenjamin said:

Maybe the BBC feels that using a splendid theme composed by a Tory would compromise its impartiality?

Or maybe you are just being silly and paranoid again?

[Harry Hayfield]

BBC Parliament tweeted earlier today that Election 1997 will be replayed from 0900 BST - 2300 BST on September 4th 2017

[mondialito]

Oct 28, 2017 22:34:48 GMT @benjl said:

(This seemed like the best place to ponder this.) Have just been watching the BBC coverage of the 2017 general election on YouTube, I missed it on the night as I was at the count. I might be being overly critical but it isn't really that good! The presenters don't turn their microphones of, meaning when you go live to the count you can hear their mutterings in the background. When they go to the count the sound quality is often terrible. The analysis as to why X has happened is often repetitive and poor. They spend too much time chattering amongst themselves and not enough time reporting on results, it is a 'results' program after all. Many highly marginal and key seats were barely reported on. Emily Maitlis is quite clearly useless at operating her touch screen (has not been taught properly maybe?) and while Jeremy Vine is the most likeable of the bunch the 'virtual Downing Street' is rather silly. Are other channels as bad? Has it always been this way?

Watch previous elections and let us know what you think.

[Foggy]

The touch screen has only been a feature for the past few years, I think. Whilst I don't rate Maitlis particularly highly, I'm sure she's had the appropriate training and it may be that the technology itself is faulty or simply not user-friendly.

Peter Snow used to do a less excruciating job than Jeremy Vine with the other graphics despite (or possibly because of) more primitive tech.

The quality of the rest of the analysis has certainly dipped since I first stayed up for GE coverage in 2001... which in turn was much poorer than what I have seen from replays of earlier election nights on BBC Parliament, with as you say too little focus on actual results nowadays despite the advantages of more cameras at counts and better telecommunications equipment.

[The Bishop]

The 2010 GE coverage from the BBC was (in)famously bad. Have barely watched any of the TV channels on the two subsequent occasions.