Search Results for: Norman Swallow

…hp0157-royston-morley-summary[A slightly paraphrased version of Alan Lawson and Norman Swallow’s notes. DS]Born 1912, son of Methodist minister educated at various schools according to his father’s va…

…to 16mm Bolex.  Interviewed BBC Manchester as assistant cameraman  by Norman Swallow. Interviewed for COI job in London started in 1959 married and moved to London.

…the people he worked with: Cecil McGivern, Paul Fox, Huw Wheldon; Cecil Madden, Norman Rutherford; and the Kinsey Report .Talks about Bill Rutherford who gave him a chance to try his hand on rehearsal…

… and his various productions: Sunday Night at the London Palladium, talks about Norman Collins and high-definition films at the Highbury Studios; then about Party Political Broadcasts, then about the …

… commercial radio. Together with a friend, they drew up a scheme and sent it to Norman Collins, who was impressed and introduced them to Wigmore Radio, and they went ahead and made detailed plans of h…

Rowland Leonard Miall (6 November 1914 – 24 February 2005) was a broadcaster and administrator at the BBC for 35 years, from 1939 to 1974. In retirement, he became a research historian, studying the history of broadcasting. Early lifeMiall was born in London and educated at Bootham School in York. He learned German at Freiburg University, and read economics and law at St. John's College Cambridge He was President of the Cambridge Union Society and Editor of the Cambridge Review. After leaving Cambridge he lectured in the United States for a while but already had his eye on a job in broadcasting. As one of 3,000 applicants for a vacancy in the BBC press office he made the shortlist of two but lost to his rival. Early in 1939, however, the BBC offered him the chance to join its European Service to organise news talks in German.BBC careerMiall joined the European Service of the BBC in early 1939. He took charge of broadcasts in German until 1942, when he was seconded to the Political Warfare Executive  a government body set up to co-ordinate broadcasting to enemy countries and occupied territories.  Miall was a member of the British Political Warfare Mission to the United States where he was director of news in San Francisco and head of the New York office. He returned to London in 1944 and stayed in propaganda broadcasting until the end of the war.In 1945 he rejoined the BBC and was briefly a correspondent in Czechoslovakia and acting diplomatic correspondent . He  became the BBC's American correspondent from 1945 to 1953, covering nearly all of Harry Trueman's presidency, and the first year of Dwight D. Eisenhower's. Although based in Washington,  he visited all of the then 48 US States. His radio broadcasts made his voice a familiar feature of BBC news coverage. In June 1947, he reported a speech at Harvard by George Marshall, on the  reconstruction of Europe.  Ernest Bevin, then British Foreign Secretary heard the broadcast, and was spurred to press ahead with what became the Marshall Plan for the nations of Europe to rebuild their economies after the war. When Miall returned to London, he served as head of "Television Talks" - documentaries and current affairs - at BBC television from 1954. He found himself in charge of a formidable stable of talent, including Alasdair Milne, Donald Baverstock, Huw Wheldon, Cliff Michelmore, Geoffrey Johnson Smith, and Paul Fox. He was assisted by Grace Wyndham Goldie and was based at Lime Grove sudios. During that period programmes such as Monitor, Tonight and The Sky At Nightt were created; Panorama was relaunched; and David Attenborogh began his wildlife broadcasting career. Miall was promoted to assistant controller at the BBC in 1961, in charge of the planning for the new BBC television channel,BBC 2 , which began broadcasting in 1964. He received the OBE  in 1961. After a period as Assistant Controller for Programme Services, Television, Miall returned to America in 1966 to run the BBC's New York office, in charge of editing news coverage and also selling BBC costume dramas to American television channels. He returned to London in 1971 to become controller of overseas and foreign relations. He was involved in the establishment of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association. He retired in 1974. In retirement he became a consultant research historian at the BBC, and assisted Professor Asa Briggs in producing the official History Of Broadcasting In The United Kingdom. He prepared material for three of  Briggs’s books on the history of the corporation and carried out interviews for a BBC oral history project. In 1994 he published "Inside the BBC", a book of short profiles of 25 personalities from John Reith to Robin Day. He had known them all and worked closely with many. 

Born Cambridge 1917, educated locally, went to Cambridge University to 'do' classics', then changed to read English, joined the Mummers. Came down 1939, exempted from Military Service because of eyesight, offered a job with  repertory company in Frinton as actor/Stage Manager, was called up in 1940 joined the Pioneer Corp. applied for a commission in1942, became 2nd Lieutenant sent to Orkneys, then volunteered for overseas service, joined East African Corps in Cairo; talks about his war experiences, finishing as a Major demobbed in 1946 went to Stratford as an Actor where he stayed for 3 years, playing ‘old men. He then went to Birmingham Rep and in 1951 saw an advert from the BBC asking for trainee TV Directors! Accepted and offered the 6 week course, after which he was attached to various staff directors, he stayed with Ian Atkins for 6 months and was re-employed on rolling contracts until 1956. He worked on The Prisoner with Andrew Cruikshank (this was his first production)’ then a John Buchan serial 4 episodes The Hostage, then Dial M for Murder, His first solo production was The Deep Blue Sea, written by Terence Rattigan. He left the BBC in 1956 to direct a film The Hill in Korea for British Lion . He was then offered a job with the Rank Organisation he did one other film, Miracle in Soho. Then moved to Granada Television on a three play a year contract then in 1960 went back to the BBC to produce and direct No Wreath for the General; 1963 went back to Granada as Head of Programmes, Manchester working as number two to Sir Denis Forman, joining the Board in 1970,  then in 1977 he retired and went back to the BBC, directing on a freelance basis, also produced for Thames: Rumpole of the Bailey.   BEHP  0240 S Julian Aymes synopsisTHE RECORDING FOLLOWS THIS SYNOPSIS, BELOW.SIDE 1.Born Cambridge 1917, educated locally, went to Cambridge University to 'do' classics', then changed to read English, joined the Mummers. Came down 1939, exempted from Military Service because of eyesight, offered a job with  repertory company in Frinton as actor/Stage Manager, was called up in 1940 joined the Pioneer Corp. applied for a commission in1942, became 2nd Lieutenant sent to Orkneys, then volunteered for overseas service, joined East African Corps in Cairo; talks about his war experiences, finishing as a Major demobbed in 1946 went to Stratford as an Actor where he stayed for 3 years, playing ‘old men. He then went to Birmingham Rep and in 1951 saw an advert from the BBC asking for trainee TV Directors!He applied, he describes his interview and the "board!  Accepted and offered the 6 week course, after which he was attached to various staff directors, he stayed with Ian Atkins for 6 months and was re-employed on rolling contracts until 1956. He worked on The Prisoner with Andrew Cruikshank (this was his first production)’ then a John Buchan serial 4 episodes The Hostage, then Dial M for Murder, His first solo production was The Deep Blue Sea, written by Terence Rattigan. He left the BBC in 1956 to direct a film The Hill in Korea for British Lion which he enjoyed. He was then offered a job with the Rank Organisation and he describes this episode of his life as a very unhappy one, having to turn down bad script after bad script. He did one other film, Miracle in Soho. Then moved to Granada Television on a three play a year contract then in 1960 went back to the BBC to produce and direct No Wreath for the General; 1963 went back to Granada as Head of Programmes, Manchester working as number two to Sir Denis Forman, joining the Board in 1970, he talks about his work on labour relations and getting a change in the Pension Scheme with options for retirement at either 60 or 65, then in 1977 he retired and went back to the BBC, directing on a freelance basis, also produced for Thames: Rumpole of the Bailey.SIDE 2.He talks about the scheme to go to the States to direct in the Theatre.This was a scheme backed by Grahada. He relates that the most enjoyable period of his career was producing the Classic Serials. He then goes on to talk about the “stupid” franchise scheme dreamed up, he feels that quality will get lost and more and moreslot filling will take place, and he is far from enthusiastic about the future of Television.He then goes on to talk about the changes which have taken place at the BBC since the arrival of ITV.END