It's been a while, I know, but this month has seen a little flurry of activity on the writing front. Last month I received an e-mail from Marcus Hearn at Doctor Who Magazine asking if I would write a piece for another of their special editions. This one, titled "Referencing the Doctor", was to tell the story of some of the many reference works that have been published down the years about the production history of what is surely one of, if not the, most chronicled television series in history.
I was very pleased and flattered that Marcus wanted me to write a piece about one of DWM's own series, the Archives by Andrew Pixley, which ran from 1991 until 2003. Andrew is one of the most well-liked and highly-respected researchers and writers working in the field of British television history, and it was a great honour and a privilege to be asked to write a piece about his work. He's also personally been very helpful to me on various projects down the years. The magazine came out earlier this month, and will still be on the shelves of WH Smith's and all good newsagents - I think I did a good job! Andrew was pleased, anyway, which was very gratifying.
Then today saw the culmination of a project I've been working on for some time. In January, I was pondering what I might do next for another documentary project at work when it occurred to me that this year would mark BBC Local Radio's 50th anniversary. It's not a Radio Norfolk anniversary, as we didn't come along until 1980, so I was trying to think what I could come up with tied-in with that when I remembered that one of the unbroadcast local radio pilots had taken place in Norwich in the early 1960s.
Originally, I thought it would be mostly about the pilot, with a little bit of background on the existing East Anglian VHF service from Norwich which had started in the 1950s. In the end, it turned out to be pretty much the other way around, and indeed functions as something of a "part one" to the "part two" of Radio in a Roundabout Way, the documentary I made back in 2012 telling the story of the 1970s VHF opts from Norwich.
The finished documentary, The Network That Never Was, was transmitted today, and even if I do say so myself I think I did a pretty good job on it. It's nice to have been able to tell the full story of the East Anglian radio services now, up to the point where Radio Norfolk started. Nearly two hours, across two programmes, on the history of BBC radio from Norwich, and it only goes up to the point when Radio Norfolk began! It feels a bit like that gag George Harrison made after seeing an early cut of The Beatles Anthology - "it's two hours long and Pete Best hasn't joined the band yet..."
The Network That Never Was was terrific fun and hugely interesting to put together, involving all sorts of interviews and another trip to the wonderful BBC Written Archives Centre. I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out, and this is relevant to writing because on Saturday the Eastern Daily Press once again kindly printed a feature article I'd written to preview the programme, in their weekend supplement.
Then yesterday my colleagues at BBC News Online put up a piece I'd written, kindly licked into shape by Phil Shepka from their team. This is the fourth time I've had a sole or shared byline on News Online, all tied-in with programmes or features I've made for the radio, and the first time I've really felt I actually deserved it. That's not meant as a criticism - News Online have a definite set style their pieces have to fit into, so it's understandable they often need to change copy I provde them with, but it's nice to know I must be getting better at it, as Phil didn't have to change too much this time around!
I should also mention that the radio history expert Andy Walmsley very kindly wrote his own excellent piece on the background to The Network That Never Was, as a preview to the documentary.
So, a fairly productive month. I've also had half an idea sparked off for a piece of fiction... Five years ago, a local author read my blog on Radio in a Roundabout Way and suggested I write a story set in that radio world, as I had done the research and was clearly inspired by it. I didn't think it was a particularly good idea, but this time... I don't know, I have half an idea of a narrative set around the East Anglian VHF service's coverage of Norwich City's 1959 FA Cup run... But it's just an idea. The time to do it would be now, while the research is fresh in my mind, but does it work...?
Maybe I'll have a play with it and see. The 60th anniversary of that run is coming up in 2019, when everyone and their brother will be doing things connected to it...
I'll let you know! As for when I do that... No idea!
