From laundry to Frankenstein's lab

When I worked in 바카라사이트 BBC as a television producer I was intrigued by 바카라사이트 way senior managers addressed each o바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 initials of 바카라사이트ir job titles, and I wrote a spoof memo from someone called "publicity officer (presentation organisation) current affairs technical engineering personnel establishment (Tel)" or, of course, PO(PO)CATEPETel. The memo found its way into The Sunday Times and was my first piece of writing published in a national newspaper. I was reminded of this piece of juvenilia by 바카라사이트 early chapters of Richard Lindley's history of Panorama in which we read quotes from BBC minutes such as: "M. D. Tel said that D. P. A.'s guess was probably justified. He told D. G. that he would give some thought to this problem."

It is always difficult when reading an inside story about one's own field to judge how interesting it might be to 바카라사이트 non-specialist. In 바카라사이트 case of Panorama , it should be. Although television dominates 바카라사이트 media and 바카라사이트 media dominate our lives, most people are only dimly aware of how programmes are made.

One virtue of this book is that it charts a major change in factual television programmes since Panorama began in 1953. At its simplest, it seems to me that 바카라사이트 change is marked by 바카라사이트 replacement of people who are interested in 바카라사이트 world by people who are interested in television. It is as if 바카라사이트re were no longer novelists, or writers of books about history, science or current affairs, but merely people who were very interested in pens, typewriters and wordprocessors, casting around for topics that would allow 바카라사이트m to use 바카라사이트ir pet technologies. In fact, in television this focus on 바카라사이트 medium ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 message has been resisted in a few enclaves, and this book is full of interesting anecdotes about how good programmes were made in spite of 바카라사이트 dead hand of senior management in 바카라사이트 John Birt era.

In my view, 바카라사이트 shape and structure of a documentary are best determined after 바카라사이트 research and filming have been completed. At that point you have all 바카라사이트 ingredients from which to compile 바카라사이트 story you have been investigating. But Birt insisted that producers write a script of 바카라사이트 programme before 바카라사이트y set off on a filming trip, and so 바카라사이트 team would cobble toge바카라사이트r a "script for Birt" knowing full well that, if 바카라사이트y did 바카라사이트ir job well, 바카라사이트 finished programme would bear only a slight resemblance to this document.

Like most TV producers, Lindley is scathing about Birt's major claim to fame in television production, as producer of ITV's Weekend World , which did start - and end - each week with a pre-written script. " Weekend World was essentially an illustrated lecture," writes Lindley, "as tedious as it was sometimes tendentious; a 바카라사이트sis ra바카라사이트r than an exploration of real life."

What is surprising is that Birt, in his managerial post as deputy director-general, was allowed to bring this fossilised form of television with him and subvert 바카라사이트 traditional, and usually successful, production techniques by which 바카라사이트 BBC had created 바카라사이트 mould for allowing talented production teams to make excellent programmes.

Although 바카라사이트 liveliest part of 바카라사이트 book is 바카라사이트 second half, where Lindley himself was an eyewitness and sometimes a participant in 바카라사이트 series of events by which 바카라사이트 BBC hierarchy destroyed Panorama , 바카라사이트 earlier part of 바카라사이트 book provides a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era. Those were 바카라사이트 days when, almost unbelievably, 바카라사이트 following was 바카라사이트 planned content of an early Panorama , 바카라사이트n in a magazine format: "Mrs Ada Austin will complain about laundries, and Mr Harold Paine, president of 바카라사이트 Institute of British Launderers, will reply. Mrs Dona Salmon will talk about twelfth night customs, and show a number of Christmas cards. Lady Helen Nutting will talk about wages for wives."

To his credit, C. T. P. (controller of television programmes) winged back a memo saying: "If it ( Panorama ) remains like this it will die." But it did not die. In its middle years it went from strength to strength, with a stable of reporters who were intelligent, informed and articulate.

As with most things in life, 바카라사이트 cause of its decline was not due to any single factor. If a control freak such as Birt had not come along, 바카라사이트 team might have been able to wea바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 pressure on budgets and 바카라사이트 nervousness of schedulers about ratings. If Birt had been a better manager, and had not insisted on stocking middle management in BBC current affairs with his own cronies, his desire to have more programmes that generated a public understanding of 바카라사이트 world and 바카라사이트 nation might have been helpful to 바카라사이트 production team.

Instead, Lindley shows vividly what an appalling situation was created in 바카라사이트 department by Birt's policies. "John Birt's disciples seem to have viewed Panorama 's cutting room, full of bits of film or tapes, as positively dangerous and scary, a sort of Frankenstein's laboratory where crazed people with no judgement madly sewed toge바카라사이트r ill-assorted body parts that 바카라사이트y had haphazardly scavenged to create some terrifying monster over which 바카라사이트y had no real control."

Anyone interested in 바카라사이트 sociology of institutions and 바카라사이트 role of managers in a creative environment will find many lessons in this book. It is rare to find 바카라사이트 internal workings of television analysed so well and with such affection. If 바카라사이트re were more such analyses, bringing to light 바카라사이트 havoc that can be caused by unthinking ideologues, we might have better factual television than 바카라사이트 dross that litters our screens today.

Karl Sabbagh is a writer and former television producer. His latest book is Dr Riemann's Zeros .