Blog posts

VIP’s visiting the TV Studio

I was going through some of the many photos that we took in the TV Studio and realised that a great number have never been seen.

Because of the use that STOIC made of the studio, a great number of film and TV stars came to be interviewed. In 1982 Sir David Attenborough visited and is seen here with Lawrence Windley. We very appropriately added some plants into the set! It was also fitting that STOIC had, like the TV Studio had already done in 1980, moved into full colour only the year before. Sir David was controller of BBC2 when he moved the channel into colour in 1967 (this was discussed in the interview).

One of the big hits for STOIC in 1977 was a visit by two people associated with the then “new” film Star Wars, Gary Kurtz was a producer and Mark Hamill the main lead. No one realised what this film was going to start in terms of franchises. He signed my autograph book with “Galactically yours…”
This was also one of the many interviews that were transmitted over the old ILEA cable TV network.

Very fitting in this year of 2026 is Mel Brooks, who visited the studio in 1976. He, like David Attenborough, has just turned 100 this year. So that’s two visitors who are now in their 100th year.
Mel was in the UK to promote his then new film Young Frankenstein. Prior to this I suspect that most people in the UK would have known him for Blazing Saddles….although we didn’t and had to find out who he was (no internet back then of course). In fact none of us knew anyone who’d seen his previous film. Looking back to that time now, it’s rather embarrassing. We now have a lot to thank the internet for.

Even former Prime Ministers graced the studio with their presence, like Sir Edward Heath. Here he is speaking with former STOIC Chairman Mike Prosser. Sir Edward was PM of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974. While at Imperial in 1980, to speak at the student’s conservative society STOIC managed to get him to agree to walk along to the studio to be interviewed by the student television for their news programme. I’m not sure whether he had former PM protection officers with him but we certainly did with the next visitor.

Separate from STOIC  and as a part of the opening period for the new University of London fibre optic system, many people were calling in to see this new wonder of communications which linked all of the major colleges in London. In 1987, the Duke of Kent was then President of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers. He was at Imperial for an official visit with various members of the IERE and a special presentation of what became called Live-Net was arranged in the studio. In this photo the Duke is seen with Professor Ernie Freeman who had the task of overseeing the installation of Live-Net at Imperial.

For  the official welcome to the TV Studio, I’m seen here greeting the Duke upon arrival. Later on, after the presentation which is seen in the photograph above, I showed the Duke and other members of the IERE around the equipment that had been installed by British Telecom to facilitate the operation of the Live-Net system. I explained how we might be using the system to connect to other colleges like UCL, Kings or Royal Holloway etc. I also showed them the computer controlled booking system which allowed switching of the network for which a central switch system was installed at Senate House in central London.

The last member of the Royal Family to appear live in the TV Studio was actually HM the Queen. At 3:30am in the morning on Saturday April 1st 2000 HM the Queen made a ‘virtual visit’ to Imperial College TV Studio. Her Majesty appeared on a video conferencing link during the Royal opening of the Centre for Surgical & Medical Skills which is located in Perth at the University of Western Australia. Prof Mervyn Maze from the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was participating in a multinational effort to validate Medical Simulation as a tool for training, education and performance evaluation. As such, Prof. Maze addressed the Queen on the subject of medical simulation and it’s potential in the world of medicine. If you look closely at the photograph the Queen can be seen on the screen in the top right quadrant wearing both a light blue dress and matching hat.

Other famous visitors (and there were many) included:

Sir Cliff Richard (Singer)

 

Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage

 

Jenny Agutter (Actress)

 

Magnus Pike (Scientist and TV Personality)

 

Peter Benchley (who wrote Jaws)

 

Colin Grimshaw July 2026

SK Campus Aerial Film: 1987

In 1987, the University of London Audio-Visual Centre (ULAVC) made a film called Not Just Another University. All of the 16mm footage was shot by the centre, which included this aerial footage, seen here in its uncut form.

Because I was making a video that would benefit from such footage, they kindly gave to me all of the material that they’d shot from a helicopter above Imperial and the surrounding area. The transfer wasn’t brilliant, but it’s better than not having it. The ULAVC opened in 1968 but was shut down in 1991, so it was fortunate that I was given this footage for our archive collection.

Note that at this time there is no medical school building, and that Dalby Court is still the splendid area of green and with trees too all prior to the Faculty Building (“Blue Box”). And of course it’s still the original main entrance and with Southside and Linstead buildings too. A lot has changed since this was filmed.

Colin Grimshaw June 2026

John Smith: 1980

I have featured former college secretary John Smith in a previous blog that you can see here. However, that recording, which was part of the college’s 2007 centenary events, was his recollections of his time working at Imperial. This interview that I discovered in the STOIC video archive includes some fascinating details about his life prior to coming to Imperial as college secretary.

Not many may have known that he was Governor of the former Gilbert and Ellis Islands and had authored a number of books. The book mentioned in this interview (right) can still be found on Amazon.

In this 13 March 1980 black and white interview, former STOIC Chairman Mike Prosser is speaking to John Smith in the College TV Studio.

Colin Grimshaw May 2026

IC Union Hustings: 1986

40 years ago, on the evening of 6 March 1986, STOIC was live on air at 6pm. It was the evening round-up programme of that day’s coverage of the IC Union Hustings. This was now a traditional yearly event for STOIC dating back to 1975 when Mark Caldwell presented the first live coverage from the Great Hall.

This year, the presenters were Sarah Allsop and Alan Rose, who gave background on how to vote at the end of the programme. As usual, this went out live from the college TV studio in Electrical Engineering. And, because it was live, I’d been asked to direct it, as will be seen in the end credits. I have not included any of the actual coverage from the Great Hall, but rather only the main opening and closing. The live coverage was very long and of poor-quality picture and especially the sound. However, this edit will remind you of how the programme was presented live from the studio; you may have even watched it yourself at the time.

You’ll notice the usual earpieces so that I could give instructions to the two presenters during the live segments (you might even hear some of it on the studio sound!). So let’s look at what you might have watched at the time, way back on 6 March 1986, ahhhh, those lovely archives.

Colin Grimshaw – April 2026

C&G Pedal Car Race: 1982

In February 1982, STOIC’s Mike Hackett ventured into the coldest Prince’s Gardens to discuss pedal cars. It was City and Guilds who were in training for the Bristol Pedal Car Race. Sadly, I can’t find any details of the end result, so we are left not knowing how well C&G did. The photo on the left is from Felix, dated 1980. The very last Felix reference to “pedal cars” was in 1984, so maybe it just disappeared from student life, like lots of traditional Imperial events seem to have. If you know better, please let me know.

Anyway, enjoy this STOIC archive interview with Tim Bell from City and Guilds and watch some rare colour footage of the pedal cars in action.

 

Colin Grimshaw April 2026

Elections for Beginners: 1976

“Elections for Beginners” was shown on STOIC 50 years ago today. It was during STOIC’s live coverage of the ICU elections that this video was seen. James Sinclair was, by then, the chairman of STOIC and also the lead presenter, especially during live transmissions like this one. Apparently, it was James who had asked John Downs (see page 6 of the link to Felix) the ICU Honorary Secretary to present this pre-recorded video that would explain the STV system used by the union.

It is actually a miracle that this videotape even survives. It was inserted into the live programme, which itself was recorded for posterity on the Ampex recorder. Luckily, for some reason, the original Ampex one-inch “Type A” videotape was transferred onto a still usable U-Matic tape. By chance, John Downs subscribes to this blog and recently sent me a lovely Christmas message. I then had a sudden flash of memory of that name linked to STOIC, and fortunately I had the card index that I could refer to. John’s name popped up; at first I had assumed it was indexing a currently inaccessible Ampex tape. However, there was an additional reference to a transfer to the U-Matic format. It was that tape, which I had forgotten I had already digitised some years ago, and hence how we are able to see it today.

John has kindly added some additional insight into that particular year’s elections, as well as the union staff members:

“Perhaps of interest to note that there were only the three sabbatical roles back then—even the Deputy President (Riz Shakir) was a full-time student. We were supported by an admin staff of three… Jen Hardy-Smith and Pat in the first-floor office, and a lady called Pam, I think… who had her own booth at the main entrance to the union building.”

So let’s take you, and John, back 50 years, and please note that the image quality is not great, but I have corrected it as best I can. James Sinclair does the introduction during the live transmission from the Great Hall, which was linked by cable back to the TV studio.

Colin Grimshaw – 26 February 2026

Meet the STOIC Producers: 1974

It seems like only yesterday, but it is in fact 51 years since this next video was recorded. On 19 June 1974 we all participated in the recording of a guided tour of the college TV studio to show to freshers the following October. This is the end sequence of the recording where Desmond King spoke with three STOIC members who played the role of producers for the news-magazine programme called TOPIC. Keith Arundel, Robin Barry and Bill Lovell were the lucky three to have been immortalised in the archive recording.

Desmond had an interesting career after leaving Imperial and ultimately became the CEO of Caltex and later President (CTV) of Chevron. Robin already had an interesting connection to TV because his father was Christopher Barry (1925-2014) a well-known TV Director including programmes such as Doctor Who. We visited him at the BBC Television Centre when he was directing the short-lived series called ‘Moonbase 3’.

 

Colin Grimshaw February 2026

C&G Custard Pies Rag Event: 1980

One of the seemingly forgotten events is the throwing of custard pies (or something similar) as part of Rag Week. Back in October 1980 Mike Hackett from STOIC reported from Portobello Road on what City and Guilds Union were getting up to.

The Felix report (photo above) indicates that £276 was raised from the poor members of the public who were dragged into the spectacle.

What ever happened to these Rag events that made Imperial fun?

Colin Grimshaw – January 2026

STOIC News & What’s On: 1979

This time I have an item that doesn’t really have a story attached to it. I thought it would be interesting to hear the news and what’s-on for a specific time in Imperial’s life. In this snapshot from 3 October 1979 Mark Foley is presenting the item that was within that particular week’s News-Break programme. Only item mentioned of particular interest to STOIC was the cable laying to provide an outlet link to Beit Hall (whatever happened to that link I wonder?).

Colin Grimshaw – Christmas Day 2025

Studying for the Future: 1985

For the 1985 “Technology 2000” exhibition held at Imperial College, two videos were produced: Studying for the Future and Discovering the Future. Both made use of the same visual stock-footage material, such as teaching, research, and campus footage. Studying for the Future was a promotional video for potential undergraduates. I’ve managed to colour-correct and enhance the 40-year-old videotape.

A lot of what you’ll see in this video has long gone—for example, the old main entrance, the college shop, the Reactor Centre, and the TV Studio. However, as I’ve said, it wonderfully captures what Imperial looked and felt like all those years ago. My memories are of a nicer, much happier and friendlier place back then, when people knew each other.

How much do you remember of the old place? Indeed, are you featured in the video, let me know?

Colin Grimshaw – December 2025