Category: Blog update

STOIC on BBC Radio London: 1974

From my personal archive I’ve dug up yet another piece of college history. Way back in 1974 the then Chairman of STOIC Mark Caldwell (photo right) and myself, were interviewed on BBC Radio London. You may wonder what the connection is between STOIC and BBC Radio London. Well, the very first Chairman of STOIC was Andy Finney who just happened to also be heavily involved in radio. From student TV to local (and also national) radio, Andy had a very full career in many areas of broadcasting. But on this occasion, he remembered his connection with Imperial and getting STOIC off of the ground in 1970 and wanted more people to hear about it.

On 4 November 1974 Mark and I went up to the then HQ of BBC Radio London in Hanover Square. Although we did video record the interview it’s still stuck on one of the Ampex One Inch videotapes that we’re still hoping will be funded to be transferred into digital. However, I do still have the audio recording as it was broadcast live and that’s what you can hear today. Andy mentions “TOPIC” which was the very first regular news programme made by STOIC. Its name changed to Lunchbreak and finally to News-Break.

So, going back 50 years, here is Andy Finney speaking with us both, live on BBC Radio London.

Colin Grimshaw 4 November 2024

Inter-CCU Swimming Gala: 1986


In February 1986 STOIC reporter Mark Salisbury left the warmth of the TV Studio to venture over to the Sports Centre in Prince’s Gardens North Side. The advert in Felix (up above) shows what the event was all about. Sadly there are no interviews with anyone taking part.

What you’re seeing is of course the old original sports centre which was pulled down and replaced by Ethos which was opened in April 2006. For an indication of the changes to the pool have a look at Varsity Day 2008 which we recorded at Ethos on 27 February 2008.

Colin Grimshaw October 2024

Jez report & update: 1982

Amazingly, Jez (more correctly Jezebel) was only featured on STOIC eight times between November 1979 and May 1984. Today’s item from November 1982 is different because it includes part of the time that Jez appeared on the BBC’s Blue Peter programme earlier that year in February. You can read all about that appearance on page 3 of Felix from February 1982. Duncan Batty from RCS Motor Club was outside in the cold talking to STOIC’s Mark Simms (see Felix bottom page 3) about what had been happening to Jez since that time.

The picture at the top is of me with camera, with my colleague Martin Sayers with microphone on 26 June 2008. This was outside the college main entrance during the retirement party for Rector Sir Richard Sykes. Jez was on duty to greet Sir Richard and Lady Sykes and to take them on an unforgettable evening ride.

Colin Grimshaw September 2024

Imperial Opera Rehearsal: 1980

I must admit that I was slightly confused with this STOIC location report from 1980. I had assumed, incorrectly, that this was Op Soc, but it isn’t. I could not find any references in the STOIC card index other than to Op Soc and indeed this video, N52, is listed under Op Soc.

As you will hear in the interview, Imperial Opera is (was?) formed from ex-Imperial students who had been in Op Soc. Mike Prosser (a former STOIC Chairman) spoke with Ian Gledhill during rehearsals that were taking place in the union concert hall.

Colin Grimshaw August 2024

FELIX Editorship Drama: 1979

 

Just before the start of the 1979 Autumn term there was major controversy over who the editor of Felix (the student newspaper) should have been. John Shuttleworth was duly elected editor of Felix for 1979-1980 but was denied the sabbatical post because he had failed to meet the required academic standards of his current year of study. It ultimately ended up in the High Court after solicitors took action, and issued letters on John Shuttleworth’s behalf. In the end, Colin Palmer who had come second in the election race was appointed as acting Felix editor. When the new election for editor was run, he then won this to become the full-time sabbatical editor for that academic year.

Naturally STOIC were keen to follow all of this up and on 3 October 1979, Colin Palmer came into the studio to talk to Paul Johnson about the whole saga and what was to happen next.

Colin Grimshaw July 2024

ICU Hustings – Video Promos: 1978

Today’s clip is rather fun because it’s part of a series that were made for candidates to promote themselves in the forthcoming student elections. These were shown leading right up to the day of elections and this particular video was from Lunchbreak on 2 March 1978. This was not a pre-recorded programme but rather it was put out live from both the TV Studio and also from the Great Hall during the actual hustings. We won’t be seeing the hustings today, although we do have them on videotape in the archive. Chris Drage was on presenters duty for this programme and if you listen carefully you’ll hear me on continuity at the very start over the STOIC logo caption.

Colin Grimshaw July 2024

RCSU Mascot Raid: 1978

For the first edition of Lunchbreak in January 1978, James Sinclair had something exciting to talk about with the then recent (late 1977) RCSU raid on QMC’s (Queen Mary College) Leopard mascot (Mary the Leopardess). In the studio he spoke with Pete Maltbeck (President of RCSU) about what had happened. STOIC were also quick off the mark with some location footage of the mascot being removed from the RCSU office to an unknown location. Sadly, once again, this is during a time period of missing copies of Felix (1977-1978) so I can’t get any further information on the outcome of the raid.

Unusually, this was a live edition of the programme and I suspect that this was because term had only just started. One amusing thing is that just after James Sinclair starts talking you can hear the old college bells strike 1pm, the approximate time of the transmission.

Colin Grimshaw June 2024

90 down & more to go!

Well, I’ve now worked my way through 90 videotapes that have been digitised. That’s 90 more occasions where I might find something very interesting or have something of historical significance to Imperial College. As you might well know, I’m doing all of this from home since I retired early, some 13 years ago. It can, at times, be a long process to capture content from even just a single videotape. Sticky-shed, as previously discussed, can make it impossible to play a tape back without heat treatment. But once completed (which can take a full day) a videotape might yield some interesting discoveries. Also, as discussed many times, the archive of STOIC is providing some incredible material with both interviews and also their coverage of college events. A recent discovery being that very short clip of Nobel Prize winner Abdus Salam in the Great Hall. I have also discovered a fascinating interview with previous College Secretary John Smith talking about his time as Governor of the Gilbert Islands. I’ll add this new video to my previous blog about him.

During the final few transfers, I found a very early clip of Pallab Ghosh who was standing for Felix Editor. My previous blog post included his 1981 interview about Wells Soc, but that was shot in black and white. This 1983 interview is in colour and is about him standing for Felix editor (which he became), it includes his election speech during the Hustings. He is now Science Correspondent for BBC News.

Simon Singh was elected as RCS President back in March 1983. He came into the TV Studio along with the rest of the executive and we now have those interviews digitised. He has gone on to be an author of many books and has presented several science TV programmes, so maybe his visits to our TV Studio helped him along that route. He was awarded an MBE in 2003.

 

Colin Grimshaw May 2024

Degrees of Excellence: 1984

Sadly I have very little to say about this recent rediscovery. It’s a film made by the British Council for showing overseas. Clearly it’s a promotion for UK Universities and four places are featured: The University of Edinburgh; The University of Warwick; The Polytechnic (as was) of Brighton and Imperial College. At the time, I had no idea this was being shot and only knew about it when a videotape of the film was deposited with the TV Studio. The only Imperial person I can identify in it is Prof. Brian Hartley (16 April 1926 – 3 May 2021), who was in Biochemistry. He appeared in a video that I previously posted about, when he came into the TV Studio to talk to STOIC about the Interferon Pilot Plant.

Although not credited, I’m sure that the commentary is by actor Keith Barron.

Colin Grimshaw May 2024