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
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
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
There was quite a full studio back in March 1986 when STOIC interviewed the following year’s RCS(U) Executive Committee (seen on the right from Felix dated March 1986). Well, almost all of them as it was minus Judith Hackney on the day. Notable of course is the appearance of Simon Singh who had been voted in as RCS(U) President. Simon has gone on to greater things after leaving Imperial and you can find out more on his own website.
If you wade through the archive of Felix you’ll find loads of references to Simon including some criticism of his role as President. This was in Felix dated December 1986.
“The Royal College of Science Union will be holding an ‘Extraordinary General Meeting’ today. The meeting has been called at the request of more than 50 members of RCSU, who have signed a petition criticising President Simon Singh’s leadership of the Union“
But all of this didn’t stop him from going on to better things after Imperial. So, if you take the ‘rough with the smooth’ it seems you can come out on top in the end.
Colin Grimshaw September 2025
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
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
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
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
Today we dive back to 1978 for a Lunckbreak programme that featured an interview with DramSoc about their production of Macbeth. Mark Foley was the Lunchbreak presenter and he was talking to Mark Wiszowaty who was taking on the role of Macbeth. I was hoping to find some photos of the production in Felix, but this is the archive period of missing Felix editions between 1977 & 1978.
Colin Grimshaw March 2024
Today we have an extract from one of the oldest recordings from STOIC’s news programme. On the 15th December 1976 Clive Lewis and James Sinclair were both presenting the Christmas edition of Lunchbreak. Who could want a better news story for Christmas than a mascotry raid. There was a front page splash about it in FELIX the following day, so STOIC seemed to have got the news, and also the interviews, pretty fast. Now, this was shot a few days before Christmas and I think the various constituent college union members should have been kept away from the balloons…as you’ll see! James Sinclair is attempting to hold things together though.
This is very much a deteriorating archive recording so please bear with it because it’s 47 years old and I had a major problem getting the tape to play back.
Colin Grimshaw December 2023