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Wednesday 28 October 2015

Regional Variations 1978

Guys and gals have I got some more news for you on the, Sue Thompson yarn. I've been burrowing deep and have indeed manage to establish that the program, Jimmy Savile's Yorkshire Speakeasy was NOT a repeat, but a 'New Series' broadcast on a Friday night, but you could only see ALL the episodes if you lived in the right Region. 
Radio Times North 21-27th Jan 1978
 
 Radio Times East 28th Jan-3rd Feb 1978 
Radio Times North West  4-10th February 1978
Radio Times North 4th-10th Feb 1978
 Radio Times North 11th Feb-17th Feb 1978
 Also broadcast that week was a program called 'Network' 
This was Saturday 11th Feb 1978 and I include it because it was a platform by which viewers throughout the regions got a glimpse of what other folks were watching. Here's one from later in the year featuring Savile's Yorkshire Speakeasy.
 I'm leaning towards this being a repeat of one of the FOUR made earlier in the year. I say four because, while I have not had access to the week 18th February-25th, I do have the following week's North edition and JSYS is not on. 
This kind of fits with the postgraduate thesis stipulating that each of these series, only contained FOUR episodes per year
 I cannot say for certain that the student has all her facts right. I'm not so sure this program was made in 1971 for instance, or even 1976. In 1971 the Speakeasy Savile made was a radio program, but I'll not get too bogged down in that for now. The point is, the program involving Thompson's story (Friday 10th Feb) was broadcast. What I do not know is WHAT the topic of the conversation was or when it was recorded. This is a work in progress guys and gals, and any help would be gratefully received.
It's proving very difficult to access ANY information regarding this, made in Leeds program. Even the Director's memory appears impaired as to the format of the program/s he worked on with Jimmy. 
From Pollard Nick Vaughan Barratt



I think he has his programs the wrong way round. Or has he ? 
And then there's Sue's story here's how she describes things
 'Worked occasionally transmitted from there' ? Transmitted generally denotes live does it not ? As for the occasional bit, why would anyone work occasionally on a show that was only made FOUR times a year if that ? Doesn't make sense does it ? 

And then there's the bit about the young girl who just happens to be 14, being BLIND ! Strewth, how likely is it that Savile made TWO speakeasy programs, one radio, one television involving the blind in the space of 6 years ? It's possible of course, or maybe another woman has got her programs mixed up 
 http://www.kirstenhearn.com/index.php/about-kirsten
 https://kirstenhearn.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/the-downfall-of-saint-jimmy/

Miss Kearn is most certainly referring to the Radio one show Speakeasy recorded in London at the Paris Studio in Regent Street, it's usual venue. 

More BBC history lessons to come guys and gals.



 
 

5 comments:

  1. Now IF these four programmes are still in the BBC archive, IF someone involved in the show or related to someone in the show wanted a copy, the BBC are duty-bound to sell them it.

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    1. JSYT certainly exists on film because part of it was featured in the Regional Television through a lens series b/cast on BBC4 in July 2011. Cheers Chris good idea

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    2. I thought I recognised that name - I have that BBC Four show on dvd in 'the archive'...

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  2. How very odd that the Yorkshire Historian has missed this 1978 series. She was well aware of the Savile business as she wrote her thesis because she says this:

    "It should be noted here that most of the interviews undertaken for the present study were recorded before the autumn of 2012 when Savile’s history of sexual abuse was publicly revealed"
    http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/23523/1/cvergusonfinalthesis.pdf

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    1. I have no idea why she missed it but she did. Maybe the BBC removed it from their records who knows.

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