Robin Writes:-

I remember this show vividly! Billed in RT as a live report at a brief stop for drivers and cars on The RAC Rally. In reality we saw no cars at all as they were delayed and as we went off air after VT inserts and a load of woffle, all the cars arrived, much to the fury of the production team! The joy of live events tv

Robin writes:-
OB inserts featured in this new series of Cilla. They were done on the cheap on the back of other, usually sport OBs in a nearby location. So racing from Worcester and Cilla insert later, also from Worcester.

Format was that Cilla would announce live that cameras were in such a street in x town and if you live there come out in the street and say hello to Cilla live. Cue floodlights, PA system and microphones. People came out and were interviewed down the line live.

Robin writes:-
They were OB inserts for The Engelbert Humperdinck Show also starring the Young Generation dancers. These were directed by Stewart Morris.

The first was on 24[rig] and 25th January at Horsted Keynes station [renamed Generation Gap] on The Bluebell Railway in Sussex. It involved a steam train entering the station with Engelbert “driving” it and as it stopped all the carriage doors opened and the YG dancers emerged and did a routine on the platform with Eng singing foreground.

It was not a happy shoot with many timing problems of getting the train to arrive fast and stop on a precise mark. Then after numerous takes the engine needed refilling with water from a distant tank with another massive delay. We were all glad when it was over.

Second shoot with the same cast was unbelievably on the main car production line at Vauxhall’s Luton car plant on 6-7th March. How they agreed to it I’ll never know but it involved more singing and dancing in and out of the moving production line with all the workers more interested in the dancers than putting the cars together! We saw lots coming off the end of the line with leaks and faults. Ah happy days! 

Robin Writes:-
I was on 21 at this time along with the two regular cameramen, Keith Williams [acting sup] and Martin Wyatt. We did five separate two day shoots of location inserts into this drama strand, an anthology of murder mystery type shows, linked by Rupert Davies playing a character called Baker. There were 13 episodes hence the title Bakers Dozen. It was a high budget production and read like a who’s who of prominent British actors of the day. But during the shooting the title was changed to The Man Outside and this was the title they were transmitted under.

12-14 January 1972 first episode “Last Target” This starred Michael Redgrave and Ann Todd. Shot in Chenies and Latimer. I’ve found photos I took of this showing Martin Wyatt with EMI 2001 mounted on what I’m pretty sure is a Chapman Titan crane. Ann Todd is sitting on the bench.

Ken Osbourn writes:-

I was there – it was known as “Operation Vague One” and involved the RAF participation in the repatriation of the body of the Duke of Windsor to England. I think that the actual date of the live event was 31/5/1972.   https://youtu.be/Eurv2p8TvdQ   I have no idea whether the pictures in the YouTube link are those from Lo21.  The Duke of Windsor was formerly Edward VIII, King of the UK and Emperor of India from 20th Jan 1936 until his abdication on 11^th Dec of the same year.  He died on 28th May 1972 in Paris, so the 29^th would fit in with a rapid deployment of Lo21 to RAF Benson.