BBC 'Roving Eye' Vehicles.

[Martin Cox]

Anybody who has a passing interest in the history of TV outside broadcasting may find this article of some interest. https://becg.org.uk/2020/06/06/the-roving-eye/

So why have I included a link to it here? In the late nineties, the BBC had a Volvo V70 in their fleet of outside broadcast camera cars and a couple of pictures are included towards the end of the article. Almost as interesting is the MoT history of said vehicle!

The Broadcast Engineering Conservation Group, who published the article are having a couple of open days this coming weekend at their home at the former RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire. If you've any interest at all in the history of broadcasting it's well worth a visit and it's free too. More details at https://becg.org.uk/event/late-may-opening-days/

Martin

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Martin Cox

Anybody who has a passing interest in the history of TV outside broadcasting may find this article of some interest. https://becg.org.uk/2020/06/06/the-roving-eye/

So why have I included a link to it here? In the late nineties, the BBC had a Volvo V70 in their fleet of outside broadcast camera cars and a couple of pictures are included towards the end of the article. Almost as interesting is the MoT history of said vehicle!

The Broadcast Engineering Conservation Group, who published the article are having a couple of open days this coming weekend at their home at the former RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire. If you've any interest at all in the history of broadcasting it's well worth a visit and it's free too. More details at https://becg.org.uk/event/late-may-opening-days/

Martin

HTV Wales and the West based in Cardiff and Bristol had a fleet of volvo estates from the 70's to the 90's to use as camera cars . This came about when one of their other cars had a head on crash killing everyone in it. So they looked for the safest car in the world and never looked back. when I watched news reports which they filmed the cameraman always moved the camera a bit to get a nearby or passing volvo in shot if he could ! Jock was his name. It seems the car in the picture came off the road in 2003 they did very high weekly mileages.

[El Padrino]

Interesting article, thanks. Love those DS Safaris and the CXs just look fantastic with its body lines.

[Martin Cox]

As an aside, quite few years the BBC were evaluating estate cars for use as radio cars for local radio stations. The cars were to be equipped with a pump-up mast, a UHF transmitter and various other knick-knacks needed for broadcasting.

Eventually it came down to a choice of two vehicles, the Volvo 240 estate or the Austin Montego estate. At times the BBC has an unerring ability to separate the wheat from the chaff, then throw the wheat away and keep the chaff. No prizes for guessing which vehicle they picked!

Where I worked, we were spared Austin-Rover's finest and had a series of SWB Ford Transits fitted with masts instead. More often than not they were driven by young journalists who'd never driven anything bigger than a Mini, putting the fear of God in other road users. Even the local buses gave way to them!

These were superceded by a truly awful Peugeot 806 and an even worse Peugeot 807.

Martin