"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

I dont know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating film
"Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going into a
central london tube station late at night and never being seen again. [I'm
not saying which one for reasons that those who know which one it is will
understand - suffice to say the station choice made its screening at all a
little surprising]. It turned out they were being murdered by cannibalistic
troglodytes who were descendents of workers (both men and women) who were
marooned in a tunnel collapse during construction of the line and the
company building it didn't have the money to mount a rescue.

Although officially a horror film it was actually in some ways a tear jerker
as there were only two of the troglodytes left, one man, one woman and the
woman died in childbirth. It had a lot more depth than most films of the
genre.


According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location . Does
anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South Kensington seem
possibilities as there was a sign saying "District Line". The disused
station area where the trogoldytes lived was absolutely fascinating, does
anyone know where it was?


Finally according to this website
http://www.angelfire.com/darkside/re.../deathline.htm

"The film was apparently based on one of the old urban legend's surrounding
the London Underground about subterranean humans (similar to troglodytes)
living in disused portions of the old underground system and preying on
unwary passengers."

Does anyone know any more about such urban legends?


Paul

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being seen
again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who know
which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station choice
made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising that the
film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station that was portrayed
as opposed to the one where it was actually filmed?

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location .
Does anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South Kensington
seem possibilities as there was a sign saying "District
Line". The disused station area where the trogoldytes lived was
absolutely fascinating, does anyone know where it was?

IMDB (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/) mentions Russell Square station
as one of the filming locations. However that's on the Piccadilly Line, not
the District Line, so maybe other stations were used as well for the
filming.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
...
Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being seen
again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who know
which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station choice
made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising that the
film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station that was
portrayed as opposed to the one where it was actually filmed?

The Station portrayed. Not ever screened, but screened recently.

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location .
Does anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South
Kensington seem possibilities as there was a sign saying "District
Line". The disused station area where the trogoldytes lived was
absolutely fascinating, does anyone know where it was?

IMDB (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/) mentions Russell Square station
as one of the filming locations. However that's on the Piccadilly Line,
not the District Line, so maybe other stations were used as well for the
filming.
The deep level scenes were on the picc line but not at RS because as well as
way out signs there were "To District Line" Signs.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
...
Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being seen
again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who know
which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station choice
made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising that
the film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station that was
portrayed as opposed to the one where it was actually filmed?

The Station portrayed. Not ever screened, but screened recently.

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location .
Does anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South
Kensington seem possibilities as there was a sign saying "District
Line". The disused station area where the trogoldytes lived was
absolutely fascinating, does anyone know where it was?

IMDB (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/) mentions Russell Square
station as one of the filming locations. However that's on the Piccadilly
Line, not the District Line, so maybe other stations were used as well
for the filming.
The deep level scenes were on the picc line but not at RS because as well
as way out signs there were "To District Line" Signs.
All filmed on the Aldwych branch, I believe.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Paul wrote in
:

"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
...
Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being
seen again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who
know which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station
choice made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising
that the film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station
that was portrayed as opposed to the one where it was actually
filmed?

The Station portrayed. Not ever screened, but screened recently.

Ah. Point taken. Now I see what you mean.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Ericthehalfabee" wrote in message
...

"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
...
Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being seen
again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who know
which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station choice
made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising that
the film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station that was
portrayed as opposed to the one where it was actually filmed?

The Station portrayed. Not ever screened, but screened recently.

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location .
Does anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South
Kensington seem possibilities as there was a sign saying "District
Line". The disused station area where the trogoldytes lived was
absolutely fascinating, does anyone know where it was?

IMDB (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/) mentions Russell Square
station as one of the filming locations. However that's on the
Piccadilly Line, not the District Line, so maybe other stations were
used as well for the filming.
The deep level scenes were on the picc line but not at RS because as well
as way out signs there were "To District Line" Signs.
All filmed on the Aldwych branch, I believe.

That was my first suspicion but the trains definitely arrived and departed
so I dont think it could have been aldwych - could have been platform 3 at
Holborn possibly, but that wouldn't explain the "to District Line" sign
which was inappropriate for the station portrayed. Either way the station
had lifts not escalators

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/...v/lufandtv.htm

Did any one see "Museum?
"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Ericthehalfabee" wrote in message
...

"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
...
Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being seen
again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who know
which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station choice
made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising that
the film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station that was
portrayed as opposed to the one where it was actually filmed?

The Station portrayed. Not ever screened, but screened recently.

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location .
Does anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South
Kensington seem possibilities as there was a sign saying "District
Line". The disused station area where the trogoldytes lived was
absolutely fascinating, does anyone know where it was?

IMDB (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/) mentions Russell Square
station as one of the filming locations. However that's on the
Piccadilly Line, not the District Line, so maybe other stations were
used as well for the filming.
The deep level scenes were on the picc line but not at RS because as
well as way out signs there were "To District Line" Signs.
All filmed on the Aldwych branch, I believe.

That was my first suspicion but the trains definitely arrived and departed
so I dont think it could have been aldwych - could have been platform 3
at Holborn possibly, but that wouldn't explain the "to District Line" sign
which was inappropriate for the station portrayed. Either way the station
had lifts not escalators

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Ericthehalfabee" wrote in message
...
http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/...v/lufandtv.htm

Did any one see "Museum?

Museum (as Richard from "Keeping up Appearances" explained) was the name of
the abandoned station where the troglodytes lived. The only stations
actually featured in the film were Holborn and RS. Aldwych did not actually
feature as a station in the film.

The disused area looked more like a sub surface than a tube line but may I
guess have been the long disused platform at Aldwych or was there ever a
platform 6 built for the long disused aldwych line tunnel at holborn?

The film makers clearly borrowed from local knowledge as "British museum"
station is not far form Holborn, albeit on the Central Line

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Paul wrote:

The disused area looked more like a sub surface than a tube line but may I
guess have been the long disused platform at Aldwych or was there ever a
platform 6 built for the long disused aldwych line tunnel at holborn?

I believe so but didn't it become a private storage facility?

The film makers clearly borrowed from local knowledge as "British museum"
station is not far form Holborn, albeit on the Central Line

More than that - the Central Line platforms were a replacement for British
Museum.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Ah "Museum" station where the troglodytes lived was actually "British Museum
Station:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British...m_tube_station

No doubt about it when you look at the architecture on this web page. Big
question is how they managed to shut the Central line to film it - unless it
was done at Christmas

http://www.pendar.pwp.blueyonder.co....m_station.html


"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Ericthehalfabee" wrote in message
...
http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/...v/lufandtv.htm

Did any one see "Museum?

Museum (as Richard from "Keeping up Appearances" explained) was the name
of the abandoned station where the troglodytes lived. The only stations
actually featured in the film were Holborn and RS. Aldwych did not
actually feature as a station in the film.

The disused area looked more like a sub surface than a tube line but may I
guess have been the long disused platform at Aldwych or was there ever a
platform 6 built for the long disused aldwych line tunnel at holborn?

The film makers clearly borrowed from local knowledge as "British museum"
station is not far form Holborn, albeit on the Central Line

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Paul wrote:

Does anyone know any more about such urban legends?

Well, people will make up all sorts of stuff to pass the time. But there
are several other pieces of entertainment that mine the same rich vein.
There was (so SWMBO tells me) a Doctor Who story set in a disused tube
stn, and I certainly remember a Quatermass story (where the station was
IIRC called Hob's Lane). Both had nasties lurking below ground. As did
American Werewolf in London, filmed at TCR, though David the wolf was
only a temporary resident.

And there are plenty of disused tunnels to speculate about, most
recently the original alignment of the Jubilee line. Of course, some
unlikely tales about goings-on in tube tunnels turn out to be quite
true, like the one about building aircraft in the Central Line Eastern
extension tunnels during WW2.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Chris Tolley wrote:

There was (so SWMBO tells me) a Doctor Who story set in a disused tube
stn,

From recollection three stories, though none feature disused stations.

In "The Web of Fear" (1968) the TARDIS materialises in the tube and finds
the network shut down and London evacuated due to an invasion by robotic
Yeti. A number of tube stations are seen, but all scenes were recorded in
studio (though the sets were so convincing that London Underground believed
otherwise!).

London is evactuated again in 1974's "Invasion of the Dinosaurs", where the
monsters of the story's title have been transported back in time by renegade
scientists operating an a base beneath (I thin) Aldgate tube, accessed by a
lift in a broom cupboard.

And in 1986's "The Trial of a Time Lord" the Doctor visits the future where
Earth has been devasted by a solar flare and survivors live in "Marb
station", a complex built in and beneath Marble Arch station (although the
set for the actual remains of the station bears little resemblence to Marble
Arch).

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

The Doctor Who story 'The Web of Fear' of 1968 was indeed set on the
Underground, although the BBC were quoted such a ridiculous price to
film on the actual Underground and with so many understandable strings
attached that they built their own set of a short platform which could
be redressed to represent a number of stations and a couple of sections
of tunnel (one straight and one with a junction) which were apparently
so convincing that LT believed that a film crew had broken in and
filmed without permission. The only location filming was done in the
Woolwich foot tunnel. The one surviving episode can be seen on the
'Lost in Time' DVD release and while the Underground sets are very
detailed the junction appears several times in odd places (such as
while the characters are walking from Covent Garden to Goodge Street).

The Quatermass to which you refer is the Hammer film of 'Quatermass and
the Pit' and the underground station was all in studio as far as I'm
aware.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Ericthehalfabee" wrote in message
...

"Paul" wrote in message
...

"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
...
Paul wrote in
:

I don't know if anyone was watching TV4 last night but a fascinating
film "Death Line" from 1972 was shown. Essentially people kept going
into a central london tube station late at night and never being seen
again. [I'm not saying which one for reasons that those who know
which one it is will understand - suffice to say the station choice
made its screening at all a little surprising].

I'm intrigued why the choice of station should make it surprising that
the film was ever screened. Are you talking about the station that was
portrayed as opposed to the one where it was actually filmed?

The Station portrayed. Not ever screened, but screened recently.

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location .
Does anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South
Kensington seem possibilities as there was a sign saying "District
Line". The disused station area where the trogoldytes lived was
absolutely fascinating, does anyone know where it was?

IMDB (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/) mentions Russell Square
station as one of the filming locations. However that's on the
Piccadilly Line, not the District Line, so maybe other stations were
used as well for the filming.
The deep level scenes were on the picc line but not at RS because as
well as way out signs there were "To District Line" Signs.
All filmed on the Aldwych branch, I believe.

That was my first suspicion but the trains definitely arrived and departed
so I dont think it could have been aldwych - could have been platform 3
at Holborn possibly, but that wouldn't explain the "to District Line" sign
which was inappropriate for the station portrayed. Either way the station
had lifts not escalators


Aldwych station had signs on the platform pointing to the district line,
which actually were supposed to direct you to Temple station which is a few
minutes walk away.

Andrew

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
Chris Tolley wrote:

[snip]

And there are plenty of disused tunnels to speculate about, most
recently the original alignment of the Jubilee line. Of course, some
unlikely tales about goings-on in tube tunnels turn out to be quite
true, like the one about building aircraft in the Central Line Eastern
extension tunnels during WW2.

Turned into a Plessey factory using about about 7 miles of twin running
tunnels.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Ianigsy" wrote in message
ups.com...
The Doctor Who story 'The Web of Fear' of 1968 was indeed set on the
Underground, although the BBC were quoted such a ridiculous price to
film on the actual Underground and with so many understandable strings
attached that they built their own set of a short platform which could
be redressed to represent a number of stations and a couple of sections
of tunnel (one straight and one with a junction) which were apparently
so convincing that LT believed that a film crew had broken in and
filmed without permission. The only location filming was done in the
Woolwich foot tunnel. The one surviving episode can be seen on the
'Lost in Time' DVD release and while the Underground sets are very
detailed the junction appears several times in odd places (such as
while the characters are walking from Covent Garden to Goodge Street).

I have quite literally just watched this episode, and I have to say I'm very
impressed with the set tube sets - not the "wobbly cardboard" sets for which
Doctor Who is often mis-remembered. It was only really the junction that let
it down - whilst the placement of the junction was odd, I thought the actual
trackwork was odder. No attempt was made to represent a real point and
crossing set, and it's clear that the BBC only modelled a three-rail system
(two running rails and a central current rail). At the crossings, the rails
just joined together and passed through each other rather than have any
gaps - how London Transport were fooled by this I don't know!


--
Ronnie
--
Have a great day...
....Have a Great Central day.
www.greatcentralrailway.com

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
"Tim Roll-Pickering" wrote:

Chris Tolley wrote:

There was (so SWMBO tells me) a Doctor Who story set in a disused tube
stn,

From recollection three stories, though none feature disused stations.

In "The Web of Fear" (1968) the TARDIS materialises in the tube and finds
the network shut down and London evacuated due to an invasion by robotic
Yeti. A number of tube stations are seen, but all scenes were recorded in
studio (though the sets were so convincing that London Underground believed
otherwise!).


For a Dr Who set, that is saying something!

Actually I believe the Beeb has, or at least had, a generic tube station set.
I seem to remember it appearing on a number of different programmes


London is evactuated again in 1974's "Invasion of the Dinosaurs", where the
monsters of the story's title have been transported back in time by
renegade scientists operating an a base beneath (I thin) Aldgate tube,
accessed by a lift in a broom cupboard.

That sounds more like Dr Who.


And in 1986's "The Trial of a Time Lord" the Doctor visits the future where
Earth has been devasted by a solar flare and survivors live in "Marb
station", a complex built in and beneath Marble Arch station (although the
set for the actual remains of the station bears little resemblence to
Marble Arch).



After my time.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message , Tim Roll-Pickering
writes
Chris Tolley wrote:

There was (so SWMBO tells me) a Doctor Who story set in a disused tube
stn,

From recollection three stories, though none feature disused stations.

In "The Web of Fear" (1968) the TARDIS materialises in the tube and finds
the network shut down and London evacuated due to an invasion by robotic
Yeti. A number of tube stations are seen, but all scenes were recorded in
studio (though the sets were so convincing that London Underground believed
otherwise!).

Was that the one where an actor died on the set and the others ad libbed
around his part? The sets were in the studio, but as a number of
parallel tunnels. It went out live.

Mike
--
M.J.Powell

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Graeme Wall" wrote in message
...

That sounds more like Dr Who.


And in 1986's "The Trial of a Time Lord" the Doctor visits the future
where
Earth has been devasted by a solar flare and survivors live in "Marb
station", a complex built in and beneath Marble Arch station (although
the
set for the actual remains of the station bears little resemblence to
Marble Arch).

After my time.

--
Graeme Wall

Not very realistic - as every one knows, in the future the Doctor would have
landed up in a Crossrail tunnel....

Paul

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

On the subject of disused stations turning up in Dr Who, part of 'The
Dalek Invasion of Earth' from 1964 was filmed in and around the disused
Wood Lane station over the road from the BBC. The DVD release includes
a "now and then" feature which includes some of the locations which are
apparently now history themselves.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Paul Scott wrote:

That sounds more like Dr Who.

And in 1986's "The Trial of a Time Lord" the Doctor visits the future
where
Earth has been devasted by a solar flare and survivors live in "Marb
station", a complex built in and beneath Marble Arch station (although
the
set for the actual remains of the station bears little resemblence to
Marble Arch).

After my time.

Not very realistic - as every one knows, in the future the Doctor would
have landed up in a Crossrail tunnel....

Maybe, though in 1968's "The Web of Fear" the tube maps shown are for 1968
(lacking the Victoria and Jubilee Lines) despite dialogue that dates the
story as at least 1975 ("over forty years" after "1935").

But the series also expected the BBC to have a third terrestrial channel by
the erm 1980s at the latest (some of the dating is unclear), a British space
programme with regular trips to Mars and even shots to Jupiter in the same
period, the decimal system to have ten shillings in the pound, five pound
coins would be in circulation in the late 1990s bearing the head of a King
and that Gillian Taylforth would still be in EastEnders in 2013 (although
Letitia Dean keeps making and breaking that prediction as well!).

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

M. J. Powell wrote:

There was (so SWMBO tells me) a Doctor Who story set in a disused tube
stn,

From recollection three stories, though none feature disused stations.

In "The Web of Fear" (1968) the TARDIS materialises in the tube and finds
the network shut down and London evacuated due to an invasion by robotic
Yeti. A number of tube stations are seen, but all scenes were recorded in
studio (though the sets were so convincing that London Underground
believed
otherwise!).

Was that the one where an actor died on the set and the others ad libbed
around his part? The sets were in the studio, but as a number of parallel
tunnels. It went out live.

I've never heard of an actor dying on set in Doctor Who (the only death in
production I've heard of was when an actor was cast in the 1980s but
murdered before recording).

Oh and it wasn't live but recorded virtually "as live" with very few breaks
due to videotape being difficult to edit.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"M. J. Powell" wrote in message
...

Was that the one where an actor died on the set and the others ad libbed
around his part? The sets were in the studio, but as a number of
parallel tunnels. It went out live.

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live. It was simply
recorded "as live" for the first few years due to the difficulties in
videotape editing.


--
Ronnie
--
Have a great day...
....Have a Great Central day.
www.greatcentralrailway.com

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

According to the credits, the whole thing was filmed on location . Does
anyone know where it was filmed. Gloucester road and South Kensington seem
possibilities as there was a sign saying "District Line". The disused
station area where the trogoldytes lived was absolutely fascinating, does
anyone know where it was?

Barking:)

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
"Paul Scott" wrote:


"Graeme Wall" wrote in message
...

That sounds more like Dr Who.


And in 1986's "The Trial of a Time Lord" the Doctor visits the future
where Earth has been devasted by a solar flare and survivors live in
"Marb station", a complex built in and beneath Marble Arch station
(although the set for the actual remains of the station bears little
resemblence to Marble Arch).

After my time.

-- Graeme Wall

Not very realistic - as every one knows, in the future the Doctor would
have landed up in a Crossrail tunnel....


Oh come on! It wasn't set /that/ far in the future.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
"Tim Roll-Pickering" wrote:

M. J. Powell wrote:

There was (so SWMBO tells me) a Doctor Who story set in a disused
tube stn,

From recollection three stories, though none feature disused stations.

In "The Web of Fear" (1968) the TARDIS materialises in the tube and
finds the network shut down and London evacuated due to an invasion by
robotic Yeti. A number of tube stations are seen, but all scenes were
recorded in studio (though the sets were so convincing that London
Underground believed otherwise!).

Was that the one where an actor died on the set and the others ad libbed
around his part? The sets were in the studio, but as a number of parallel
tunnels. It went out live.

I've never heard of an actor dying on set in Doctor Who (the only death in
production I've heard of was when an actor was cast in the 1980s but
murdered before recording).

The only death I've heard of in a BBC studio was a messenger who had a heart
attack during a live programme.


Oh and it wasn't live but recorded virtually "as live" with very few breaks
due to videotape being difficult to edit.


At that time videotape editing was done by physically cutting the tape and
splicing the wanted sections together. Something of a nightmare with 2 inch
tape. I'm not sure when Dr Who started being recorded but it was certainly
before 1970 when I started working on it.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
"Ronnie Clark" wrote:


"M. J. Powell" wrote in message
...

Was that the one where an actor died on the set and the others ad libbed
around his part? The sets were in the studio, but as a number of
parallel tunnels. It went out live.

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live. It was simply
recorded "as live" for the first few years due to the difficulties in
videotape editing.



It certainly went out live in the very early years, most BBC programmes did.
Z-Cars was transmitted live well into the 1970s. By then it had become a
fetish for that programme and there were long and loud lamentations when they
went recorded. The reason being to do with studio scheduling rather than
editing.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Graeme Wall wrote:

In message
"Ronnie Clark" wrote:

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live.

It certainly went out live in the very early years

Oh no it didn't (and I've read more than enough books on the topic to
prove it). 'Quatermass' and various plays went out live but 'Doctor
Who' never did.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Graeme Wall wrote:

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live. It was simply
recorded "as live" for the first few years due to the difficulties in
videotape editing.

It certainly went out live in the very early years, most BBC programmes
did.
Z-Cars was transmitted live well into the 1970s. By then it had become a
fetish for that programme and there were long and loud lamentations when
they
went recorded. The reason being to do with studio scheduling rather than
editing.

I disagree - a lot of research has been done that shows that Doctor Who was
recorded in advance from the outset.

Z-Cars seemed to still do live episodes in 1965 but this was even then
regarded as anachronistic.

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Graeme Wall wrote:

And in 1986's "The Trial of a Time Lord" the Doctor visits the future
where Earth has been devasted by a solar flare and survivors live in
"Marb station", a complex built in and beneath Marble Arch station
(although the set for the actual remains of the station bears little
resemblence to Marble Arch).

After my time.

Not very realistic - as every one knows, in the future the Doctor would
have landed up in a Crossrail tunnel....

Oh come on! It wasn't set /that/ far in the future.

Only 2,000,000 years!

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 22:43:40 +0000 someone who may be Graeme Wall
wrote this:-

Actually I believe the Beeb has, or at least had, a generic tube station set.
I seem to remember it appearing on a number of different programmes

No, it is actually a real station on the secret government tube line
that lies under the ordinary ones:-)

Incidentally while looking for something else I came across
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/s...on/index.shtml
which has many interesting photographs of the Snow Hill line in
London, now called Thameslink.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
(Old Joe) wrote:

Graeme Wall wrote:

In message
"Ronnie Clark" wrote:

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live.

It certainly went out live in the very early years

Oh no it didn't (and I've read more than enough books on the topic to
prove it). 'Quatermass' and various plays went out live but 'Doctor
Who' never did.

I must check with a cooleague who worked on the early episodes. Can't
contact him at the moment as he is somewhere in Brazil!

I wouldn't believe everything you read in books about Dr Who...

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message
"Tim Roll-Pickering" wrote:

Graeme Wall wrote:

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live. It was simply
recorded "as live" for the first few years due to the difficulties in
videotape editing.

It certainly went out live in the very early years, most BBC programmes
did.
Z-Cars was transmitted live well into the 1970s. By then it had become a
fetish for that programme and there were long and loud lamentations when
they
went recorded. The reason being to do with studio scheduling rather than
editing.

I disagree - a lot of research has been done that shows that Doctor Who was
recorded in advance from the outset.

There are recordings of the early shows but BBC drama series were recorded
even when transmitted live (for the repeats). Some where only recorded on
film for archive purposes (and 405 line TV recorded on 16mm film is pretty
awful).


Z-Cars seemed to still do live episodes in 1965 but this was even then
regarded as anachronistic.


Still live when I joined the Beeb in 1969. They were, as far as I know, the
last drama series to be transmitted live.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message , Graeme Wall
writes
The only death I've heard of in a BBC studio was a messenger who had a
heart attack during a live programme.

YTV in Leeds famously had a guest die on their afternoon chat show
"Calendar People" in the seventies. (This was the same programme - but
not edition - which saw Richard Whiteley's famous encounter with a
ferret. I'm trying really hard to come up with a railway or London
transport connection here but can't!)
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message , Ronnie Clark
writes

"M. J. Powell" wrote in message
...

Was that the one where an actor died on the set and the others ad libbed
around his part? The sets were in the studio, but as a number of
parallel tunnels. It went out live.

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live. It was simply
recorded "as live" for the first few years due to the difficulties in
videotape editing.

Very sorry. I added my bit in the wrong place.

I was thinking of an ABC production from Birmingham.

Mike
--
M.J.Powell

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Graeme Wall wrote:

I must check with a cooleague

cooleague: n. 1. a fellow worker whose company one enjoys.

OED please note.
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9632889.html
(33 112 at Reading, 1 Jun 1985)

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

In message , Graeme Wall
writes

It certainly went out live in the very early years, most BBC programmes did.

According to ...
http://www.relativedimensions.co.uk/newman.html

it was recorded on videotape (which was indeed unusual in the UK back
then). Almost certainly they would have used Ampex Quad machines, which
the beeb were just starting to employ, following the failure of their
own "VERA" video-taping system.

I can't be certain if that URL is right, but it seems very likely - the
quality of the early episodes matches the very poor reproduction of
early Quads (nowhere near as good as film), and they would already have
been committed to using recording for the title sequence and for the
trailers (it was one of the very few programmes to have had trailers
back in them days).

--
Paul Terry

"Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Paul wrote:

Big question is how they managed to shut the Central line to film it -
unless it was done at Christmas

There are several free hours every day, or rather, night.

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633073.html
(50 023 at Basingstoke, 10 May 1985)

Early Doctor Who not recorded live [Was: "Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

Graeme Wall wrote:

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live.

It certainly went out live in the very early years

Oh no it didn't (and I've read more than enough books on the topic to
prove it). 'Quatermass' and various plays went out live but 'Doctor
Who' never did.

I must check with a cooleague who worked on the early episodes. Can't
contact him at the moment as he is somewhere in Brazil!

I wouldn't believe everything you read in books about Dr Who...

Given that many are written by researchers who have accessed the BBC's
files, checking and cross checking the studio dates, internal memos and so
forth. The recording schedules are in existance, the tape usages are, a few
of the early episodes transmitted from film recordings still exist in the
Film Library. The evidence is overwhelming.

Early Doctor Who not recorded live [Was: "Death Line" 1972 (Film)
 

"Tim Roll-Pickering" wrote in message
...
Graeme Wall wrote:

It is an urban myth that Doctor Who ever went out live.

It certainly went out live in the very early years

Oh no it didn't (and I've read more than enough books on the topic to
prove it). 'Quatermass' and various plays went out live but 'Doctor
Who' never did.

I must check with a cooleague who worked on the early episodes. Can't
contact him at the moment as he is somewhere in Brazil!

I wouldn't believe everything you read in books about Dr Who...

Given that many are written by researchers who have accessed the BBC's
files, checking and cross checking the studio dates, internal memos and so
forth. The recording schedules are in existance, the tape usages are, a
few of the early episodes transmitted from film recordings still exist in
the Film Library. The evidence is overwhelming.

I think the confusion is down to way it's been described. Dr Who never went
out live, but due to the way it was recorded it was very much like a live
show. Scenes were recorded in order, there was little opportunity for
retakes, etc. So although it was all committed to tape before transmission,
the process for the actors, stage hands, etc. probably didn't differ much
from a show that did go out live.