The British Entertainment History Project
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - The British Entertainment History Project
OR:
The British Entertainment History Project on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The British Entertainment History Project (BEHP) records and preserves interviews with the men and women who have worked in British film, television, radio and theatre industries over the last 100 years "to ensure that their lives and experiences are preserved for future generations".


History

Founded in 1987 by Roy Fowler, the History Project started as an independent volunteer project by members of the industry trade union, ACTT, who wanted to preserve the stories and memories of the lives of the men and women who had been working in the various film and television industries. The organisation was originally called the ''ACTT History Project'', reflecting the fact that though it was an entirely separate project run by volunteers, it was nevertheless supported by the ACTT union. In 1991, the ACTT merged with the
Broadcasting and Entertainment Trades Alliance The Broadcasting and Entertainment Trades Alliance (BETA) was a short-lived British entertainment trade union. It was founded in 1984 with the merger of the Association of Broadcasting Staff and the National Association of Theatrical Televisio ...
, to form BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union) and the ACTT History Project became known as the BECTU History Project. In 2016, it was officially registered as a company limited by guarantee, as an independent, non-profit, voluntary organisation, and renamed the British Entertainment History Project. The work of the project continues to be acknowledged and supported by BECTU, industry-related unions and many other media organisations and educational institutions.


Archive collection

Over the last thirty years, the BECTU History Project has built one of the world's largest archives of industry-related memory. The unique and internationally recognised archive collection has grown to over 700 oral history interviews and over 4,000 hours of audio and video recordings making it the largest independent oral history collection of its kind in the UK. The recordings are used as a
primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...
by researchers and students, especially in the fields of media and social history. In addition, the archive is used by television and radio programmes, film documentaries, publishers, authors, historians, obituarists and journalists as well as the general public. Other partnerships and collaborations include work with the
BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, the
British Universities Film & Video Council British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and with universities such as the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
. In 2017, the BEHP began working with Sussex University and other partners as part of the 100 voices That Made The BBC''', which is part of the ''Connected Histories of the BBC'', funded by the
Arts and Humanities Research Council The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), is a British research council, established in 1998, supporting research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. History The Arts ...
(AHRC). Copies of all interview recordings also form part of the National Film archive of the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
and a significant number were made available as part of BFI Screen Online.


Interviewees

The interviewees are mainly drawn from professionals in the relevant industries working in the United Kingdom, but also include British professionals who worked abroad. Although the archive includes many well-known or major interviewees, the overall emphasis is on reflecting genuine breadth and variety, including those who may not be well known, but who, nevertheless have contributed to, or witnessed, interesting or important productions or simply have a unique story to tell. Capturing their reminiscences provides information about, and underpins, the cultural history of Britain's broadcasting and entertainment, whilst also shining a light on employment practices and the wider social history of particular periods. The aim is that future historians of the moving image and entertainment industries will have access to extensive personal testimonies from actual participants in these activities. Interviewees include actors such as
Jill Balcon Jill Angela Henriette Balcon (3 January 192518 July 2009) was a British actress. She was known for her work in film, television, radio and on stage. She made her film debut in ''Nicholas Nickleby'' (1947). She was the second wife of poet Cecil ...
, and
Robert Beatty Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK. Early years Beatty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the son of ...
, union officials, director/producers (Lord Richard Attenborough, Bimbi Harris,
John Krish John Jeffrey Krish (4 December 1923 – 7 May 2016) was a British film director and screenwriter. He directed and filmed much archive footage and in particular ''Our School'' in 1962, showing the changing ways of Britain's school and the last ...
), presenters such as Pete Murray and performers such as
Kenny Lynch Kenneth Lynch, OBE (18 March 1938 – 18 December 2019) was an English singer, songwriter, entertainer, and actor. He appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s. At the time, he was among the few black singers in British pop music. He was app ...
. One of the earliest recordings is of an interview with Adolph Simon, a silent newsreel cameraman who worked in 1914. In addition there are interviews with veterans such as
Earl Cameron Earlston Jewitt Cameron, CBE (8 August 19173 July 2020), known as Earl Cameron, was a Bermudian actor who lived and worked in the United Kingdom. After appearing on London's West End stage, he became one of the first black stars in the Briti ...
CBE and Jack Hollingshead who joined the BBC in 1930. Most of the crafts and grades are represented, including major cinematographers such as
Freddie Young Frederick A. Young (9 October 1902 – 1 December 1998) was a British cinematographer. He is probably best known for his work on David Lean's films ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) and ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), all th ...
, Art Directors such as Carmen Dillon, Continuity Girls, and Sound Recordists.


Notable interviewees

*
John Ammonds John Ammonds, (21 May 1924 – 13 February 2013)Graham McCanObituary: John Ammonds ''The Guardian'', 15 February 2013.Retrieved 16 February 2013. was a British television producer of light entertainment programmes. Ammonds was born in Kenning ...
*
Derek Boshier Derek Boshier (born 1937, in Portsmouth) is an English artist, among the first proponents of British pop art. Greene, Alison de Lima (2000). Texas: 150 Works from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. New York, New ...
*
Dallas Bower Dallas Bower (25 July 1907 – 18 October 1999) was a British director and producer active during the early development of mass media communication. Throughout his career Bower’s work spanned radio plays, television shows, propaganda shorts, ani ...
*
David Cobham Michael David Cobham (11 May 1930 – 25 March 2018) was a British film and TV producer and director, best known for the film ''Tarka the Otter''. He was also a first-class cricketer. Cricket career Cobham was educated at Stowe School, where h ...
*
Jill Craigie Jill Craigie (born Noreen Jean Craigie; 7 March 1911 – 13 December 1999) was a British documentary filmmaker, screenwriter and feminist. She was one of Britain's earliest female documentary makers. Her early films demonstrate Craigie's intere ...
*
Charles Crichton Charles Ainslie Crichton (6 August 1910 – 14 September 1999) was an English film director and film editor, editor. Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, he became best known for directing many comedies produced at Ealing Studios and had a 40-ye ...
*
John Dark John Dark (7 April 1927 – 29 June 2015) was a British film and television producer. Dark produced ''Half a Sixpence'' in 1967 and a series of Edgar Rice Burroughs films, including '' The Land That Time Forgot'' and '' At the Earth's Core'', ...
* Colin Dean * Desmond Dickinson *
Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010)Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as ''The Caretaker'' ...
*
Edward Dryhurst Edward Dryhurst (1904–1989) was an English screenwriter, film producer and director. Selected filmography Screenwriter * ''Three Men in a Cart'' (1929) * '' Find the Lady'' (1936) * ''The End of the Road'' (1936) * ''Jennifer Hale'' (1937 ...
*
John Elliot (author) Huzaifa Herbert Elliot (4 July 1918 – 14 August 1997) was a British novelist, screenwriter, director, and television producer active from 1954 until around 1993. Between 1954 and 1960, he scripted a succession of one-off television plays ...
*
David Elstein David Keith Elstein (born 14 November 1944), is an executive producer and a former Chair of openDemocracy.net. Early life and career His parents were Polish orphans who were brought to Britain by the Rothschild Foundation, and ran a ladies' outfi ...
*
Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2013 and ...
*
Freddie Francis Frederick William Francis (22 December 1917 – 17 March 2007) was an English cinematographer and film director. He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer. He started his career with British films such as Jack Cardiff's '' Sons and ...
*
Cyril Frankel Cyril Solomon Israel Frankel (28 December 19217 June 2017) was a British film and television director. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990. He directed many episodes of popular British TV sho ...
*
Harold French Harold French (23 April 1897 – 19 October 1997) was an English film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography After training at the Italia Conti School, he made his acting debut age 12, in a production of ''The Winter's Tale''. As an ...
* James Gilbert (producer) *
Bob Godfrey Roland Frederick Godfrey MBE (27 May 1921 – 21 February 2013),Jack Gold Jacob M. "Jack" Gold (28 June 1930 – 9 August 2015) was a British film and television director. He was part of the British realist tradition which followed the Free Cinema movement. Career Jacob M. Gold was born in London, the son of Ch ...
* Guy Green (filmmaker) *
John Halas John Halas (born János Halász;Brian McFarlane ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p.48 16 April 1912 – 21 January 1995) was a pioneering British animator. Together with Gyula Macskássy (an acquaintance from Sá ...
* Gordon Hales * John Hough (director) *
Joan Kemp-Welch Joan Kemp-Welch (23 September 19065 July 1999) was a British stage and film actress, who later went on to become a television director. After making her stage debut in 1926 at the Q Theatre, Kemp-Welch made her film debut in 1933 and appeared in ...
*
John Krish John Jeffrey Krish (4 December 1923 – 7 May 2016) was a British film director and screenwriter. He directed and filmed much archive footage and in particular ''Our School'' in 1962, showing the changing ways of Britain's school and the last ...
*
Bill Mason (director) Rowland Hill Berkeley Mason (9 November 1915 – 17 January 2002),Bill Mason
at bfi.org.uk (accessed 16 Oc ...
* Ernest Maxin *
Christopher Miles Christopher Miles (born 19 April 1939) is a British film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Miles was born in London, England, the eldest of four children to Clarice Remnant (‘Wren’), a councillor, and John Miles, a consulti ...
*
John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...
*
Ivor Montagu Ivor Goldsmid Samuel Montagu (23 April 1904, in Kensington, London – 5 November 1984, in Watford) was an English filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, film critic, writer, table tennis player, and Communist activist in the 1930s. He helped to de ...
*
Christopher Morahan Christopher Thomas Morahan CBE (9 July 1929 – 7 April 2017) was a British stage and television director and production executive. Biography Early life and career Morahan was born on 9 July 1929 in London, the son of film production designer ...
*
Diana Morgan (screenwriter) Mary Diana Morgan (29 May 1908, in Cardiff, Wales – 9 December 1996, in Northwood, Middlesex, England) was a Welsh playwright and screenwriter, mostly associated with her work for Ealing Studios as Diana Morgan. She was married to fellow s ...
*
John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...
* Francis Searle *
Don Sharp Donald Herman Sharp (19 April 192114 December 2011) was an Australian film director. His best known films were made for Hammer in the 1960s, and included ''The Kiss of the Vampire'' (1963) and ''Rasputin, the Mad Monk'' (1966). In 1965 he dire ...
* Michael
Smedley-Aston *
Jeremy Summers Jeremy Summers (18 August 1931 – 14 December 2016) was a British television director and film director, known for his directorship of ITC such as '' The Saint''. Background Born in St Albans in 1931, Summers was born into a family of theatric ...
* Diane Tammes *
Bernard Vorhaus Bernard Vorhaus (December 25, 1904 – November 23, 2000) was an American film director of Austrian descent, born in New York City. His father was born in Krakow, then part of Austria-Hungary. Vorhaus spent many decades living in the UK. Eearly ...
* Aida Young


Awards

In 1999, the History Project was awarded a £3,500 grant from th
Kraszna Krausz Foundation
to help towards the enormous task of transcribing hundreds of audio tapes. In 2010, the History Project was honoured with a Lifetime Contribution to Broadcasting Award at a ceremony at BAFTA.{{Cite web, url=https://www.bectu.org.uk/news/1050, title=Kaleidoscope honours History Project - BECTU, website=www.bectu.org.uk, language=en, access-date=2018-08-08


See also

* The Interviews: An Oral History of Television


References


External links


British Entertainment History Project (BEHP)BEHP Vimeo channelBEHP at Companies HouseBECTU
Entertainment industry Oral history