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ding dong ding dong

liveinabin

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
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Oct 19, 2001
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i was sat in bed the other night with radio four on and the midnight news came on starting with, as always, the chimes of Big Ben. (This isn't going to be nearly as interesting as I'm making it sound). And I thought to myself, "I was once told that the BBC didn't play a recording of Big Ben as they were not allowed to record it for some reason. The chimes are being played live each time'.

Can someone tell me, and I talking out of my hat here or is that true?
 
Erm... weren't the clock/chimes inoperative (for repairs) a while back?

Did the Beeb have to borrow a tape from News at Ten?
 
Common sense would say you're mistaken.

I hope you're mistaken.

I can see no advantage of using 'live' bell chimes. I can only see a waste of licence fee payers money. Like BBC3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 etc.
 
years ago - Dimblebuddy senior days - the BBC had a microphone permanently set up in the clock tower, though in this digital age, with falling standards, it just might have rusted away and not been replaced. After all, it was in mono.:D
 
i rekon the timeing of the chimes would be too eratic for the news reader to do his bit between bongs... if u listen to Big Ben it realy does wander a bit in the bong department...
 
A load of cods, according to my nephew who works at the Beeb.
 
Frobush said:
I can only see a waste of licence fee payers money. Like BBC3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Nonsense. Try watching/listening to them. BBC 7 is excellent.
 
beakboo said:
Nonsense. Try watching/listening to them. BBC 7 is excellent.

and BBC 4 is often rather good (they showed the Documentry on Nick Drake 'A Skin To Few' a while back and last night they showed a Horizon from the start of the Human Genome project complete with comentry about why it was of historical value - the program not the project.)
 
beakboo said:
Nonsense. Try watching/listening to them. BBC 7 is excellent.

I mean't it was a waste of licence payers money 'cos most licence payers or unable to watch/listen to them - even though they are paying for them.
 
Frobush said:
I mean't it was a waste of licence payers money 'cos most licence payers or unable to watch/listen to them - even though they are paying for them.
Oh ok, fair point. I was being unintentionally elitist.
BBC7 is very good though. :)
 
beakboo said:
BBC7 is very good though. :)

So I've heard....:rolleyes:

What really gets on my nerves is watching an advert (on Beeb 1 or 2) for a decent-looking program, only to eventually discover it's on digital...

(Rant at the Beeb....)
IF YOU'RE MAKING PROGRAMS WITH MY MONEY, AT LEAST LET ME SEE THE *&/'!%* THINGS!

(End rant :D )

(If they want more people to 'go digital', why don't they shift some of the crap from BBC1 - Eastenders, Holby City,Casualty, Neighbours, anything to do with holidays, decorating, hairdressers or celebrities - no, hang on, that channel's called News 24...)
 
I have a digital box that I brought with me when I moved but we get no reception here.
The hubby used to work for NTL and when he started there the plan was to turn off analogue in 2004. Now I think it stands at 2010. But the beeb say they are still on time for the switch off!
 
DerekH said:
...If they want more people to 'go digital', why don't they shift some of the crap from BBC1 - Eastenders, Holby City,Casualty, Neighbours...

That's an absolutely brilliant idea!

Unfortunately the BBC know that this 'audience' has already been 'captured' by SKY and are unlikely to be 'duped' twice...

...er, actually...

...now I think about it...



Incidentally - I used to 'knock about' with a bloke who was a 'Satellite Engineer' - he used to nail 'woks' to the side of peoples houses.

<EDIT> A quick scan of the Radio Times reveals that SKY 'users' get these extra BBC channels for FREE! So, Once again I'm talking b*ll*cks.
 
Originally posted by Frobush


<EDIT> A quick scan of the Radio Times reveals that SKY 'users' get these extra BBC channels for FREE! So, Once again I'm talking b*ll*cks.


If you can find them amongst the dross.
 
So while chatting on Twitter about The Pips dying it got on to the subject of the Big Ben Bongs being live or recorded.

Corrie Corfield said the following:

For the record - BIG BEN is LIVE. There is a microphone suspended beneath its clapper ( well in the belfry anyway).

I reckon she should know!
 
It's a brave spider that spins its web up there, I'd say. You'd think a passing campanologist would give them a dust occasionally.
 
I went up Big Ben ten years ago or so - the bongs were definitely live then.

We were there for noon and got told to be prepared for VERY loud bongs (and to brace oneself as apparently lots of people startle and then crack their heads on the girders up there). We also got told that if anyone *did* bang their heads and then swear, they'd be in big trouble as the nation would hear.

Was great fun!
 
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