Celebrating success - past and present (From Borehamwood Times)

Celebrating success - past and present

11:44am Friday 14th March 2008

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I was at Hertswood school earlier this week answering questions from a group of young children asking about Elstree Studios and what goes on there, and, most importantly which famous people I had seen on set. I pointed out, much to their disappointment that I don’t go on set and see anyone. I had seen Eamonn Holmes walk past in the car park once and Noel Edmonds in the distance as he made his way to a recording but that was about it. The cross-party board of Councillors – made up of all three political parties that sit on the Council – who oversee the studios for the Council and for residents don’t visit celebrities, we’re there to ensure the facilities are working right so that productions will want to come back to us season after season. The children didn’t seem that keen to hear about studio laundry and painting of dressing rooms and offices. I think they were surprised to hear that the councillors don’t get paid to sit on the Board and do this work and that the Studios, rather than costing money actually makes money for the Borough, which gets ploughed back into local services.

Their ears did prick up when they heard that Big Brother would be coming back and about Dancing on Ice, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Are you Smarter Than…? “I hope Big Brother stays,” said one of the young girls, “I’d like to be on it when I’m older”, which I found a little troubling.

I mentioned some of the Studios’ history and the children were very polite but other than Star Wars and Indiana Jones, I don’t think they knew much of Hitchcock making this country’s first talking picture back there in 1929, Moby Dick or The Dam Busters.

So they probably won’t be very excited by the prospect of a gentleman called Bryan Forbes who is coming to the Studios for a plaque unveiling in his honour in April, courtesy of the Town Council. Many of you will remember Bryan Forbes as a dashing young actor in the 1950s; he was also screenwriter, producer and director. He still writes novels and received the CBE for his services to his industry two years ago. The guest unveiler is due to be Lord Attenborough with whom Forbes worked closely on many projects over the years from Whistle Down the Wind and The Angry Silence in the early 1960s to Chaplin in the early 1990s. Bryan Forbes was also the head of Elstree studios in the early 1970s during a time of great difficulty and strife for the British film industry.

There are around 20 of these tribute plaques that have been unveiled at Elstree Studios and placed around our town. A booklet is available from the Town Council listing them all. The scheme started in 1996, well before I was a Town councillor, as part of the 100th anniversary of British film celebrations. Our local film historian and entertainments officer at the Town Council, Paul Welsh, has spearheaded the scheme throughout all that time. Paul won the MBE in 1997 for his services to help save the Studios when it was under threat before the Borough council took it over in 1996, again before my time. Paul has suggested names for all the plaques to date and those names once agreed by the cross-party entertainment’s committee are approached for the honour. It was Paul who got Simon Cowell to the Studios too…but we won’t hold that against him! Actually, everyone who met Mr Cowell in person came away pleasantly surprised that his television image wasn’t entirely his own “real life” persona. I think they call it acting.

This event will be the first time that these unveilings have been opened up to the public. Something that I have been very keen on since joining the committee last year. The Studios belong to the people and these types of events should be able to overcome security and other issues to allow residents, albeit I accept in limited numbers, to come and pay tribute to stars of Elstree, past and present.

There will be some guests I am sure who are as wide eyed and bowled over that Bryan Forbes and Lord Attenborough will be coming to Elstree, as there are those who are when they see Davina McCall and Dermot O’Leary. I suppose it’s about age and personal taste.

Whichever your favourites, the opportunity to celebrate our town’s big screen and small screen heritage, is at the forefront of our minds. We have a lot to be proud of in this town and I thank people like Paul Welsh for making these tributes happen.

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