Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)

Subject: Ballad of the North West
From:
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 01:10 PM

I would be interested to know if anybody has any memories regarding the TV series Ballad of the North West that was broadcast in the BBC North West region of England around 1971/72. I would also be interested to know if anyone has any recordings of the programmes - I doubt if video tapes exist in private hands but someone might have made audio recordings.

Cheers

Mark
Folk North West

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST,pat
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 04:10 PM

I took part in one of the programmes, along with Brian Preston & Chris Parkinson amongst others,in the one about Preston Barracks.
I do have audio tapes somewhere of all of them but I doubt they are great quality. I have a feeling that Brian Preston had a video recording of it but I might be wrong.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 07:18 PM

No recording I'm afraid but I do remember the series fondly...those halcyon days when we took media promotion of folk music for granted!
Ah, me.........

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From:
Date: 29 Nov 02 - 03:11 AM

Pat - Thanks for the info about Brian. I've emailed him and I'm waiting for a reply about the video tapes. Can you email me please - I'd like to discuss the programmes further with you i.e. what were the songs you sang, who else you remember that was in it, other episode subjects and if you can find the tapes that you have I'd be interested in getting copies for my research about the programme. This series of programmes was before my time of being interested in folk music so any information that you can come up with will be great.

Cheers

Mark

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 03:49 AM

Bounce

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 06:17 AM

Mark........why not hget in touch with Alan Bell (director of Fylde Folk Festival) who presented the programme?

I remember the song 'Old Pendle' for the first time - - being used on a programme about Witchcraft in Lancashire and 'Lament of the Border Widow' and @Blow the Candle Out' but not the theme of the programmes where they wewre used...I think 'The Bold Astrologer' was also used on the witchcraft programme.....

I taped a couple of shows on my trusty cassette player (long gone, I'm afraid) along with the Steeleye Span television series which must have been showing at the same time (about 1975, methinks.....)

All the best with your research and let us know how you get on....

Harry Basnett.

PS. If you go on the Fylde Festival Website you'll be able to get Alan Bell's email address.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 10:12 AM

Harry

Funny you should mention Alan Bell - I've just been on the phone to him! He has a wealth of material about the programmes that he's going to send to me to have a look at so that should add a tremendous amount of info to the research. He confirmed that the BBC archives no longer has any tapes of the programme. I've emailed Brian Preston to ask if he still has the rumoured video tapes and I await his reply with interest.

The reason I'm doing this is to find out more about the recordings and broadcasts of Harry Boardman who was involved in BotNW.
Harry Boardman did several other radio programmes including 'The Edge' by Joe Beard. Joe has sent me details of the broadcast and the background to the story. Other programmes include a series called 'Ballads of Manchester' for BBC Radio Manchester (or GMR as it is today) I've sent an email to someone who was also involved with that for their memories.

I think I've got the record side of things up to date starting with 'New Voices' in 1965. 'Deep Lancashire'and the follow up 'Owdham Edge' was the one that kick started a few recording careers including Bernard Wrigley, Mike Harding and The Oldham Tinkers. Transpennine was next followed by A Lancashire Mon. Golden Stream and a cassette release called Personal Favourites were the last things he did solo. He also appeared on other LPs - 'The Bonnie Pit Laddie' and 'Steam Ballads'

Some tracks are being re-released as extras on CD issues of old stuff - for example The Iron Muse has been remastered with extra tracks including one of Harry's - The Handloom Weaver's Lament

I was fortunate enough to be a resident at Harry's club in the early 80's for a couple of years and have got a number of tapes of him singing - not brilliant quality but listenable to.

If anybody has any other memories of listening to Harry Boardman on the wireless then I'd be interested to hear them.

[e-mail]

Cheers

Mark

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 02 Dec 02 - 02:42 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 02 Dec 02 - 04:24 PM

Interestingly enough, I believe the Bull's Head in Failsworth where we hold the Open Door Folk Club was where Harry Boardman first ran a club. Keep us up to speed on this, Mark - - it sounds interesting.....

Incidentally, I've just had an e-mail from Mike Shaft, the Assistant Editor for GMR in reply to a query I made about the possibility of a folk programme on the station. He said they'd 'love to have a folk programme', the matter had been discussed and they hope to have one when a 'time-slot' becomes available. It would be nice if other local 'catters could contact Mike and show an interest in this...he can be contacted at [e-mail]

Sorry about the thread creep, Mark....

All the best................Harry Basnett.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Dec 02 - 11:12 AM

Hi Mark
I was in a programme about McCaffery    & the Preston   Barracks =
incident. I sang Dancing at Whitsun & some thing else I can't recall as =
Pat Ryan which was my maiden name. There was a programme about the =
canals which featured Gary & Vera,   Bernard Wrigley & Wilf Darlington.
I think I may have the script somewhere & the tapes are in the attic.    =
We are going to have a clear out soon so I will look them out.
I'll try to remember what else I can
Pat
I did try to e-mail you but it got returned

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 03 Dec 02 - 12:45 PM

Hi Pat

Sorry the email didn't get through. I get loads of rubbish sent to me at that address so it does work! Try [e-mail] or [e-mail]

I've had a tape through from Alan Bell with the first Folk On Sunday programme from Nelson - great to listen to! He's also sent me a list of the programme titles that went out under the BotNW. He has more info as well.
I'm trying to get hold of Douglas Boyd who produced the show for his memories of it.

The information I'm getting is going on the following link:

http://www.folknorthwest.co.uk/harry_boardman.htm

Obviously as time goes on I'll update the page with more information as I get it

If you can dig the tapes out that would be great. Get in touch and we'll sort something out.

Hi Harry

I've sent my email to Mike Shaft and I'll put something about the proposed folk programme on the Folk North West site and also in the next edition of the magazine (which won't be out until March now)

Thanks to both of you for your support with this project.

Cheers

Mark

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 03 Dec 02 - 03:11 PM

Hi, Mark....

          Thanks for your support re. the GMR campaign...I've just had a look at the Harry Boardman pages on the above site...Well Done!! It's wondereful to see Harry Boardman's contribution to the North-West folk scene being acknowledged in such a way.

          Harry and Lesley's book, 'Folk Songs and Ballads of Lancashire' (Oak Publications, 1973) is still a much valued possession!

Keep up the good work....

Harry Basnett.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 04 Dec 02 - 04:29 PM

*refresh*

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West
From: GUEST,Mark Dowding
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 07:10 PM

Just to keep you informed - I've been in touch with Lesley Boardman about various topics and to let her know what I'm doing.
I've also been in touch with Baz Barker who was most helpful. Baz produced a few programmes for Radio Manchester that featured Harry.
The page on the website will be updated as I get more information - much better than waiting for all the info before you write an article for a magazine - corrections and additions can be made as you go along and it jogs folks' memories into the bargain - hopefully.

Cheers

Mark

http://www.folknorthwest.co.uk/harry_boardman.htm

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 10:15 AM

Whilst the BBC do not hold this programme in their archives as film or videotape, Pat Ryan has confirmed to me that she has kept several audio cassette tapes of these programmes and that they turned up in her Christmas decoration box! She has had a quick listen and although the quality is not the best due to the age of the tapes and the technology of the time (1973/74)which was basically pointing a microphone at the TV speaker, they are at least a record of some of the programmes that up to now were "lost".

The programmes she has are:
One man & his Mule-Gary & Vera Aspey & Bernard Wrigley.
The Big Ditch - Gary & Vera Aspey
Way Of the Witch
the Owler Lads
The Alalbama Incident
The Highway Man
Cape Famine

The next thing is to see if the tapes can be restored somewhat and the sound quality improved.

Watch this space!

Cheers

Mark

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: Mr Lancashire
Date: 08 Jan 04 - 02:27 PM

I have a running order for the one in which the Bluewater Folk were involved in.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,Ken Campbell of the Pennine Do
Date: 26 Feb 16 - 07:11 AM

I was trawlling through your very old thread on the above subject. I wrote several programmes in both series both ofwhich were produced by produced by Douglas Boyd in the
the 1970s. Namely....THE WRECKERs,..with Pennine Folk,..The GREAT LEAD RUSH vwith Bullock Smithy,..The ALABAMA INCIDENT by the Peak Folk o Buxton,..TROUBLE AND StriFE with the OLDHAM TINKERs...etc..etc...I Also have the scripts and wrote several of the songs...

Those were the days!!

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 27 Feb 16 - 07:23 AM

I still consider "Song of a Derbyshire Man" which I believe is one of Ken's a 'lost gem' (Blue John perhaps?). I sometimes give it an outing at a local singaound.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Feb 16 - 05:14 PM

the original link to the Harry Boardman page posted by GUEST,Mark on 03 Dec 02 - 12:45 PM no longer exists

results of google search on folknorthwest.co.uk for Harry Boardman

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Feb 16 - 09:35 AM

Sandra - Thanks for pointing that out - the website got a revamp a few years ago and the Harry Boardman pages are now HERE :

Page 2 deals with Ballad of the NorthWest and other broadcasts that Harry was involved with.
Interesting that Ken still has a few scripts - I added three scripts that you can read on the site. If you read this Ken would it be possible to scan the scripts as PDF files and send them to me where I can add them to the page.

Although the master tapes of the broadcast TV programmes don't exist anymore as far as I know, the North West Film Archive holds the 16mm film from about 6 or 7 programmes that were used as inserts into the studio recording. There's about a minute or so of "Narras and Flats" showing Harry talking about the boat people that you can look at here Narras and Flats
.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: maeve
Date: 28 Feb 16 - 09:54 AM

I believe that last post to be from Mark Dowding.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 28 Feb 16 - 09:56 AM

Yes it was! - I wasn't logged in - but I am now. Thanks maeve!

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,Ken Campbell
Date: 29 Feb 16 - 07:54 AM

reply to Ian. I'm glad you like my song ...The Song of a Derbyshire man ...which I wrote for the TV ballad The Great Lead Rush. it all seems a long time ago now. we needed a softly swinging intro to the program so I wrote it in a waltz tenpo. I met up with the inxcomparable Stan Gee, I believed he died at a dance in Poynton in 1982.   About nihe years earlier he got me enthraled with the story of the famous Magpie lead Mine in Derbyshire. I just couldn't resist the tale. So here's to the memory of Stan who led the Bullock Smithy Folk Group in Stockport. what a character, He was also I believe, a member of the Derbyshire Cave Rescue Team.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,Ian Ball
Date: 27 Jan 21 - 07:38 AM

I have the script for this. Dad played in Bullock Smithy, as did I in the late 80s. Stan Gee was dads best man and met through Orpheus and Derbyshire caving clubs.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 27 Jan 21 - 08:27 AM

And your dad was at school with my dad, Ian - Mile-end, I think.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,CJB666
Date: 27 Jan 21 - 12:50 PM

Tho files we have are:

They Brought the Sea to Manchester (75th anniv. of the Manchester ship Canal) - it features Harry Boardman singing at the intro.

http://www.waterwaysongs.info/they_brought_the_sea_to_manchester.htm

Radio Documentary about Harry Boardman from The Well

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/8eqadbzls2bbn/Harry_Boardman

====

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: GUEST,Roger Booth
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 05:51 PM

Have just come across your thread. I was a member of the Blue Water Folk
that provided the music for one of the programs, The Lancashire Fusiliers, which was transmitted on 21st August 1973 on BBC 1.
I do have the complete original typed transcript of the program, all 31 pages of it, which I could possibly scan and forward to you if you are interested.

Subject: RE: Ballad of the North West (BBC TV series)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 07:47 PM

Mark Dowding hasn't posted since 2020, but he provided several email addresses in early threads