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Old 21st Nov 2019, 3:17 pm   #326
slidertogrid
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,897
Default Re: Technology related anachronisms on TV and in films etc.

I met with one of the props buyers for the Netfilx series The Crown. I gave them some very basic pointers of TV at the time.
I also mentioned that the sets in Sandringham for instance were rented. RC Hunt a small shop in (I think) Dersingham provided Sandringham house with TV sets along with a lot of the P.A equipment for outside events.
At the time I supplied some TV sets for use in the recordings.
The first two series in my opinion were spot on in fact I thought they were excellent !
The T.V sets and radios were all correct for the year.
When the Queen mother thumped one of the sets that was playing up the Queen retorted "Don't do that it's rented!" so they did listen...


When we get to the current series things go a little astray... The first episode showed a Dual standard Ekco (which I supplied) showing a black and white picture and when the footman turned the volume up he used the correct control!

From there things went off the rails a little... A 23" GEC dual standard black and white set showed a colour picture, a Hotel room in America had a HMV Thorn 1400 with "rabbit ears" displaying a colour picture.. Sorry, color picture. And worse it was a good picture displaying none of the grotty NTSC symptoms...

I did advise that early colour sets in the UK at least were big bulky things in cabinets and provided some pictures of the type of set. They used a 26" Thorn 3500 which I don't think was quite released by 1969... but I suppose it's near enough.
It is simply a case of the fact that the correct sets were hard to find, buy or hire so they used what they could.
As others have said most people wouldn't notice .

Don't get me wrong this is in no way a criticism of the programme I think it
is excellent. I think a bit of artistic licence is permissible.
I haven't watched the whole of the third series yet but so far Harold Wilson is driven around in a black Humber I don't know if this is correct for his early years but I do hope he gets his Rover P5B soon...
I did get a little moaned at when I kept pausing the programme to photograph one of "My" sets …
Rich
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