[AaronLancs]

I can believe that elements of the 1999 set (particularly the projection screens, which would have required a bit of calibration) were installed whilst the blue set was still standing, but surely it would have been impossible for both to stand in full without significantly impairing the strict camera positions needed for the blue set.

If you look at the positioning of the 1999 set, it was quite restrictive, despite being fairly small within the studio. The partially rebuilt blue set was positioned in the bottom left corner.


Yes, the small dot above 'N9' is the central column that featured in many a backdrop. Unfortunately, couldn't fit all the room in, as the actual studio in N9 is cut off in the above image.

Hi, I was told by someone who worked in the BBC News Centre back then that this is what happened. In the final few weeks before the relaunch, the new BBC News set was built into N6 whilst the old blue set remained on the other side of the studio. Facing each other literally. 

I am just going what was told to me by that engineer.

One thing that fascinates me is how careful they had to be to not give away that there was a new look around the corner. Until a certain promo was released.

thetvroom.com 

Untitled

  Source: thetvroom.com

[Kojak]

There was a bit of a discussion a few years back at the blue place about an edition of the Nine that Peter Sissons hosted from Washington D.C., just as Bill Clinton was about to be impeached. In his book, he claimed that George Alagiah was the backup presenter in the studio - and this led to some discussion about whether Peter had misremembered, as there was no other record of him presenting in the virtual era. I can now confirm that you were all correct. The following video shows that it was in fact Edward Stourton presenting in London that evening:

youtu.be 

[JLav25]

There was a bit of a discussion a few years back at the blue place about an edition of the Nine that Peter Sissons hosted from Washington D.C., just as Bill Clinton was about to be impeached. In his book, he claimed that George Alagiah was the backup presenter in the studio - and this led to some discussion about whether Peter had misremembered, as there was no other record of him presenting in the virtual era. I can now confirm that you were all correct. The following video shows that it was in fact Edward Stourton presenting in London that evening:

youtu.be 

He said as well the only other instances her presented outside the studio were for Dunblane and the Concorde crash, so i'd guess George was the presenter for the Concorde broadcast.

[Kojak]

There was a bit of a discussion a few years back at the blue place about an edition of the Nine that Peter Sissons hosted from Washington D.C., just as Bill Clinton was about to be impeached. In his book, he claimed that George Alagiah was the backup presenter in the studio - and this led to some discussion about whether Peter had misremembered, as there was no other record of him presenting in the virtual era. I can now confirm that you were all correct. The following video shows that it was in fact Edward Stourton presenting in London that evening:

youtu.be 

He said as well the only other instances her presented outside the studio were for Dunblane and the Concorde crash, so i'd guess George was the presenter for the Concorde broadcast.

That would make sense, as George seemed to be the designated fill-in for the Nine/Ten during the cream and red era. Even then, he only did about ten programmes a year - as we all know, it was very rare for both Peter and Michael Buerk to both be absent.

[Radiodog]

He said as well the only other instances her presented outside the studio were for Dunblane and the Concorde crash, so i'd guess George was the presenter for the Concorde broadcast.

That would make sense, as George seemed to be the designated fill-in for the Nine/Ten during the cream and red era. Even then, he only did about ten programmes a year - as we all know, it was very rare for both Peter and Michael Buerk to both be absent.

I would think this must be the next day. The edition he refers to in his book suggests apart from a very brief pre-recorded piece he didn’t appear at all.

[Newsroom]

There was a bit of a discussion a few years back at the blue place about an edition of the Nine that Peter Sissons hosted from Washington D.C., just as Bill Clinton was about to be impeached. In his book, he claimed that George Alagiah was the backup presenter in the studio - and this led to some discussion about whether Peter had misremembered, as there was no other record of him presenting in the virtual era. I can now confirm that you were all correct. The following video shows that it was in fact Edward Stourton presenting in London that evening:

youtu.be 

Good lord! 

I'd no idea Ed Stourton had ever done a 9? Did he or John Tusa do any other bulletins during that era? 

Great find.

[Nathan21]

There was a bit of a discussion a few years back at the blue place about an edition of the Nine that Peter Sissons hosted from Washington D.C., just as Bill Clinton was about to be impeached. In his book, he claimed that George Alagiah was the backup presenter in the studio - and this led to some discussion about whether Peter had misremembered, as there was no other record of him presenting in the virtual era. I can now confirm that you were all correct. The following video shows that it was in fact Edward Stourton presenting in London that evening:

youtu.be 

Good lord! 

I'd no idea Ed Stourton had ever done a 9? Did he or John Tusa do any other bulletins during that era? 

Great find.

I'm not sure about John Tusa, but I've definitely seen an image of Ed Stourton with Anna Ford presenting the Six.

[Kojak]

That would make sense, as George seemed to be the designated fill-in for the Nine/Ten during the cream and red era. Even then, he only did about ten programmes a year - as we all know, it was very rare for both Peter and Michael Buerk to both be absent.

I would think this must be the next day. The edition he refers to in his book suggests apart from a very brief pre-recorded piece he didn’t appear at all.

I've got his book in front of me now. You are indeed correct. This apparently happened on Friday 11th September 1998. The video I linked to above is from Monday 14th - so Peter must have stayed in the States over the weekend. In any case it wouldn't have been Alagiah standing by in the studio on the Friday - I imagine Ed Stourton would have done that Nine also.

It was apparently Michael Buerk presenting from the studio on the night of the Concorde disaster (again, according to Sissons' book).

[Kojak]

Good lord! 

I'd no idea Ed Stourton had ever done a 9? Did he or John Tusa do any other bulletins during that era? 

Great find.

I'm not sure about John Tusa, but I've definitely seen an image of Ed Stourton with Anna Ford presenting the Six.

According to Rolling News' Great Presenter Count of 2020 (powered by BBC Genome), Ed Stourton did present the Six, albeit very infrequently (once a year between '95 and '97, apparently).

www.tvforum.co.uk 

BBC News Presenter Count 1967-2020: Presented by Rolling News and mccanmat. With…
TV Forum Light Dark System Default Homepage TV Home The Newsroom Media & Tec…
  Source: www.tvforum.co.uk

[Rolling News]

There was a bit of a discussion a few years back at the blue place about an edition of the Nine that Peter Sissons hosted from Washington D.C., just as Bill Clinton was about to be impeached. In his book, he claimed that George Alagiah was the backup presenter in the studio - and this led to some discussion about whether Peter had misremembered, as there was no other record of him presenting in the virtual era. I can now confirm that you were all correct. The following video shows that it was in fact Edward Stourton presenting in London that evening:

youtu.be 

Good lord! 

I'd no idea Ed Stourton had ever done a 9? Did he or John Tusa do any other bulletins during that era? 

Great find.

I'm sure there's a clip somewhere of Ed doing a late bulletin on a Christmas or New Year bank holiday. I think about 1997.

Another rare find - Moira Stuart doing the 9 on a Saturday night in November 1989. AFAIK, it was rare for anyone other than Buerk/Sissons/Lewis/Witchell to do the late bulletin after the 1988 relaunch.

www.youtube.com