Bradley Stoke Radio (BSR) welcomed a special guest to its Brook Way premises on Saturday 17th November to officially open its reconfigured studio space.
Casualty extra Paul Anderson, nicknamed ‘Oscar’ after the porter role he has played in the BBC hospital drama for over 30 years, cut a ribbon in the reconfigured ‘studio 1’ (broadcast studio) to declare the new facilities officially open.
Interviewed live on air by BSR’s Charles Brickley immediately after the opening, Paul explained how he first found success as a disco dancer in the 1970s, making the top six in the world championships. This led to him acquiring an Equity card and a role as a junior doctor in the very first episode of Casualty. Since then he has appeared as an extra in nearly every episode, latterly almost always as the trolley-pushing porter ‘Oscar’.
The reconfigured space at BSR also includes two other studios, the ‘Green Room’, where shows are put together from recordings on memory sticks, and a disabled-friendly training room, complete with overhead projector, which can also be used for live band performances.
The consolidated space now also has proper soundproofing between the individual studios and more solid doors.
Much of the work has been carried out at low cost using recycled materials with some of the necessary expenditure being funded by a recent Tesco Bags of Help grant.
The event, which also celebrated the recent renewal of the station’s Ofsted broadcasting licence, was rounded off with an evening of live music and food.
Photo: Paul Anderson (a.k.a ‘Oscar’) cuts a ribbon to officially open the new facilities.
Related link: Spotlight On… Casualty Supporting Artist, Paul Anderson AKA Oscar (Entertainment Views)
This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 22). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
