BBC lighting designer “borrows” Martin rig for Royal Variety Show

February 12, 2001

Tuesday December 5th saw the recording of this year’s Royal Variety Performance at the Dominion Theatre in London. A host of stars, including Westlife, Shirley Bassey, Lionel Richie and Kylie Minogue were lit by one of the largest automated lighting rigs in the West End. The set featured a vast array of Martin moving heads including an impressive 104 MAC 600s, 20 MAC 500s, 12 PAL 1200s and a number of new MAC 2000s.

The BBC selected the Dominion for the annual Royal Variety Show and inherited the massive lighting rig from the currently running musical Notre Dame de Paris. The Moving Light Company furnished the original fixtures, while the BBC employed Elstree Light and Power to specify the lighting for its annual event. The two companies worked closely together, and the existing luminaires were adapted and supplemented with additional fixtures including the new MAC 2000.

The lighting designer for the show was Bernie Davis who worked closely with Console Operator, Nigel Catmur, to provide a stunning lightshow. Bernie has had a wide and varied career in television having worked on an incredible number of programs for the BBC ranging from live events to popular TV shows such as Robot Wars.

Bernie comments, “I like to use the Martin moving heads because they give flexibility, especially when working to such a tight schedule. I use color wash for basic scenery and profiles for decoration, while the moving heads provide illumination and decorative effects.”

Bernie has also been putting the Martin TrackPod through its paces on the set of the BBC’s Robot Wars. The fast moving and highly risky nature of the show makes it virtually impossible to use followspot operators. As Bernie says, “The robots are really dangerous to be around with all their axes, chainsaws and cutting devices, and the set is like a goldfish bowl, so the Martin TrackPod system provided the ideal solution. The money that we saved on followspot operators was used to buy the Martin TrackPod which can be used again and again!”

Bernie began with the BBC over 30 years ago, but has been in his current post for the past 14 years. Starting as a technical planner in 1986, he moved into lighting design in 1988. By 1997 he had received his first BAFTA and has never looked back!

In addition to the Royal Variety Show, he has been involved with a host of high profile events including Prince Edward’s Wedding at Windsor, The Proms, the BAFTA Awards, the Olivier Awards, the Mercury Music Prize and the recent Festival of Remembrance in November.

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