QE2 Departure
OB Truck captures historic day
As the QE2 made her final departure from Southampton, MarTec's Outside Broadcasting truck made its first live network TV broadcast – rubbing shoulders with the global media as a slice of history was imparted across the airwaves.
Our OB truck was parked on the quayside of the Queen Elizabeth 2 Terminal in Southampton docks, along with Sky News and ITV, who were filming with Fred Dinenage and Debbie Thrower for Meridian Tonight .
But none of these organisations could match the scale of the joint BBC/Solent Outside Broadcasting resources deployed to cover the event. The BBC added their mobile studio unit, a radio-linked camera live on board the ship, and a helicopter-mounted aerial camera to give stunning night-time shots of the liner departing from Southampton. Our team also provided a second unit, using 'flyaway' equipment, to cover the crowds at Mayflower Park.
The footage was the headline content of an hour-long special edition of South Today , and also featured live on the BBC One Six-O'Clock News , and world-wide via the BBC online services.
Tony Wade, Course Leader, Outside Broadcasting, said: "This heralds a new age of co-operation between the University and BBC Regions. MarTec has provided the BBC with students, technical support, and a comprehensively equipped outside broadcast truck to provide live TV coverage of a national event.
"The BBC crew was most appreciative of the excellent facilities provided by our truck, and we have plans for further joint ventures starting with a live contribution for Children In Need, another large scale live network TV event which will be watched by viewers across the whole country and also online.
"I was proud to see the four top names in the Broadcast world lined up along the quayside: BBC, ITV, Sky and SSU!"