成人论坛

W1A is officially back. But watching it at home was nothing compared to the experience I had on Tuesday 21 April when I attended the 成人论坛 Alumni screening of the first episode alongside 220 former 成人论坛 employees. The raucous laughter was infectious and enlightening. As a trainee (insert your own Will joke here, believe me I’ve said/heard them all) I’ve witnessed a number of ‘W1Aisms’ over the past 11 months.

But seeing the 成人论坛 Alumni members react to the elaborate jargon, eccentric characters and sometimes ridiculous situations made me truly appreciate just how acutely John Morton has captured certain aspects of corporate culture in organisations like the 成人论坛.

I was so intrigued that I cornered a few Alumni after the event to get their thoughts on the programme and what it was that was so familiar.

Andy Popperwell and Benny Ammar’s tenure at the 成人论坛 spanned 30 years, and they had some great stories to share about royal visits and the 成人论坛’s dress code:

Andy Popperwell: “I loved it… I remember when Princess Alexandra came to visit she got stuck in a lift with a member of staff, and his strong aftershave.”

Benny Ammar: “I remember during royal visits we all had to wear a tie, something we never did. The management director came round and said you must wear a tie, you will wear a tie, you will wear a tie. And it was so similar to what we saw in the programme.”

Former 成人论坛 Cameramen Roger Bunce and Stephen Rogers shared their stories too:

Roger Bunce: “The screening was fabulous. I could relate to almost all of it.”

Stephen Rogers: “I remember being one of the cameramen when the Queen opened the new digital Broadcasting House and they had to run an analogue mixing desk in because they couldn’t quite get the technology working. That’s how it’s true to life - it’s so common in organisations of the size of the 成人论坛.”

And a number of 成人论坛 Alumni members talked about how W1A is relevant to all large organisations:

Phil Glenister: “Siobhan from Perfect Curve PR is my favourite part of the whole programme. I recognise many of those characteristics.”

Allan Burr: “I like the characters in W1A. Having worked in broadcasting there are things that happen in the show which bring back memories - it’s like I’ve seen it all before!”

Shona Milton: “The characters are wonderful and it’s just so true to the 成人论坛 and other organisations that we know. I especially recognise the behaviour in meetings when everyone is trying to look like they’ve said something when really they haven’t said anything at all.”

Victor Glynn: “Hugh Bonneville is insanely brilliant, the whole thing is just fantastic, understated and so incredibly familiar. The writer (John Morton) was saying that if you work outside the 成人论坛 you’ll recognise it, and he’s right, it’s just the same.”

One of the scenes from episode one which particularly stands out for me is when Will’s pass doesn’t work at the doors into New Broadcasting House. This is a situation I personally struggled with during my first few weeks at the 成人论坛 - my pass would not let me into any of the buildings and when it did it took me just as long to master the appropriate timing of swiping your pass after the person before you, to avoid getting stuck in the doors.

I was reassured when Roger Bunce told me I was not alone in this struggle. “When Reception at TV Centre opened, they actually issued a booklet explaining how to get through a revolving door. The rotating bit was complete glass, there was no glazing bar so you couldn’t actually see the doors when they turned. And the timing was such that if you pressed the button and stepped forward at a normal pace you would walk edge-on into the door. You either had to press it, run and get into the first compartment or step back and get into the second compartment.”

Helen Mitchell is a 成人论坛 Communications trainee.

• of W1A is broadcast on 成人论坛 Two on Thursday 7 May at 10pm.
• All photographs of the 成人论坛 Alumni event courtesy of George Gimber