Shipmates - BBC1

[Proman]

Some classic moments in this new series featuring the Senior Service. Rating humour at its best viz:

Small fire extinguished quickly in engine room about an hour out of Plymouth.
Producer (serious voice) to NCO:"Fire...pretty serious on a ship?"
NCO: "Yes, fire's serious."
Rating in background: "Sinking's pretty bad too..."

However, top prize to the BBC for using Roy Mallard as a script editor. Some lines were classic. Cut to:

Evening on deck, several hours after the previous incident, Lynx approaching for the det ex Yeovilton:
Narrator (serious voice again): "So, with the threat of fire now finally under control, the ship's Lynx approaches...".

LOL (at the BBC, not the RN)


NB: For those who don't appreciate the Roy Mallard reference, look here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/p/peoplelikeus_66602770.shtml

[airborne_artist]

Looks as though next week might get more serious as they provide assistance on Sri Lank post-tsunami.

I was expecting more of Jack's humour in the first programme, but I guess that will develop during the deployment.

[Wycombe]

Hoping that it will be as good as the "HMS Brilliant" series of a few years back.

[HighlandSniper58]

I have to agree with Wycombe, although it will have to go some to catch up with HMS Brilliant - it had its very own one-man act in Leading Seaman (Radar) Mickey Gobel who was a 110% star and made the show. He turned up again a few years later in a series recreating Captain Cook's voyage to australia.

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Was pretty impressed with the programme tbh, and even more so at the (IIRC) observer's father's christmas present.... a packet of condoms.... who says the navy dont have fun??

[Liamoc123]

I wonder if they will make another programme about the RAF....they've made 'Shipmates' and 'The Queen's Cavalry'. I suppose they won't after 'Combat Pilot'. I reckon they should re-run the series.

[PICKS135]

Be nice if BBC Alba were to show things at the same time as BBC England :mad: :mad: At the moment we dont know when its going to be shown :mad: :mad:

[Zoom]

I might be wrong but I thought I saw a male rating with his arm around another male rating in a wardroom scene. So nowadays what are the RN's regulations regarding PDAs afloat between a) heteros and b) homos?

If I was wrong, disregard all.

[Taffer]

Knowing our luck, the series will never get aired on BBC Scotland.

'River City', Gaelic programmes (for 58,000 Gaelic speakers out of a population of 5 million), and the wonder that is Scottish football will keep it off the airwaves.

I only saw the recent 'Fleet Air Arm' series because it was aired on Discovery - ITV Scotland decided that it wasn't worth showing up north.

[[email protected]]

Zoom - same as it's always been - 'after 3 days it sea it doesn't count' - that's why the observer had the condoms!

[HighlandSniper58]

If you have Sky TV, Shipmates is being shown on most of the Regional BBC1 Channels - Ch954 BBC1 London for example - I'm in Jockistan and watched it on Tuesday.

[johnfairr]

Think you'll find that BBC1 London is Channel 944, well it is where I get my Sky. I guess if you look around the 94x to 95x you'll find BBC Wherever

jf

[6Z3]

Crab,

Don't you really mean:

"What a f888ing load of old bo**ocks - this just goes to show what the Navy PR machine is capable of. "

[airborne_artist]

Crab,

Don't you really mean:

"What a f888ing load of old bo**ocks - this just goes to show what the Navy PR machine is capable of. "

6Z3 - as soon as I track you down you're getting a £700.00 bill - read your post, laughed so much, spilt tea all over new laptop!!

[Wyler]

I bet the Captain of Chatham is really chuffed that the whole 1st episode centred on a fat gunner who had achieved one promotion in 25 years!!
I bet the MOD is spitting bullets.

Funniest bit: The sign from the departing ship that said 'Who's stuffing yer bird this christmas'. Brilliant.

[airborne_artist]

I bet the Captain of Chatham is really chuffed that the whole 1st episode centred on a fat gunner who had achieved one promotion in 25 years!!

There's something about gunners. We had a gunner in HMS Sabre who hadn't even been promoted once in his 20 odd years. May have had something to do with spending much of his time in the Yacht, and so refusing promotion. He was just as much of a character as the guy starring in Shipmates.

[Fanois]

'Only one diary entry. It simply reads... bugger...'


Is shipmates repeated at all? I missed it.

[HighlandSniper58]

Think you'll find that BBC1 London is Channel 944, well it is where I get my Sky. I guess if you look around the 94x to 95x you'll find BBC Wherever

Most awfully sorry old chap for getting one digit wrong - should have been Ch.954 BBC1 South - sorry for trying to be helpful. :(

[Flatus Veteranus]

We greatly enjoyed it. Chatham is certainly a good-looking ship - lean and hungry-looking. Which is more than can be said for many of her crew. My wife thought that many of the men were overweight if not actually obese. When we saw the lavish meals being prepared in the galley and the lads and lasses guzzling their three tinnies/day, we understood all. Since I used to well-fill my grow-bag and was partial to a tinny (or six) I made no comment. One up to the Navy!

[petefreak]

the big lads in the programme don't say alot for the PTI'S circuits does it or promotion in the gunners branch, 25 years and one of them a leading hand!!!steam bit

[Onan the Clumsy]

There's something about gunners. We had a gunner in HMS Sabre who hadn't even been promoted once in his 20 odd years. Perhaps if not up through the ranks he at least got promoted up through the calibres...

[WE Branch Fanatic]

I think the problem might be that the series is too ambitious, trying to cover Chatham's entire deployment, but various other things too. HMS Brilliant focused entirely on Brilliant during the time she was coming to the end of her deployment. It was more action focused too, in some ways, with an air defence exercise (complete with Sea Harriers simulating attack) in the first half of the first episode.

But I imagine it will get better...see this from the RN site. (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/10006.html)

Episode 4 looks interesting........

[PPRuNeUser0211]

looks likem i take the credit for first post on night 2.... damn fine job ladies and gents. Extremely proud to see the RN presented in a fine light. Not all journos are scum clearly.

[Widger]

Very proud to serve alongside them all. It was good to see that the RN actually contributed something (small though it was). I remember being sat in the UK feeling totally impotent and wanting to do something to help. Glad to see that a difference was made to some lives. Distex obviously works. Well done Chatham and Diligence

[airborne_artist]

Interesting to see that the MO, with the most appropriate/usefull of all the skillsets was the one most phased and least able to see the wood for the trees.

That episode should be required watching for all those who bleat about paying taxes for the defence budget. Where else could you find people with the skills, resources and resourcefullness required to make a difference on day one?

[Safeware]

A_A,

I put it down to her being a 'first tourist' and, like many around the world, overwhelmed by what she saw.

Bet that when she went back to the capt'n to give her report, he said 'It's obvious that we can't do everything that is needed, but name me one thing that you think we can do that will make a difference' Answer - sort out the hospital, providing a focal point for the community, a basic level of support and a hearts and minds win.

Well done to all the lads and lasses.

sw

[Tracey Island]

I'd like to echo A_A's post about tax-payers' money well-spent. These motivated, trained and generally well-led personnel didn't just happen to be in the area, they were there because His Holiness Toniness told them to be there - what he doesn't appreciate is that it takes 3 ships to keep one on station and that it can't be done for the pittance Gordy calls a Defence Budget. Admittedly the Ship turned up and sailed up and down the horizon but I'm willing to wager she was carrying numerous defects, had manpower gaps in her crew and didn't have all the stores on board that she was entitled to???

However, to end on a more +ve note, well done to all concerned in very trying circumstances.:ok:

[6Z3]

Last night I thought CHATHAM was quite BRILLIANT. Those who might have doubted the Surg Lt (or indeed the chaplain, or the bunch of lads and lasses) in their opening scenes ashore must surely have warmed to them all as each and every one got stuck in as a united crew, to make a difference. Totally compelling; roll on next week.

[Widger]

Got to say, it was probably fortuitous that Diligence was in the area. Without her repair and stores capacity the effort would have been much less. They must have knackered the engines getting her there though!

[Radar Riser]

Nice to see that a thread about an ASW frigate and WEBF was still able to get a Sea Harrier comment in!

Well done:ok:

You've got to admire his tenacity:p

RR

[Vim_Fuego]

After watching last nights show I was hugely impressed by all involved during what must have been an unforgettably awful time...Even the Med O..sitting on her hands and careful consideration in the end worked for her I thought.

One question to you dark blue types... Do you not carry radios when you go ashore for anything outside of letting off steam? In last nights episode a WO kept sending runners for reinforcements during a potentially volatile situation when some relief items were being handed out. Something like the old 'Storno' or Motorola would have speeded things up a great deal!

Regards Vim

[Widger]

Looked like there was a Clansman in one shot and there are Cougar radios available. But, like most kit it has it's drawbacks and there were probably not enough to go around/batteries shot etc.

Bring on Bowman!!:uhoh: :uhoh: :uhoh: :uhoh:

[Tracey Island]

Bring on BOWMAN?

B etter
O ff
W ith
M ap
A nd
N okia

as I understand it.....

[southside]

Your correct about the radios. Having had experience of Disaster relief the standard ops are to get ashore and dump the clansman as it weighs 3 hundredweight. Then ditch the cougars as they have a range of 20 yards at best. Then you revert to comms route one and send runners everywhere.

[X-QUORK]

Still waiting for Bowman to arrive eh? I was involved in trials back in '96 and I'm sure they were expecting it in service around '01. It's bloody disgraceful in this age that our forces are expected to use 1970s comms technology.