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Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:22 pm
by CharlieOneSix
Anyone else watch Vigil last night? I'm banned by Mrs C16 from making outbursts about the errors when it's on for the next 4 weeks - episode 2 on BBC tonight. The submarine of course doesn't exist - it's a mockup in a studio in Dumbarton. Fair enough. The helicopter is a restored yellow RAF Sea King of Historic Helicopters of Chard in Somerset. Who on earth suggested blacking out 'Royal Air Force' with a 'Royal Navy' banner!! There's so much CGI in the episode surely they could have re-coloured the Sea King to RN colours.
The winchman told Suranne Jones to keep her arms to her side so she doesn't fall out of the winch strop as she was lowered to the submarine. They managed to give her a proper helmet and goon suit but perhaps lifejackets were in short supply. Winching over the oggin without a lifejacket - never! Yes, I know, as the sub doesn't exist she was probably winched down in the studio with downdraft effects added later.......and as for the size of the sub's control room, it must be as big as a suite in The Savoy! Plus what a disagreeable bunch of RN officers - no CRM there! I was compared to Victor Meldrew last night when on more than one occasion I actually said his catchphrase "I don't believe it....". Oh well, it's only entertainment.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:24 pm
by Boac
Yes - the brief clip I have seen impressed me with the size of the Captain's room and table.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:42 pm
by TheGreenGoblin
CharlieOneSix wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:22 pm
Anyone else watch Vigil last night? I'm banned by Mrs C16 from making outbursts about the errors when it's on for the next 4 weeks - episode 2 on BBC tonight. The submarine of course doesn't exist - it's a mockup in a studio in Dumbarton. Fair enough. The helicopter is a restored yellow RAF Sea King of Historic Helicopters of Chard in Somerset. Who on earth suggested blacking out 'Royal Air Force' with a 'Royal Navy' banner!! There's so much CGI in the episode surely they could have re-coloured the Sea King to RN colours.
The winchman told Suranne Jones to keep her arms to her side so she doesn't fall out of the winch strop as she was lowered to the submarine. They managed to give her a proper helmet and goon suit but perhaps lifejackets were in short supply. Winching over the oggin without a lifejacket - never! Yes, I know, as the sub doesn't exist she was probably winched down in the studio with downdraft effects added later.......and as for the size of the sub's control room, it must be as big as a suite in The Savoy! Plus what a disagreeable bunch of RN officers - no CRM there! I was compared to Victor Meldrew last night when on more than one occasion I actually said his catchphrase "I don't believe it....". Oh well, it's only entertainment.
Your name came up in vain last night as the lady detective was winched down to the sub, as I watched this episode and I said to my better half "I hope
<<name redacted>> is not watching this, as it is likely to drive him around the bend!" Any attempts to point out how cavernous the submarine was, for example, resulted in me being soundly "sushed"!
Errors, gaffes, unrealistic technical and authenticity faux pas aside, it was good television drama and I liked the theme music...
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:09 pm
by Pontius Navigator
C16, have you been in a bomber? Saw an interesting review by Lt Cdr Lovell on Metro. He mentioned the open torpedo door; I cringed when I saw that too. The submarine was spacious though I thought the missile compartment was cramped. Fascinating touch in the set tonight. They were in the wardroom at one point, one deck head was vertical but the other was canted in which was a nice touch.
Just remembered a detail about the uniforms. Do they now wear white shirts? I know they asked us for RAF blue shirts but think they eventually got a pussers issue of blue shirts.
Still, spoiler, DCI Silva has it all wrapped up before the end of episode 2.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:45 pm
by CharlieOneSix
No, never been in a bomber - unless a one off Canberra flight qualifies. Years ago there was a TV programme which at one point showed the cabin of a Wessex helicopter, the like of which I never saw in real life - it was like the Tardis in Dr Who, small on the outside and huge inside!
In tonight's episode, when the lass from the peace camp arranged to meet Amy Silva at a point on a remote country road she stood awaiting her under the only street light for miles - no doubt conveniently placed there by the props department. It did look odd. I was wrong about one thing though - I broke Mrs C16's silence rule and confidently opined that the lass would be deliberately mown down by a vehicle but instead someone drowned her in the loch.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:16 am
by FD2
Thanks for the warning C16 - I won't be watching it as I've now been warned by Mrs FD2 about losing my temper and 'spoiling' it. I had a trip off the Clyde in Renown back about 1974. Panels covering pipework and cabling. Adequate deck head height. Quiet too - no stink of sweat, diesel or other stuff.They were quite a bit smaller than the present SSBNs.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 5:43 am
by TheGreenGoblin
Of course the average viewer cares not a jot for these details...
Two takes on the drama...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2021/08/ ... ible-role/
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radi ... sub-killer
Perhaps it is better enjoyed by the more flexible liberal minded...
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:15 am
by FD2
You're right about the average viewer GG ... I sometimes watch Army plays etc and apart from some actors wearing their berets like Frank Spencer in 'Some Mothers Do Have 'Em' I don't have much of a clue.
- frank spencer with beret.png (553.09 KiB) Viewed 1074 times
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:13 am
by TheGreenGoblin
FD2 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:15 am
You're right about the average viewer GG ... I sometimes watch Army plays etc and apart from some actors wearing their berets like Frank Spencer in 'Some Mothers Do Have 'Em' I don't have much of a clue.
frank spencer with beret.png
FD2 in my halcyon days, or should that be daze, I lived on the Wapping High Street, about 50 metres from Michael Crawford's rather grand abode on the river. He kept very much to himself and was never seen in the Captain Kidd pub, unlike bibulous me, and some other rather more famous people like Cher and Helen Mirren, the latter who seemed to enjoy a glass of wine and was even apt to have a chat with a silly South African. I hear that Mr Crawford is a perfectionist, very fit and doesn't suffer fools gladly. I can't imagine him brooking poor continuity, technical innaccuracies, anachronisms or other incorrect technical details in anything that he would appear in.
I was looking for the Flying Lesson episode of Some Mothers Do Ave Em, but to no avail... Frank Spencer was a character for the ages, hilarious!
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:25 am
by Pontius Navigator
FD2, we only had lunch in the Wardroom, yes much smaller, but even in dry dock much quieter.
Obviously acoustic radiation will be much damped since our day but no way would it have been as noisy as Vigil.
Lots of cavitation too. As for going one to one with a super tanker. In fact what was a super tanker doing in Northern waters as I assume her '3 day trip' would have meant they were within 500 miles of Scotland.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:35 am
by TheGreenGoblin
I had the pleasure of a trip in the SAS Maria Van Riebeeck, she was terribly cramped, and although spotlessly clean, still smelled of diesel oil and was definitely not a good berth for the claustrophobic. It takes a special breed of men who make such a machine their career of choice. The crew slept in shifts, as there were not enough bunks to go around.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAS_Spear
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:37 am
by Pontius Navigator
TGG, you remind me, the special breed of men we met were also extremely well fed. I wonder if today's SSBN crews are slimmer and healthier.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:44 am
by TheGreenGoblin
Pontius Navigator wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:37 am
TGG, you remind me, the special breed of men we met were also extremely well fed. I wonder if today's SSBN crews are slimmer and healthier.
The ones I met in Simon's Town were all very fit and slim, like I was too in those days, although I was definitely not submariner material, and even less so these days!
They certainly could drink, I can attest to that.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:50 am
by Pontius Navigator
TGG, world of difference between operating a small diesel sub and a very large nuke for 3 months at a time. You will soon run out of fresh salad.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:11 am
by TheGreenGoblin
Pontius Navigator wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:50 am
TGG, world of difference between operating a small diesel sub and a very large nuke for 3 months at a time. You will soon run out of fresh salad.
Can't imagine Her Majesty's crews eating "salad". Isn't it all Plum Duff, buggery and floggings?
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:12 am
by Pontius Navigator
Certainly Plum Duff, but from last night's episode definitely no touching.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:39 am
by Boac
Ah - you mean touching the women?
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:35 pm
by Woody
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:23 pm
by Pontius Navigator
Back on topic, sort of, one critic said a lot of dialogue was not intelligible as it was in jockweegan, a bit like some of UPS posts.
Re: Vigil, Winching and a Sea King.....
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:32 pm
by PHXPhlyer
Pontius Navigator wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:23 pm
Back on topic, sort of, one critic said a lot of dialogue was not intelligible as it was in jockweegan, a bit like some of UPS posts.
Google Translate of no help?
PP
