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Vale: Peter Skelton

Cameraman Peter Skelton, who filmed Bruce Gyngell's "Good evening and welcome to television'' in 1956, has died.

Cameraman Peter Skelton, who filmed Bruce Gyngell’s “Good evening and welcome to television” in 1956, has died.

His son David Skelton writes about his father’s achivements in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Across a 35-year career he worked for the Nine Network, TEN Network, SBS, and TV AM in Britain.

He was one of the three cameramen at TCN-9 in 1956 working on television’s opening night. The event included a live cross to the studio for The Johnny O’Connor Show to St David’s Church Hall in Surry Hills.

He was appointed TCN-9’s production manager in 1962 and continued to produce and/or direct programs such as Bandstand with Brian Henderson, Bobby Limb’s The Sound of Music, various sports shows and special programs with overseas visiting artists such as Nat King Cole, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jnr, and Liza Minnelli.

In 1969 Skelton moved from TCN-9 to TEN-10 and ultimately became TEN’s director of production, becoming Supervisor on Number 96.

For more on his career check the smh.com.au

2 Responses

  1. This story is wrong. Gyngell’s original “welcome to television” speech in 1956 was never recorded. It went out live. The version that was recorded was a re-enactment by Gyngell filmed a few years later.

    The only time Channel Nine has acknowledged that the film supposedly of Gyngell launching television was in fact a re-enactment was in a 35th anniversary special in 1991. On all other occasions the film has been screened it has been presented as being the launch of television in Australia.

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