Leicester woman (70) kisses ITV announcer – at Birmingham studio

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The Leicester Illustrated Chronicle takes a viewer to meet John Edmunds

Illustrated Chronicle masthead
From the Illustrated Chronicle for 24 May 1958

LEICESTER’S 70-year-old Mrs. Stella Sharman has had the greatest thrill of her life. Visiting the A.B.C. television studio at Aston, Birmingham, last Sunday, she spent the whole afternoon with her favourite TV personality, the 29-year-old announcer, John Edmunds.

The visit, specially arranged for her by the “Illustrated Chronicle,” was a great success, ending with Mrs. Sharman and John kissing each other as they said goodbye

Mrs. Sharman made the happy discovery that John, who works a seven-day week, five as a schoolmaster, two as an announcer, was even nicer than she expected. And. believe me, she had expected a great deal!

John has the knack of putting people at ease, says Mrs. Sharman. “If you had a trouble he would be the sort of person you would like to meet,” she says.

At her home, 8, Bradbourne Road, Mrs. Sharman had waited excitedly for the red letter day. Keyed up with happy anticipation, she and her husband, 68-year-old Mr. Robert Sharman, were taken by car to a luxury hotel in Birmingham, where they lunched with John Edmunds.

A man and a woman talk
Seventy-year-old Mrs. Stella Sharman, of Leicester, had the thrill of her life on Sunday when the “Illustrated Chronicle” arranged for her to meet her favourite TV personality, announcer John Edmunds, at the A.B.C. studio in Birmingham. Here they are, arm in arm, like a mother and son. John spent the afternoon with Mrs. Sharman, showing her round the studio.

ARM IN ARM

Mrs. Sharman and John were like mother and son in no time. Later, at the studio. John walked arm in arm with her. Nothing was too much trouble for him. Everything he did quickly confirmed Mrs Sharman in her belief that his “gentle, kindly manner’ on TV was far from being skin deep.

She was sure he made an excellent schoolmaster. If her grown-up daughter and sons were children he would be just the kind of teacher she would like them to have.

A woman hovers over the shoulder of another woman in a make-up chair
A visit to the TV studios make-up room. Mrs Sharmann meets Sheila Buxton, who was being made up for her appearance in “The Sunday Break,” A.B.C. Television’s popular religious programme for teenagers.

TINY STUDIO

First thing John showed Mrs. Sharman was the tiny studio from which he made his announcements. She sat at his announcer’s desk, saw herself in his monitor screen, and examined his control switches.

Mrs. Sharman also saw the small fixed-position TV camera a few feet in front of John’s desk. This camera is similar to those used for televising programme titles.

She was particularly interested in John’s green dinner jacket and cream-coloured shirt, which he wears when announcing in the evening. “This camera does not like strong contrasts.” he says. Viewers see the green as black and the cream as white.

Later, John took Mrs. Sharman and her husband to the make-up room and the other studios, introducing her to the seemingly chaotic, overpopulated world of TV in the making.

Mrs. Sharman watched a rehearsal and had tea with John. He signed her autograph book as a souvenir of a very pleasant afternoon.

A woman and a man sit at a desk
John Edmunds shows Mrs. Sharman the desk in the tiny studio from which he announces television programmes.

About the author

Denis Rigden wrote the 'Tele-Page' for the Leicester Chronicle

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