Keith Brook

Keith Brook - Who is he?

He joined the BBC in London in 1970 and worked on everything from Top of the Pops to It's Cliff Richard, from Softly Softly to War and Peace and from The Two Ronnies to Monty Python's Flying Circus.

He moved to Pebble Mill in Birmingham and did Poldark, All Creatures Great and Small, Brothers, Nanny, Basil Brush, Don McLean, Kate Bush, Pebble Mill at One and just about every sport in the book except hang gliding!

This pic was a live item from a Sea King helicopter. Considering the technology, pretty good in those days!!!!

He went freelance in 1982. As a lighting cameraman, he's done the typical factual, magazine and light entertainment shoots. Among the many highlights was a series on Big Game Fishing in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Mauritius and the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in Australia, all involving helicopters.

In 1990 he bought the Jimmy Jib II crane. He's used it on quiz programmes, game shows, white water canoeing, ice hockey, football, rugby and even wrestling.

It's done Neil Sedaka, Simple Minds, Wet Wet Wet, Beverley Craven, Jason Donovan, Chris Rea, James Taylor, Stereophonics, Republica, DMC and even the first of Iron Maiden's Last Gigs (just brilliant!).

It's covered Gardener's World, Better Homes with Carol Vordeman, Big Breakfast, Chelsea Flower Show, Omnibus, 999, Country File, Nature Detectives, Tracks, Top Gear, Clothes Show, Coronation Street, Songs of Praise and Morning Worship.

It was used on a tiny fishing boat in the Atlantic that was smaller than the crane. (Another boat had to come along to change tapes and batteries!!) It's done the Montreux Jazz Festival (oh, what a great gig), swung majestically at a small event in Brunei and was used for a water-based game show on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In Ireland, it's done the Faile, the Fleadh and the Rose of Tralee all with the help of Guinness.
 
The highlight of his year, every year, is the Llangollen International Music Festival.

As you can see, the suit has gone and the hair is a tad lighter.
 
It's a week of the most incredible talent from around the world. Choirs, soloists, musicians and dancers come together in a feast of superb quality performance. It's wonderful!!