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GPSS on UK Television Screens

Updated 1230 Sunday 2nd November 2008 UK time

Robin's December 2007 attempt at a promotional video: " GPS Software from Sunninghill " (10MB)
from 1996: still Robin's favourite: an extract from " GPSS on Put It To The Test " (7MB)
from 1992: the military origins of GPSS: see the " The Barossa Operation" page and the Barossa video

This page shows the many times that GPSS has been featured in UK Television broadcasts - mostly years ago, when I had a moustache :-) Maybe this will give ideas to some of you outside the UK on how GPSS might appear on TV Networks in your own country.
The picture further below was from when the BBC used GPSS "for real", tracking people both in vehicles and on foot. This was for an internal "pilot" programme where pairs of people started 100 miles apart and there was a race to see which couple met first. They were all tracked in the studio. The detailed map is from Bartholomew, and discussed in detail on the UK download page.
Another programme, and in some ways both amusing and exciting development, was GPSS being used as special effects for "NCS Manhunt" - an action packed police drama starring David Suchet. Amusing ? - because this is where fact has preceeded fiction by several years. Exciting ? - even the trailer "knocked my socks off" :-)

Here are the known UK Television broadcasts that have appeared:

"The Web Review" on UK Ch3 (ITV1) in the early hours of 18th November 2002.
"Geocaching" Click-Online. BBC World Television: 10th-16th January 2002.
"Radio Foxhunters". Carlton East Midlands 6pm News on 6th August 2001.
"NCS Manhunt". BBC1 9pm 26 March 2001 + earlier trailers. (Police drama).
"Put It To The Test". BBC1 Tues 21 Jan '97. Carol Vorderman (Police/Security)
Yorkshire Television. "Tonight" Programme. 27th Nov. (Notebook PC game)
Meridian Television. "Put It To The Test". 27th Nov '96. (Police/Car Security)
"Out and About" BBC2 7.30 pm May 30th '96 (on foot).
Meridian TV News on May 24th '96 (Finding Falcons by Satellite, Robin's Merc).
"Technophobe's Guide to the Future" BBC2 23rd April '96 (Silva's Volvo).
London Motor Show, BBC1 NRSE, 18 Oct '95, Simon Montegue (Robin's Merc)
London Motor Show, Carlton ITV, 17 Oct '95, Paul Larsman (Robin's Merc)
London Motor Show, BBC1 National News, 17 Oct '95, Chris Wain (his car).
Meridian TV News, 5th May '95, Nick Knowles (Early GPSS in a Lexus Soarer).

These pictures below are in reverse chronological order - those appearing first are from the BBC World programme. Those at the bottom are from the news broadcast on Meridian local Television in May '95. Software appearing in this first broadcast was the original DOS prototype, and GPSS v1 released on PC Magazine CDs.

Geocaching: Click-Online: BBC World Television: 10th-16th January 2002

Not GPSS, but it did include Robin and GPS :-) A television feature on Geocaching was broadcast into 200 million homes. Robin, Tony and friends helped BBC World make this "Click Online" TV feature. It was broadcast on worldwide TV networks nine times from 10th until 16th January 2002. Please visit TVINRAIN for the "inside story" and www.caching.info for more information on Geocaching.

Robin shows Sevan a GPS... Poppy & Sam find the geocache... Tony Wale explains...

Radio "Fox-Hunters": Carlton East Midlands TV News

Monday 6th August 2001: Carlton TV 6pm News in the UK East Midlands area: A couple of guys in the Nottingham area of UK doing some Radio DF "Fox-hunting". That aerial on top of their car is whizzing round at about 1 rev. a second - no wonder they attract attention :-) This hobby involves them using radio to track down the "fox" - a radio transmitter. More is on the Radio Direction Finding Page.

"NCS:Manhunt" BBC1 9pm Monday 26th March 2001

Starring David Suchet, Samantha Bond, Keith Barron, Kenneth Cranham, Phyllis Logan and - of course - the GPS Software, GPSS :-) The BBC paid for GPSS to be used as special effects within the covert tracking sequences of this "Crime Double" drama. A National Crime Squad team tracking down Ricky Valesi, a particularly nasty villain. All mapping appearing was provided by Bartholomews and typical of that delivered on real police systems several years earlier. Sometimes fact preceeds fiction - see below.

"Put It To The Test" with Carol Vordeman, Nick Knowles
Light hearted science programme made by Topical Television, showing GPSS being used in a Lexus Soarer driven by Nick Knowles. GPSS was also used in "chase" mode within a Thames Valley Police Vauxhall Astra. The programme was filmed in October 1996, broadcast on Meridian local Television in November, and again on BBC1 throughout the UK in January '97. More details are on the Car Security & "Chase" page

"Tonight" on Yorkshire Television.
This was a "team challenge" with the three blind-folded contestents dropped in the middle of the countryside, with no paper map ("not computery enough is it") but a GPS and Laptop running GPSS. They had to find their way back to Yorkshire Television Centre.

"Finding Falcons with Satellites"
Meridian Television News. Gary Morris gives demonstrations of Falconry, and uses the transmitters to ensure the birds do not fly off and get lost. Filmed by Meridian TV at Dorney Court near Windsor by Meridian Television, and broadcast on Friday 24th May.
More details are on the Finding Falcons with Satellites page

"Technophobe's Guide to the Future"
BBC2 23rd April '96. Nick Higham and Tony Wale, MD of Silva (UK).

"London Tonight" with Allister Stewart & Paul Larsman
Precious quotes from this piece, broadcast only hours after filming, were Allister's opening remarks of, "if you hate back seat drivers - you'll really hate this ..", and Paul Larsman's introduction of, "don't be fooled by the old banger - it's really a mobile laboratory for what is claimed to be the most advanced navigation system in the world.."

BBC1 Lunchtime News with Chris Wain
We really thought we were living dangerously when Chris Wain came to Sunninghill : the Laptop PC was trained to recognise his voice and everything installed in his car - for some pretty hairy filming around local roads - and it all worked.

BBC Newsroom South East with Simon Montegue
Simon Montegue also came to Sunninghill, so that his piece broadcast from the London Motor Show could include something actually working, 'on the road'. Not so long after this, Simon went off on his 'round the world' sailing adventure, on 'BT Global Challenge' - and got back safely. See the news page for more on this under 'Knight Riders Kitt'.

Meridian Television News with Nick Knowles
This Meridian Television news feature was broadcast on 5th May '95, having been filmed a month ealier. It was our first TV publicity, and was Michelle Lovelock's debut as a TV star - along with her friend Julie. Nick starts the programme asking where the nearest petrol station is, gives up asking the locals, and asks the computer instead :-)

Other people appearing included Robin, Clive de Carle of Rare Imports, and Martin Dix of Intek. Carol Parks, next door, was heard speaking French from the 'mouth' of the computer - Carol teaches French at a local school. Software used was the DOS prototype and the very first version of GPSS, shortly before it was released for publication on PC Magazine CDROMs, for issue to the UK public in the summer of '95.