McLean

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BBC Engineering Division - The McLean Papers

Sir Francis McLean was Director of Engineering from 1963 to 1968 and he directed the introduction of colour television, as well as many other developments. He joined the BBC in 1937 as Head of Transmitter Section in Design & Installation Department and was responsible for much of the wartime construction programme, so this probably included developing the major HF transmitting stations.

He was Roy Plomley's castaway on the 12th August 1968 edition of Desert Island Discs, which is available on BBC Sounds. New: Jan 2025

His granddaughter Tessa McLean has kindly donated a significant collection of his papers to BBCeng and they are linked from this page.

Many of them were donated in the form of foolscap "flimsies" so the quality of the text is poor, but good work was done by Nick Cutmore to scan and enhance them.

1946:

Design And Use Of RF Open Wire Transmission Lines And Switchgear - JIEE Vol 93 Part III: May 1946

1962:

BBC Television Centre And Its Technical Facilities - JIEE Vol 109 Part B No. 45: May 1962

1964:

UHF And Colour Television - Speech At NAB Convention In Chicago: April 1964

Report On Visit To Moscow By F.C. McLean: October 1964

Faraday Lecture (script): Colour Television 1964/5 New: Jan 2025

Faraday Lecture (publicity): Colour Television 1964/5 New: Jan 2025

1966:

Future Developments In Television (IEETE Lectures: January 1966

Report On Visit To USSR By F.C. McLean: February 1966

Issues Of Worldwide Colour Television Standards(IEEE Convention): March 1966

Report On Visit To USA By F.C. McLean: March 1966

Machines, Money, Methods and Men: 15th March 1966

Report Of D.E. Visit To U.S.A.: April 1966

Colour Television by F.C. McLean - Science Journal: April 1966

The Engineering Division Of The BBC (For Electronics Weekly): May 1966

Technical Possibilities In Television And Radio (BBC-Sussex Conference: May 1966

The 625 Line Side Of The Picture (Article For The Sun): June 1966

International TV And Radio Show (Earls Court) - Opening Speech: 22nd August 1966

Eng Division - F. C. McLean Article for Ariel: Sept 1966

Colour Television in the UK and Europe: 21st September 1966

Technical aspects of the introduction of a colour TV service: 28th September 1966

Thirty Years Of Television (Article For International Broadcast Engineer) October 1966

Colour on 405 Line TV - Article for Opinion page of Systems and Communications: October 1966

Telecommunications - The Next 10 Years: 17th October 1966
Full script of a prestigious "Granada Guildhall Lecture".
It covers the state of the art regarding cable, terrestrial wireless and satellite systems. The issues covered include spectrum, propagation, powers, compression, components, and economics. In some ways it predicts the internet, satellite broadcasting, MPEG coding and even transmission of moving pictures from Mars!

Scientific collaboration between the universities and the Engineering Division of the BBC: 20th December 1966

Granada Lecture (flyer) 1966 New: Jan 2025

Coverage maps 1966 New: Jan 2025

1967:

Article For Ariel 'Colour TV Is Nearly Here': January 1967

Royal Television Society: 28th February 1967
Full script of his "reply to toast" at a prestigious RTS banquet.
"..it was the flickering light of the television that brought about the end of the Dark Ages"!

Notes For Radio Industries Club Scotland Talk: May 1967

Notes For Radio Industries Club Midlands Talk: June 1967

Colour Launching Article For Radio Times - David Attenborough: June 1967

Article For Ariel On Colour TV: June 1967

The Engineering Of Colour TV (Article For the Financial Times): July 1967

Colour Production By I.R. Atkins (Article For The Times): July 1967

Standards Conversion (Article For The Times): July 1967

Article For International Broadcast Engineer: August 1967

Career Details For F.C. McLean (For Visit To RCA In Washington): August 1967

BBC Eng. Inf. Service - BBC Electronic Standards Converter: August 1967

International Broadcasting Convention, Notes For BBC Chairman: September 1967

Report By DE Of Trip To USA And Canada: September 1967