Oliver Bayldon

Oliver Bayldon
Born	Richard Oliver Maxwell Bayldon (1938-09-12)12 September 1938[1] Leicester
Died	23 December 2019(2019-12-23) (aged 81)[1] London
Education	Leicester College of Art
Occupation	Production designer
Years active	1961–1997
Employers	Northampton Repertory Theatre BBC Television
Awards	Full list

Oliver Bayldon FRSA, FCSD (12 September 1938 – 23 December 2019) was a London-based, award-winning British production designer who worked with the Northampton Repertory Theatre, the BBC, and the Royal Academy of Music.

He is best known for designing sets for TV shows such as: Meet the Wife (1966), Till Death Us Do Part (1968), The Railway Children (1968), Dad's Army (1968), Z-Cars (1970–1971), The Onedin Line (1971–1972), Poldark (1975–1976), When the Boat Comes In (1976–1977), Happy Ever After (1978), Shakespeare's first tetralogy (the Henry VI plays and Richard III) directed by Jane Howell (1983), Strangers and Brothers (1984), On the Up (1990), Memento Mori (1992), and Wokenwell (1997). For the Royal Academy of Music, he created costumes or sets for four operas: Belisario (1972), The Fairy Queen Act IV: The Masque of the Seasons, Tobermory, and Trial by Jury (all 1977). His design work was the subject of five exhibitions held between 1959 and 1996.

Bayldon also wrote poetry, essays and fiction published in newspapers and books, and some of his poems and short stories were broadcast on radio. He is a cousin of the actor Geoffrey Bayldon.

Early life and education

Oliver Bayldon was born in Leicester^[2] and brought up in Rutland^[3] where, aged five, he decided he wanted to be a theatre designer after attending his first pantomime and being more impressed by the sets than by the acting.^[4]

At the age of five, I was taken to see Where the Rainbow Ends at the theatre as a Christmas treat and was wildly impressed by the décor. When I got home I started making model stages of cardboard and Plasticine and announced I was going to become a theatre designer!

—Oliver Bayldon, in Creating a Visual Style (2013)^[3][5]

In 1946, Bayldon joined Stamford School for eleven years, where he began to develop his design and production skills.^[2]

1946–1957: Stamford School

In December 1953, aged 15, he participated in the presentation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus by the school's Dramatic Society, for which he also designed and stencilled the soldiers' and crowd's costumes.^[6] A few weeks later, he organised a variety show called To-night's the Night with ballet, sketches and songs, in aid of one of his witty schemes: the "Morcott Dustbin Society". Morcott is a village near Barrowden—his family home—and was devoid of dustbins at the time. During an interview with the Stamford Mercury on 15 January 1954, Bayldon explained: "I was about to put on a show anyway, so I thought it would be a good idea to do one for a litter basket". The show was a success and raised £2 8s. towards a dustbin. Prior to the show, Bayldon had paid a visit to the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, and secured a batch of costumes which were no longer used.^[7]

At the end of 1954, the school produced Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector, for which Bayldon designed and painted the Victorian décor, as well as acting in the leading female part "with fine control of voice and features."^[8] In the spring of 1955, Bayldon designed the costumes for the school's production of Christopher Fry's The Boy with a Cart,^[9] a story of St. Cuthman, written as a legend of miracles and faith in the style of the mystery plays. In December 1955, the boys presented the first part of Shakespeare's Henry IV to a limited number of parents and friends; in addition to designing and painting the scenery, Bayldon played the role of the Archbishop of York.^[10]

In November 1956, a group of masters from the school, aided by wives and friends, produced an amusing version of Brandon Thomas's Charley's Aunt to raise money for new stage equipment; Bayldon was responsible for designing the scenery.^[11] For their end-of-term play in December 1957, the boys gave a public performance—the first to use Dudley Fitts's new translation—of Aristophanes's The Frogs, a Greek comedy produced at Athens in 405 B.C.. The play, for which Bayldon had painted the gateway, was produced under the scholarly guidance of Mr. Chapman, senior classics master.^[12]

1958–1961: Leicester College of Art

In 1958, Bayldon enrolled on a course of studies in Fine Arts and Textile Design at Leicester College of Art and Technology.^[2] He soon discovered that no amateur drama society existed, despite there being a fine stage. The Leicester Evening Mail would later quote him saying: "Attempts have often been made to get one going, but one or two people have been left to do all the work. So many students are committed to evening study that it is hard to organise a group."^[13] In July, he was awarded the Sir Jonathan North Endowment Scheme gold medal for his designs of costumes and set for a local adaptation of the musical My Fair Lady.^[14][15]

In August 1959, he launched his first exhibition, entitled Paintings and Stage Designs, at the Bookshop in King Street, Leicester.^[16] In December, he organised the college's Arts Ball at Leicester Palais on a "Medieval" theme, and led the ball—attended by 800—in a knight's mailed armour, with plumed helmet.^[17] In March 1960, he was awarded £150 in the "Footwear" section of a design contest organised by the Royal Society of Arts industrial art bursaries.^[18] In May, St. Anthony Press, a private book publisher in Leicester, published one of Bayldon's poems, entitled "Morning", illustrated by Chris Shorten. The reviewer from the Leicester Evening Mail, stated that: "Mr. Bayldon is a young Leicester student who has had poems broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, and who is likely to have a successful career as a stage designer."^[19] In August, he wrote an article in the first issue of Crescent, one of Leicester's two privately published magazines.^[20] The Leicester Evening Mail reviewer wrote: "Oliver Bayldon, an articulate and perceptive writer, whose work has found favour with the BBC, tries to define art and says society must come to terms with it."^[21]

Later in 1960, Bayldon was invited by a local furniture store to attend the Furniture Exhibition in Manchester. The store manager was so impressed with Bayldon's comments that he commissioned him to assemble and decorate a living room and bedroom to his individual taste, a project he completed in November.^{[note 1][22]} The same month, Bayldon was among the students who plotted a hoax to publicise their year-end Arts Ball, as they began digging trenches in a bogus search for antiquities from an Egyptian mercenary camp site on the demolition plot where the new college was going to be built. After unearthing a medieval wall, bones, and pieces of ancient pottery, they alerted officials of Leicester Museum who became interested, and Bayldon decided to call off the hoax and continue with serious excavations.^[23][24]

In March 1961, he was again awarded £150 in another design contest organised by the Royal Society of Arts industrial art bursaries, this time in the "Stage and Television" section.^[25] On the strength of this RSA design award, he won an Arts Council New Designers trainee scheme, which would lead to his appointment as an assistant designer at the Northampton Repertory Theatre.^[3] In June, he was elected Fellow of the RSA.^[26] In August, Bayldon was one of the college's 39 students graduating with a National Diploma in Design.^[27] From August to November, he spent his RSA bursary undertaking a 14-weeks study tour to the United States, travelling through 13 states to study arts and design.^[28] On his return, he relayed his experiences in four articles published in the Stamford Mercury on successive Fridays, from 15 December 1961.^{[28][29][30][31]}

Career

1961–1963: Northampton Repertory Theatre

Shortly after returning from his US study tour in November 1961, 22-year-old Bayldon began a one-year apprenticeship^[32] on an Arts Council Scholarship at the Northampton Repertory Theatre, as an assistant to the long-serving regular designer Thomas Osborne Robinson.^[33] The design team included John Page, also 22, who had joined Robinson in 1959.^[34] In early 1962, Bayldon designed and produced banners for St. Mary's Church, in Glenfield, a village to the west of Leicester.^[35]

In September 1962,^[34] Page and Bayldon—who was about to start his second year at the Repertory, now as a designer^[32]—stood in for Robinson when he took a sabbatical to teach at Vanderbilt University until late 1963.^[36] They maintained Robinson's high design standards,^{[note 2]} and Bayldon was credited, for costumes or settings, on the playbills of: Guilty Party^[38] and Murder at Quay Cottage^[39] (both 1962), Babes in the Wood (1962–1963),^[40][41] The Shiny Surface,^[42] Write Me a Murder,^[43] and Go Back For Murder^[44] (all 1963). Bayldon would also act for the Repertory Theatre; he played "Ranjit, Fielding's servant" during the run of A Passage to India (17–29 September 1962) which included Ken Loach as "Mr Burton-Fletcher, a Civil Servant".^[45] It was Loach—on a trainee director's course backed by an ITV company at the time—who turned Bayldon's attention towards television.^[3]

On 23 February 1963,^[46] Bayldon launched a month-long exhibition, entitled Costume and Theatre Designs, at the Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton.^[47]

1963–1995: BBC Television and Royal Academy of Music

When Bayldon's second year at the Northampton Repertory Theatre was coming to an end, he received an advertisement from BBC Television to apply for a design assistant post for the forthcoming opening of a second BBC channel, BBC Two,^[3] a post he secured.^[32] By early December 1963, he had already worked on programmes such as Compact, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, and other drama presentations.^[32] On 4 December, one of his poems, "A man in a crowd", was broadcast on BBC radio (Midland Region) in the programme Midland Poets. During an interview with the Stamford Mercury on 6 December, Bayldon commented on his appointment at the BBC: "Looking back, I think I was very fortunate in getting the right sort of grounding from Mr. Walter Douglas at Stamford School."^[32]

On 20 March 1964, another of his poems was read in the BBC Home Service's Midland Poets, at 9 pm.^[48] In December of that year, The Stage announced that Durwell Productions Ltd. were planning a March or April 1965 presentation of a new musical, Cupid & Psyche, with book and lyrics by Glyn Idris Jones and music by Kenny Clayton, and that Bayldon was scheduled to be the designer.^[49] He drew up sets and costumes for this show,^[50] which was never staged.^[51] In March 1965, Bayldon released his first book of verse, The Paper Makers Craft, published by Twelve by Eight Paper Mill & Private Press in Leicester, the only place in England where paper was still made by hand. The collection included his own free translation^{[note 3]} of a 17th-century Latin poem, "Papyrus", by Father Imberdis S.J. of Ambert, the papermaking district of the Auvergne in France.^{[53][note 4]}

1966–1973

In 1966, Bayldon stage designed four episodes in the BBC television series Quick Before They Catch Us, which aired in September. He also designed episodes 99 and 100 of The Newcomers, and seven episodes of Meet the Wife.^[54][55] The following year, he designed three episodes each for Thirty-Minute Theatre and Room at the Bottom, one episode, "Hughie", for Comedy Playhouse (Series 6), and one episode, "Bohuslav Martinů 1890–1959", for BBC2's Workshop programme (replayed on BBC1's Omnibus programme the following year).^[55] In 1968, he designed five episodes for Till Death Us Do Part, three for Beggar My Neighbour, seven for The Railway Children, and one episode on Sir Tyrone Guthrie for An Evening with....^[55]

In 1969, he designed one episode, "These Men Are Dangerous: Mussolini", for the Thirty-Minute Theatre programme, three episodes each for The Troubleshooters and Dad's Army, all six episodes of The Gnomes of Dulwich^[56]—for which he and his colleague Peter Brachacki had to create giant-size scenery to surround the two garden gnomes portrayed by Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd^[57][58]—and three episodes of The Battle of St. George Without.^[55] In 1970, Bayldon designed one episode of Not in Front of the Children, four episodes each for Oh Brother! and The Troubleshooters, and two episodes each of Comedy Playhouse (Series 10) and Z-Cars.^[55] In 1971, he designed one episode, "Waugh Plays Cops and Robbers", for Thirty-Minute Theatre, and eight more episodes of Z-Cars.^[55]

In October 1971, the BBC began broadcasting the first series of The Onedin Line, for which Bayldon had designed six episodes,^[55] as well as another six episodes for the second series, aired in 1972.^[55] The filming in Exeter and Dartmouth involved many dramatic incidents at sea, for one of which he created a specially constructed steam pinnace, a period steamship complete with a 13-foot high funnel and a large boiler.^{[59][note 5]} Other scenes included a storm at sea and a ship on fire.^[59] The creation of bustling Victorian markets and docks presented many problems for the designer because any modern additions had either to be removed or hidden. This meant the complete removal of street signs, the covering of shop fronts, and even, on one occasion, the repainting of an entire house façade.^[59]

In February 1972, Bayldon was nominated in a short list of four television designers for the BAFTA award of Best Design of the Year for his work on The Onedin Line series.^[61][62] During this time, Bayldon also designed 17 individual costumes (plus nine design studies, each with several costume sketches)^[63] for the Goths and Bulgars in Donizetti's Belisario,^[64] which was produced by the Royal Academy of Music on the occasion of its 150th anniversary celebrations and performed at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, on 8 to 11 March.^[65] From 25 August to 17 September, he presented illustrations of his set and costume designs—including stage sets for Il Trovatore and The Magic Flute—in an exhibition entitled Stage and Television Designs at the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry.^[66][50][67] In February 1973, Bayldon and the entire BBC Design Team were nominated for a second BAFTA Television Design Award for The Onedin Line.^[68][69][70] In June, the BBC broadcast one episode, "Three's One", with Bayldon's design for the programme Play for Today, followed, in September and October, by four episodes of The Dragon's Opponent.^[55]

1974–1979

In early 1974, the BBC broadcast four episodes of The Liver Birds, with sets designed by Bayldon.^[55] In March and April 1975, BBC2 aired The Fight Against Slavery, a six-part dramatised documentary co-produced with Time Life, written by Evan Jones and directed by Christopher Ralling,^[71] with sets designed by Bayldon.^[55] This series was filmed on location in the West Country, West Africa and Jamaica.^{[note 6][3]} Between October 1975 and January 1976,^[55] BBC1 showed the first series of Poldark, based on the novels by Winston Graham and starring Angharad Rees and Robin Ellis, for which Bayldon designed all sixteen episodes.^[72] Over fifty sets had to be built for the programme, and a large section of copper mine had to be constructed in the film studios for scenes which occur in later episodes.^[72] Bayldon also designed sets for the television film version of D. H. Lawrence's The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd, shown on 5 May 1976.^[55] In late 1976, he produced designs for four episodes in the second series of When the Boat Comes In,^[55] for which he was once again nominated for a BAFTA award.^{[73][note 7]}

In 1977, Bayldon worked on the Velvet Glove series of dramatised biographies and designed those of Edith Cavell, Elizabeth Fry and the play on Lilian Baylis.^[73][55] In an interview with the Leicester Daily Mercury on 14 March 1977, Bayldon stated: "The research for these is often almost as interesting as the programmes themselves. It was somehow strange to be poring through boxes of Edith Cavell's private possessions or to search through treasured photographs at Lilian Baylis' original desk. The greatest challenge in these plays was to build a complete theatre in the studios, and also to recreate the horrors of Newgate prison in the 1800s."^[73] In April 1977, he produced designs for "A Choice of Evils",^[74] as part of Play for Today, followed, in October, by "Able's Will", for BBC2 Play of the Week.^[55] On 2 October, Gordon Burn interviewed Bayldon in an article for the Sunday Times Magazine entitled "All his own work – Ollie's living room sets the scene for the TV viewers", which explained Bayldon's approach to designing a living room for "Able's Will".^[75] During this period, he also designed costumes and sets for three short operas produced by the Royal Academy of Music for the Gala Opera Performance organised for the opening of the Sir Jack Lyons Theatre on 26 October 1977, inaugurated by HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, President of the RAM.^[76] These three pieces were: Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen Act IV: The Masque of the Seasons,^[77] Gavin Ewart & John Gardner's Tobermory,^[78] and Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial by Jury,^[79] the latter after an interval.^[76] This performance was repeated on 28 and 31 October, and 1 November.^[76] At the end of the year, Bayldon created designs for all five episodes of the BBC's adaptation of Frederick Marryat's The Children of the New Forest, which aired in November and December.^[55]

In 1978, Bayldon made designs for "The Legion Hall Bombing", which aired in August for Play for Today, and worked on three episodes of Happy Ever After, starring Terry Scott and June Whitfield, shown in September and October.^[55] He designed The Dancing Princesses, broadcast in December, as a significantly modified television adaptation of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale, directed by Ben Rea and featuring Jim Dale, Freddie Jones, and Gloria Grahame.^[55] During the latter part of 1978, Bayldon designed sets for the serialised TV adaptation of George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss, directed by Ronald Wilson and starring Christopher Blake, Pippa Guard, Judy Cornwell, Ray Smith and Anton Lesser; these eight episodes were broadcast from December 1978 to February 1979.^[55] In her review for The Stage on 4 January 1979, Jennifer Lovelace stated: "(...) So far, The Mill On The Floss is well up to standard. The quality of design (Oliver Bayldon) and costume (Caroline Maxwell) is sound and a little quickening of pace in future episodes will ensure that the traditions of the BBC Classic Serial are maintained."^[80]

1980–1985

From March to June 1980,^[55] BBC2 aired the TV series A Question of Guilt, with two cases set in the 1800s, "Constance Kent" and "Adelaide Bartlett" (eight episodes each), for which Bayldon designed Victorian sets. During an interview with the Stamford Mercury on 16 May 1980, he said: "It was a problem to recreate locations which either no longer existed, or had been totally changed in the name of redevelopment. We took immense pains to be as accurate as possible even to reconstructing an 1860 railway compartment in a gutted carriage, and building a realistic Victorian earth privy among the bushes. I believe we have been faithful to the facts as they were recorded".^[81] He also designed the production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, directed by Jack Gold and produced by Jonathan Miller, which BBC2 aired on 17 December.^[55][82]

During 1981, Bayldon produced designs for the TV serial adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Stalky & Co., directed by Rodney Bennett and produced by Barry Letts. Starring Robert Addie and David Parfitt, it was broadcast on BBC1 in a series of six weekly episodes from 31 January to 7 March 1982.^[55] The same year, Bayldon contributed elaborate sets^{[note 8]} for Shakespeare's first tetralogy (the Henry VI plays and Richard III) directed by Jane Howell and produced by Jonathan Miller, with costumes by John Peacock.^[84] Among the well-known television actors featured were: Julia Foster, Annette Crosbie, Frank Middlemass, Tenniel Evans, Trevor Peacock, and Bernard Hill.^[85] This project delivered four films aired on BBC2 as part of the BBC Television Shakespeare series, on successive Sundays throughout January 1983.^[85][55] About his decision to use a modern parquet floor as a deliberate violation of illusionist representation, Bayldon explained: "It stops the set from literally representing; it reminds us we are in a modern television studio." Stanley Wells commended this aspect of the production: "Jane Howell has dared to encourage us to remember that the action is taking place in a studio."^[86] In May 1983, Bayldon designed the BBC's TV adaptation of J.B. Priestley's Dangerous Corner for the programme Play of the Month.^[55]

In February and March 1984, Bayldon was the designer for the last seven (of thirteen) episodes of the TV adaptation of C. P. Snow's Strangers and Brothers.^[55] Later that year, he designed the set for BBC1's Review of the Year 1984, presented by Frank Bough and Selina Scott on 27 December.^[55] In March 1985, Bayldon designed the three-part adaptation of Oscar, starring Michael Gambon as Oscar Wilde during his trials and time in prison.^[55] Bayldon designed episode 9, "Windfall", for the second series of Big Deal, which aired in October,^[87] and also worked on the adaptation of Noël Coward's Star Quality: Me and the Girls, directed by Jack Gold and starring Tom Courtenay and Nichola McAuliffe, broadcast on 1 December 1985.^[88][55]

1986–1991

In 1986, Bayldon was made a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers.^[5] That year, he designed two consecutive episodes for the programme ScreenPlay: "The Mozart Inquest" and "The Marlowe Inquest", directed by Anthony Garner, which aired on 27 August and 3 September.^[55] In 1987, he designed the second of three episodes of Gaudy Night,^{[note 9]} starring Edward Petherbridge, Harriet Walter, and Richard Morant, and directed by Michael Simpson from Philip Broadley's adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey novel of the same name; this second episode was broadcast on 20 May 1987.^[55]

In January 1989, BBC2 aired The Dark Angel, a three-part television adaptation of J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Uncle Silas, starring Peter O'Toole, Beatie Edney, Simon Shepherd, and Jane Lapotaire.^[55] In an article for Variety Television Reviews (1991–92), the reviewer—"Tone"— wrote: "Oliver Bayldon's rich design gives the production substance and finality."^[91] Writing about The Dark Angel for the Los Angeles Times, Ray Loynd wrote: "Don Macpherson's script is wafer-thin, genre period melodrama. But the nightmare is salvaged by O'Toole and production designer Oliver Bayldon's sickly rich decay."^[92]

In 1990, Bayldon designed sets for Never Come Back, a three-part crime drama created by David Pirie and starring Nathaniel Parker, James Fox, Jonathan Coy, Suzanna Hamilton, and Ingrid Lacey, aired on BBC2 over three successive Wednesdays from 21 March 1990.^[55][93] On 20 September, BBC2's Arena showed "Agatha Christie – Unfinished Portrait" for which Bayldon had designed and illustrated dramatic inserts highlighting incidents in Christie's childhood, including a nightmare sequence and a drawing of the novelist reading to her grandmother from a newspaper in the 1890s.^[94] On 12 October,^[95] Bayldon won a Royal Television Society Design Award for his work on Never Come Back, and was presented with his award by news presenter Sue Lawley at the London Hilton Hotel.^[96] Also in 1990, Bayldon produced sets for all seven episodes of the first series of On the Up, a situation comedy written by Bob Larbey and starring Dennis Waterman, Sam Kelly, Joan Sims, Jenna Russell, and Judy Buxton. The first series was shown on successive Tuesdays from 4 September to 16 October 1990.^[97]

In 1991, Bayldon created designs for "Do Not Disturb", an episode aired on 17 March 1991 in series seven of the BBC2 programme Screen Two, produced by Simon Passmore and directed by Nicholas Renton, and starring Frances Barber, Peter Capaldi, and Éva Darlan.^[98][55] In 1992, Bayldon was production designer for the BBC's adaptation of Muriel Spark's novel Memento Mori, directed by Jack Clayton and starring Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Thora Hird, Sir Michael Hordern, Stephanie Cole, and Zoë Wanamaker.^[97][55] This TV film was first broadcast on BBC2's Screen Two on 19 April 1992,^[97] and was awarded six nominations for the BAFTA Awards, with Bayldon winning in the Best TV Production Design category.^{[99][100][101]}

1992–1995

On 15 September 1992, BBC1's Omnibus programme broadcast "Angela Carter's Curious Room", a profile of the novelist and writer Angela Carter, filmed in the last months before her death. Bayldon was the designer, and his drawing of Carter's 1950 living room in Balham was published in the September 1992 edition of House & Garden.^[102][4] The following month, Bayldon was the production designer for "Seconds Out", an episode about the world of unlicensed boxing, broadcast on 4 October as part of series four of the BBC's Screen One anthology drama series.^[103][104]

In 1993, Bayldon created sets for two episodes of BBC2's Scene series for teenagers; the first, Dear Life, written by Sue Glover and directed by Jane Howell, was broadcast on 19 March;^[105] the second was a play by Tom Stoppard, A Separate Peace, which aired a week later.^[106] Later that year, Bayldon was production designer for "The Maitlands", the first episode in the third series of BBC2's Performance programme. It was directed by Lindsay Posner and produced by Simon Curtis, and aired on 13 November 1993, starring Eileen Atkins, Jennifer Ehle, Bill Nighy, Edward Fox, and Samuel West.^[107][108] In 1994, Bayldon designed sets for "Return to Blood River", the seventh episode in the tenth series of BBC2's Screen Two programme. It was directed by Jane Howell and produced by Peter Goodchild, and aired on 13 April 1994, starring Kevin McNally, Warren Clarke, Frances Barber, and Samantha Bond.^[109][110]

In January 1995, Bayldon was credited as production designer on The Plant,^[111][112] a science fiction film shown on BBC1, about an alien visitor to a London suburb; it was written and directed by Jonathan Lewis, and starred Joanna Roth, Valentine Pelka, and Eoin McCarthy.^[113] Later that year, Bayldon held his fourth exhibition on design visuals and illustrations for television and film at the British Academy of Film & Television Arts, 195 Piccadilly, London, from 9 October to 11 November.^[114][115]

1996–1997: Freelance

After going freelance when the BBC downsized,^{[note 10]} Bayldon returned as production designer for Into the Fire, a three-part television thriller drama mini-series first shown on BBC1 on 14 February 1996 for three consecutive nights; it was written by Tony Marchant, directed by Jane Howell, and starred Donal McCann, David Morrissey, Sharon Duce, and Sue Johnston.^[116][117] Two months later, Bayldon held his fifth exhibition, entitled Arts in the Vaults, at the Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2, from 26 April until 26 July.^[118]

Bayldon's final project as a production designer was Wokenwell,^[119] a six-part television crime drama series, broadcast on ITV from 18 May to 22 June 1997. The series was created by screenwriter Bill Gallagher and produced by LWT, starring Ian McElhinney, Celia Imrie, Nicholas Gleaves, Lesley Dunlop, Jason Done and Nicola Stephenson.^[3]

Writing career

Bayldon retired from designing in 1997, and continued to write.^[3] Between 1987 and 1991, some of his short stories had already been read on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Morning Story: "Moya" (1987), "Model Responses New York Style" (1988), "Introductions à la Mode" (1988), "City Column" (1989), "Away from It All" (1989), "Sideways Promotion" (1989), and "Home from Home" (1991).^[120]

In addition to the two books already published in the 1960s, The Paper Makers Craft (1965)^[121][122] and Enigma I (1969),^[123] he wrote two more books: Acts of Defiance (2013)^[124] and Darkly Blows the Harmattan: Short Stories (2015).^[125] In 2013, he contributed illustrations to Mike Sharland's The Digby Stories.^[126]

Bayldon also wrote articles for magazines, following on from the four articles published in the Stamford Mercury (1961), in which he had related his experiences during a 14-weeks study tour in the US.^{[28][29][30][31]} In retirement, he wrote two articles for The Veteran, summarising his professional experiences: Creating a Visual Style (2013),^[3][5] and Filming in Perspective (2014).^[127] He also wrote three articles in Prospero: Memories: Ealing Studios remembered (2015),^[128] as well as obituaries for his colleagues Peter Hammond, actor and director (2011),^[129] and John Hurst, Senior TV production designer (2016).^[130]

Selected works

Stage

While at Stamford School in the 1950s, Bayldon designed sets for plays performed at the School Hall:

• Coriolanus (1953)
• The Government Inspector (1954)
• The Boy with a Cart (1955)
• Henry IV, Part 1 (1955)
• Charley's Aunt (1956)
• The Frogs (1957)

In the 1960s, Bayldon designed costumes and sets for the Northampton Repertory Theatre:

• Guilty Party (1962)
• Murder at Quay Cottage (1962)
• Babes in the Wood (1962–1963)
• The Shiny Surface (1963)
• Write Me a Murder (1963)
• Go Back For Murder (1963)

In the 1970s, Bayldon designed costumes and sets for four operas produced by the Royal Academy of Music:

• Belisario (1972) – costumes only
• The Fairy Queen Act IV: The Masque of the Seasons (1977) – set only
• Tobermory (1977) – set and costumes
• Trial by Jury (1977) – set and costumes

Television

Further information: List of TV programmes with designs by Oliver Bayldon

Bayldon was production designer for the following television programmes (except where indicated):

• Quick Before They Catch Us (1966 TV Series) – 4 episodes
• The Newcomers (1965–1969 TV Series) – 2 episodes (1966)
• Meet the Wife (1966 TV Series) – 7 episodes
• Thirty-Minute Theatre (1967–1971 TV Series) – 5 episodes
• Room at the Bottom (1967 TV Mini Series) – 3 episodes
• Comedy Playhouse (1967–1970 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• Workshop (1967–1975 TV Series) – 1 episode (1967)
• Till Death Us Do Part (1968 TV Series) – 4 episodes
• Beggar My Neighbour (1968 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• The Railway Children (1968 TV Mini Series) – 7 episodes
• An Evening with... (1968 TV Series) – 1 episode
• The Troubleshooters (1969–1970 TV Series) – 7 episodes
• Dad's Army (1969 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• The Gnomes of Dulwich (1969 TV Series) – 6 episodes
• The Battle of St. George Without (1969 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• Not in Front of the Children (1970 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Oh Brother! (1970 TV Series) – 4 episodes
• Z Cars (1970–1972 TV Series) – 11 episodes
• The Onedin Line (1971–1972 TV Series) – 12 episodes
• Doomwatch (1972 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Play for Today (1973–1978 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• The Dragon's Opponent (1973 TV Series) – 4 episodes
• The Liver Birds (1974 TV Series) – 4 episodes
• The Fight Against Slavery (1975 TV Mini Series) – 6 episodes
• Poldark (1975–1976 TV Series) – 16 episodes
• The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd (1976 TV Movie)
• When the Boat Comes In (1976–1977 TV Series) – 4 episodes
• The Velvet Glove (1977 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• BBC2 Play of the Week (1977 TV Series) – 1 episode
• The Children of the New Forest (1977 TV Series) – 5 episodes
• Happy Ever After (1978 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• The Dancing Princesses (1978 TV Movie)
• The Mill on the Floss (1978–1979 TV Mini Series) – 8 episodes
• BBC2 Playhouse (1980–1982 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• A Question of Guilt (1980–1982 TV Series) – 16 episodes
• The Merchant of Venice (1980 TV Movie)
• Stalky & Co. (1982 TV Mini Series) – 6 episodes
• Objects of Affection (1982 TV Series) – 1 episode
• The First Part of King Henry VI (1983 TV Movie)
• The Second Part of King Henry VI (1983 TV Movie)
• The Third Part of King Henry VI (1983 TV Movie)
• The Tragedy of Richard III (1983 TV Movie)
• BBC Play of the Month (1983 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Strangers and Brothers (1984 TV Series) – 9 episodes
• Oscar (1985 TV Series) – 3 episodes
• Big Deal (1985 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Me and the Girls (1985 TV Movie) – Art director
• The Paul Daniels Magic Show (1985 TV Series) – 1 episode
• ScreenPlay (1986 TV Series) – 2 episodes
• A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery (1987 TV Series) – 1 episode
• An Affair in Mind (1988 TV Movie) – Art director
• The Dark Angel (1989 TV Mini Series) – 3 episodes^[91]
• Never Come Back (1990 TV Mini Series) – 3 episodes
• On the Up (1990 TV Series) – 7 episodes
• Arena (1990 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Screen Two (1991–1994 TV Series) – 3 episodes (incl. Memento Mori in 1992^[131])
• Omnibus (1992 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Screen One (1992 TV Series) – 1 episode
• Scene (1968–2002 TV Series) – uncredited; 2 episodes (1993)
• Performance (1991–1998 TV Series) – Art Designer; 1 episode (1993)
• The Plant (1995 TV Movie)
• Into the Fire (1996 TV Mini Series) – 3 episodes
• Wokenwell (1997 TV Series) – 6 episodes

Radio

Bayldon wrote the following short stories, read on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Morning Story:^[120]

• "Moya" (30 September 1987) – Read by Peter Howell
• "Model Responses New York Style" (1 February 1988) – Read by Shelley Thompson
• "Introductions à la Mode" (5 December 1988) – Read by Daniel Webb
• "City Column" (25 January 1989) – Read by Alfred Molina
• "Away from It All" (8 February 1989) – Read by Joseph Marcell
• "Sideways Promotion" (12 April 1989) – Read by Geoffrey Whitehead
• "Home from Home" (16 October 1991) – Read by Seán Barrett

Exhibitions

• 1959 – Paintings and Stage Designs. Bookshop, King Street, Leicester (August 1959)^[16]
• 1963 – Costume and Theatre Designs. Museum and Art Gallery, Guildhall Road, Northampton (23 February 1963 – 23 March 1963)^[46]
• 1972 – Stage and Television Designs. Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry (25 August 1972 – 17 September 1972)^[66][50][67]
• 1995 – Oliver Bayldon at 195. The British Academy of Film & Television Arts, 195 Piccadilly, London W1 (9 October 1995 – 11 November 1995)^[114][115]
• 1996 – Arts in the Vaults. Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2 (26 April 1996 – 26 July 1996)^[118]

Collections

Bayldon's designs for opera are held in the public collections of the Royal Academy of Music, London. A collection of 45 costume and set designs by Bayldon from the 1970s can also be viewed on the Academy's website.^[63]

Publications

Books

• The Paper Makers Craft (1965)^[121][122]
• Enigma I (1969) – Collective work, including four poems by Bayldon^[123]
• Acts of Defiance (2013)^[124]
• Darkly Blows the Harmattan: Short Stories (2015)^[125]

Articles

• Four articles about his 14-weeks US study tour (1961); published in the Stamford Mercury^{[28][29][30][31]}
• Obituaries: Peter Hammond (2011); published in Prospero^[129]
• Creating a Visual Style (2013); published in The Veteran^[3][5]
• Filming in Perspective (2014); published in The Veteran^[127]
• Memories: Ealing Studios remembered (2015); published in Prospero^[128]
• Obituaries: John Hurst (2016); published in Prospero^[130]

Awards and fellowships

• Royal Society of Arts / Industrial Art Bursary (1961)^[132]
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (1961)^[26][133]
• Nominee of BAFTA Television Design Award for The Onedin Line (1972)^[61]
• Nominee of BAFTA Television Design Award^{[note 11]} for The Onedin Line (1973)^[68]
• Nominee of BAFTA Television Design Award^{[note 7]} for When the Boat Comes In (1977)^[134]
• Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers (1986)^[5]
• Winner of RTS Best Production Design (Drama) Award for Never Come Back (1989)^[135]
• Winner of BAFTA Television Craft Design Award for Memento Mori (1993)^[136]

Family connections

He is related to the actor Geoffrey Bayldon.

I don't really have a theatrical background, although I have a cousin Geoffrey Bayldon who's a well-known actor — but somehow the whole concept of creating sets appealed to me.

—Oliver Bayldon, in Man behind the scenes...behind the scenes by Pete Barraclough (1972)^[2]

See also

• Costume design
• Prop design
• Scenic design

References

Footnotes

1. In her review for the Leicester Daily Mercury on 19 November 1960, Kaye Almey wrote: "(...) Mr. Bayldon's creed for young homes is built on areas of warm colours—he carpeted his living room with vermilion, sharpened up the bedroom with citron yellow—and the gradual collection, when money is tight, of good pieces of furniture rather than making a more complete start with cheaper lines. He showed marked enthusiasm for fireplaces in the centre of a living room rather than attached to a wall. (...) [Photo caption:] The young idea of what a living room should look like. Leicester College of Art student, Mr. Oliver Bayldon, who planned it, chose a curved settee in charcoal and deep blue, scatter cushion, a round supper table, room dividers and a low long sideboard."^[22]
2. On 18 July 1963, a reviewer for The Stage highlighted the outstanding productions of the season as including: "The Party, with Valerie Bond and Jonathan Adams; Storm Lantern, in which David Lyn played David Lloyd George; Peter Ustinov's Photo Finish, with Jonathan Adams, John Cheffins, Alan Brown and Mark Lewes as the four Sams; the musical Love From Judy, with Yvonne Marlowe as a captivating Judy, Babes in the Wood, one of the best-ever pantomimes in which Lionel Hamilton again excelled as the Dame, The Rivals, with Vera Lennox as Mrs. Mala-prop, Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal, and A Passage to India. (...) The premiere of Roy Plomley's The Shiny Surface was notable for the appearance of Vic Oliver as guest star. Other guest artists included Tenniel Evans (a former member of the company) with Chairmain Eyre in The Keep. (...) During the absence of scenic designer Osborne Robinson, in America, John Page and Oliver Bayldon have kept up the high standard associated with this company. (...) The company finished the season with an elegant production of Somerset Maugham's The Circle".^[37]
3. In his 2012 book, The Art & Craft of Handmade Paper, author Vance Studley wrote: "Oliver Bayldon has freely translated a papermaker's Latin poem from the seventeenth century, that in part reads: 'The blocks begin their hobnail dance/and rising, falling tramp in rows,/stumping on like thunder butts/that crash and rush, and rip and rend/until foundations tremble and sway/buffeting the air around. (...)'. The poem is highly flavoured with the kind of activity which is so essential to good paper beating (...)."^[52]
4. The reviewer for the Stamford Mercury wrote: "Mr. Oliver Bayldon (...) has had published a book of verse, The Paper Makers Craft. Mr. Bayldon, who has had verse broadcast and published over a number of years, chanced one day to visit a small paper mill, and he watched entranced the transmutation of growing things into sheets of textured paper. He subsequently returned to the mill at Leicester with sacks of stalks, roots and leaves, and stayed to turn them into paper. Later he brought to the paper maker verses, his own free translation of a 17th century Latin poem "Papyrus" by Father Imberdis S.J. of Ambert, the papermaking district of the Auvergne in France. Some of the coloured paper in the book (price £5 5s.) was made at the Twelve by Eight mill in Leicester, the only place in England where paper is still made by hand."^[53]
5. "The experimental steam pinnace, Vessel, (... ) was reconstructed by designer Oliver Bayldon and shipping master Gerry Poolman in the Tumchappel shipyard, Plymouth. Fully practical, the small steamer was able to outrun the sailing ship Tectona manned by cadets from Plymouth School of Maritime Studies."^[60]
6. In his biographical article, entitled "Creating a Visual Style" in The Veteran (Winter 2013), Bayldon wrote: "Its filming was a great experience, travelling from location to location, transforming an old steel barge in Freetown harbour, Sierra Leone, into a mock-up 18th century slaver's deck, all done by local African carpenters in oppressive heat".^[3]
7. The award nomination was shared with Richard Morris, Bernard Lloyd-Jones, Sue Spence, and Peter Brachacki.^[134]
8. In his 1992 essay published in Literature/Film Quarterly, Hardy M. Cook wrote: "(...) All four plays are staged on a single set based on English, "adventure playgrounds". This single set, however, changes dramatically over the course of the cycle. Starting in 1 Henry VI, brightly painted in primary colours and largely open, it includes catwalks, platforms, stairs, walls, and many doors. The cyclorama behind, containing brilliant golds, is conspicuous even through open doors. Most of the staging area is used, including the upper levels. Taken as a whole, the set acts as a textured backdrop for the play that is filled with many actors and much action. In 2 Henry VI, the set looks darker than it was for Part 1. As Oliver Bayldon, the set designer, notes, "It's still a play park but it's not a place for playing games any more, it's got sinister. It's gone very sombre and textured – it's almost as though it has been boarded up and whitewashed and the whitewash has gone grey". (...) At the beginning, some additional platforms have been erected, such as the one that opens the play, from which the actors enter (...). Gradually, these platforms disappear as the play proceeds. (...) In 3 Henry VI, the set gets darker still: "By Part 3 the adventure playground has become burned and charred – colours have been subdued to black and grey and the colour of charred timber". (...) One of the main doors through which the actors enter and depart is now battered and darkened. The only exceptions to the bleakness of the set are the scenes at the French court. By the time of Richard III, the set has become very enclosed. Free standing doors now fill in once open spaces, and the rope netting is looped up, suggesting dark clouds. The upper stages and stairs are seldom used. The entire set looks very dark, dominated by dark browns with only an occasional splash of colour. Unquestionably, Howell conceived of the progress through the tetralogy as a darkening one, reflecting "a historical development from an age of chivalry to an age of conscienceless, ruthless killing, a breakdown in order and ethics".^[83]
9. The first and third episodes of Gaudy Night were designed by Barbara Gosnold, and aired on 13 and 27 May 1987, respectively.^[89][90]
10. At its peak in the 1990s, the BBC Scenic Design Department employed over 130 designers, plus freelancers, before being shut down by the then-Director-General of the BBC, John Birt.^[3]
11. The award nomination was shared with the Design Team.^[68]

Citations

1. BAFTA; In Memory.
2. Leicester Chronicle; 15 Sep 1972, p. 15; col.2–4.
3. The Veteran; 2013.
4. House & Garden; Sep 1992.
5. CSD; 2014.
6. Stamford Mercury; 18 Dec 1953.
7. Stamford Mercury; 15 Jan 1954.
8. Stamford Mercury; 17 Dec 1954.
9. Stamford School; Mar 1955.
10. Stamford Mercury; 16 Dec 1955.
11. Stamford Mercury; 2 Nov 1956.
12. Stamford Mercury; 20 Dec 1957.
13. Leicester Evening Mail; 13 Jan 1961.
14. Leicester Evening Mail; 11 Jul 1958.
15. The Stamfordian; No. 164, 1958.
16. Leicester Daily Mercury; 8 Aug 1959.
17. Leicester Evening Mail; 8 Dec 1959.
18. Birmingham Daily Post; 12 Mar 1960.
19. Leicester Evening Mail; 20 May 1960.
20. Miller & Price 2006, p. 93-94.
21. Leicester Evening Mail; 17 Aug 1960.
22. Leicester Daily Mercury; 19 Nov 1960.
23. Birmingham Daily Post; 10 Nov 1960.
24. Leicester Daily Mercury; 10 Nov 1960.
25. Stamford Mercury; 17 Mar 1961.
26. RSA; List of Members; 1967.
27. Leicester Evening Mail; 11 Aug 1961.
28. Stamford Mercury; 15 Dec 1961.
29. Stamford Mercury; 22 Dec 1961.
30. Stamford Mercury; 29 Dec 1961.
31. Stamford Mercury; 5 Jan 1962.
32. Stamford Mercury; 6 Dec 1963.
33. The Stage; 7 Jun 1962.
34. The Stage; 2 Aug 1962.
35. Leicester Chronicle; 16 Feb 1962.
36. Foulkes 1992, p. 119.
37. The Stage; 18 Jul 1963.
38. NRT; Sep 1962.
39. NRT; Nov 1962.
40. Wolverton Express; 28 Dec 1962.
41. The Stage; 3 Jan 1963.
42. The Stage; 28 Mar 1963.
43. NRT; Mar 1963.
44. NRT; Jun 1963.
45. A Passage to India, Sep 1962.
46. Stamford Mercury; 25 Jan 1963.
47. The Stage; 7 Mar 1963.
48. Stamford Mercury; 20 Mar 1964.
49. The Stage; 31 Dec 1964.
50. Birmingham Daily Post; 2 Sep 1972.
51. Jones 2008, p. 103.
52. Studley 2012, p. 63.
53. Stamford Mercury; 5 Mar 1965.
54. Stamford Mercury; 9 Sep 1966.
55. BBC Genome.
56. BCG, Cast & Crew.
57. Manchester Evening News; 10 May 1969.
58. Nottingham Evening Post; 26 Jan 1970.
59. Stamford Mercury; 6 Aug 1971.
60. Belfast News-Letter; 19 Nov 1971.
61. BAFTA; 1972.
62. Leicester Daily Mercury; 15 Feb 1972.
63. RAM; Collections.
64. Musical Times; Mar 1972.
65. RAM1972; p.1.
66. Coventry Evening Telegraph; 25 Aug 1972.
67. Leicester Chronicle; 15 Sep 1972, p. 14; col.2.
68. BAFTA; 1973.
69. The Stage; 15 Feb 1973.
70. Leicester Daily Mercury; 22 Feb 1973.
71. FTD; 2017.
72. Stamford Mercury; 12 Dec 1975.
73. Leicester Daily Mercury; 14 Mar 1977.
74. May 2023, p. 143.
75. Sunday Times Magazine; 2 Oct 1977.
76. RAM1977; Front cover.
77. RAM1977; p.6.
78. RAM1977; p.8.
79. RAM1977; p.12.
80. The Stage; 4 Jan 1979.
81. Stamford Mercury; 16 May 1980.
82. The Stage; 16 Oct 1980.
83. Literature/Film Quarterly; 1992.
84. Shakespeare Quarterly; 1 Oct 1983.
85. Stamford Mercury; 17 Dec 1982.
86. Dollimore & Sinfield 1994, p. 222.
87. BCG, 29 Oct 1985.
88. Mander & Mitchenson 2000, p. 553.
89. BBC Genome, 13 May 1987.
90. BBC Genome, 27 May 1987.
91. Prouty 1994, p. 30.
92. Los Angeles Times; 21 Mar 1991.
93. Leicester Daily Mercury; 12 Mar 1990.
94. House & Garden; Sep 1992, p. 103.
95. TV Producer; Oct 1990.
96. Southall Gazette; 26 Oct 1990.
97. BCG.
98. Gems.
99. The Stage; 25 Feb 1993.
100. Nottingham Evening Post; 8 Mar 1993.
101. Middlesex County Times; 12 Mar 1993.
102. BFI Id: N-394911.
103. BFI Id: N-392386.
104. Sight & Sound; Dec 1992.
105. THF; 19 Mar 1993.
106. BBC Genome, 26 Mar 1993.
107. The Maitlands; 1993.
108. BBC Genome, 13 Nov 1993.
109. BFI Id: N-422907.
110. BBC Genome, 13 Apr 1994.
111. The Plant clip; 1995.
112. The Plant crewlist; 1995.
113. BBC Genome, 20 Jan 1995.
114. BAFTA News; Oct 1995.
115. RSA Journal; Nov 1995.
116. Into the Fire; 1996.
117. BBC Genome, 14 Feb 1996.
118. RSA Journal; Apr 1996.
119. Wokenwell; 1997.
120. BBC Archive; R4.
121. Bayldon 1965.
122. KOAF.
123. Cotton & Rigby 1969.
124. Bayldon 2013.
125. Bayldon 2015.
126. Sharland 2013.
127. The Veteran; 2014.
128. Prospero; 2015.
129. Prospero; 2011.
130. Prospero; 2016.
131. BFI 1992.
132. RSA Journal; Apr 1961.
133. RSA; Fellowship.
134. BAFTA; 1977.
135. RTS Archive; 1989.
136. BAFTA; 1993.

Sources

Books

• Bayldon, Oliver (1965). The Paper Makers Craft (softcover; small 8vo., hand-made self-paper wrappers. 4 pages. Printed on Mason's handmade paper.). The verse by Oliver Bayldon and the illustrations by Rigby Graham. (1st ed.). Leicester: Twelve by Eight Paper Mill & Private Press.
• — (2013). Acts of Defiance (softcover) (1st ed.). London: Willow eBooks. ISBN 978-1-909473-00-3.
• — (2015). Darkly Blows the Harmattan: Short Stories (softcover) (1st ed.). London. ASIN B00WRGN6SS.
• Cotton, John; Rigby, Graham; et al. (John Cotton, Graham Rigby, Patrick Bridgewater, John Minton, Margaret McCord, Oliver Bayldon) (1969). Enigma I (softcover) (1st ed.). Leicester: Cog Press. (...) Five Poems by John Cotton; Two Typograms by Patrick Bridgewater; Three Drawings by John Minton; Two Screen Prints by Margaret McCord; Four Poems by Oliver Bayldon; Priapus the Growth of a Magazine by John Cotton; and (...) T. E. Lawrence & the Seizin Press of Robert Graves, by Rigby Graham.
• Dollimore, Jonathan; Sinfield, Alan, eds. (1994) [1985]. Political Shakespeare: Essays in Cultural Materialism (hardcover) (2nd Revised ed.). Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-7190-4352-9.
• Foulkes, Richard (1992). Repertory at The Royal. Sixty-Five Years of Theatre in Northampton 1927–92 (hardcover). Foreword by Nigel Hawthorne (1st ed.). Northampton, UK: Northampton Repertory Players. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-9505442-1-2.
• Jones, Glyn Idris (2008). No Official Umbrella (softcover) (1st ed.). Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland: DCG Publications. p. 103. ISBN 978-960-98418-0-1. Retrieved 2 October 2023 – via books.google.co.uk.
• Mander, Raymond; Mitchenson, Joe (2000) [1957]. Theatrical Companion to Coward (hardcover). Barry Day and Sheridan Morley (2nd ed.). London: Oberon Books. p. 553. ISBN 978-1-84002-054-0.
• May, Thomas William (January 2023). "3.9.1. 'Lovely scenery' or 'all depressing from a visual angle': aesthetics and production style". A history and interpretive analysis of play for today, (BBC1, 1970–1984) (PDF) (PhD thesis). Newcastle upon Tyne: Northumbria University. p. 143.
• Miller, David; Price, Richard (2006). British Poetry Magazines 1914–2000 (hardcover) (1st ed.). London & New Castle, Del.: The British Library & Oak Knoll Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7123-4941-3. Crescent / edited by R. Brian de L'Troath. Leicester: [Crescent], Vol. 1 no. 1 (Nov. 1959)-no. 3 (Summer 1960). The first issue's subtitle, "A Leicester magazine devoted to the arts and matters of topical interest", illustrates the locus of interest here. In the first issue there's a memoir of W. H. Davies by Samuel J. Looker, an article on the patronising nature of the Soviet Union's alleged implementation of arts programmes, short stories, a review of Leicester-born Colin Wilson's Age of Defeat, artwork from local artists, an "abstract" poem by R. O. M. Bayldon, and a free verse poem by the editor. Production values went up a notch from a typed stencil to commercial vari-typing with the last issue. BL: P.P.488ud.
• Prouty (1994). Variety Television Reviews, Vol. 17 (1991–92) (hardcover) (1st ed.). Abingdon-on-Thames, UK: Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8240-3796-3. Retrieved 24 November 2023 – via books.google.co.uk.
• Sharland, Mike (2013). The Digby Stories (softcover). Illustrations by Oliver Bayldon. Exeter: Imprint Digital.
• Studley, Vance (2012). The Art & Craft of Handmade Paper (softcover) (New ed.). Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-486-26421-9. Retrieved 18 December 2023 – via books.google.co.uk.

Magazines and newspapers

• "IMAGINATIVE PRODUCTION – Stamford School Presents Shakespearean Roman Tragedy". Stamford Mercury. No. 12, 595. Stamford. 18 December 1953. p. 8; col.5–6. Retrieved 19 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "BIRTH OF "MORCOTT DUSTBINS" – A Crazy Story About a Litter Basket". Stamford Mercury. No. 12, 599. Stamford. 15 January 1954. p. 1; col.3–6. Retrieved 8 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "AMUSING STORY BY SCHOLARS – Russian play chosen". Stamford Mercury. No. 12, 647. Stamford. 17 December 1954. p. 5; col.5–6. Retrieved 19 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Boys made Shakespeare so enjoyable". Stamford Mercury. No. 12, 699. Stamford. 16 December 1955. p. 9; col.8. Retrieved 19 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "We must see more of this talent – 'Charley's Aunt'". Stamford Mercury. No. 12, 745. Stamford. 2 November 1956. p. 7; col.1–2. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "A Greek Play at School – 'The Frogs'". Stamford Mercury. No. 12, 804. Stamford. 20 December 1957. p. 13; col.4–5. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Gold Medal for Oakham Youth". Leicester Evening Mail. Leicester. 11 July 1958. p. 10; col.1 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "News from Old Boys" (PDF). The Stamfordian. Summer Term (164). Stamford: Stamford School: 779. 1958.
• "ONE-MAN SHOW". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. 8 August 1959. p. 6; col.3–5. Retrieved 25 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Merry medieval moments". Leicester Evening Mail. No. 15, 267. Leicester. 8 December 1959. p. 11; col.1. Retrieved 12 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Midland Successes in Design Contest Awards are announced in the Royal Society of Arts industrial art bursaries". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 12 March 1960. p. 23 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Two poems". Leicester Evening Mail. No. 15, 405. Leicester. 20 May 1960. p. 2; col.5. Retrieved 12 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Twice a year now". Leicester Evening Mail. No. 15, 481. Leicester. 17 August 1960. p. 2; col.4–5. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Students' Hoax Reveals Real Relics". Birmingham Daily Post. No. 31, 846. Birmingham. 10 November 1960. p. 7; col.1. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Convincing Tale". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. 10 November 1960. p. 17 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Almey, Kaye (19 November 1960). "Designs for Living: 2–YOUNG IDEA". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. p. 7; col.5–6. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "FINE STAGE: NO SOCIETY". Leicester Evening Mail. No. 15, 607. Leicester. 13 January 1961. p. 6; col.5–6. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Art student wins £150". About People. Stamford Mercury. Stamford. 17 March 1961. p. 10 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Industrial Art Bursaries: 1960 Competition" (PDF). RSA Journal. 109 (5057). London: Royal Society of Arts: 328–338, 330. April 1961. JSTOR 41366885. Retrieved 2 October 2023 – via JSTOR. FILM, STAGE AND TELEVISION SETTINGS. Bursaries: Richard Bayldon (Leicester College of Art: age 22).
• "CITY EXAM SUCCESSES". Leicester Evening Mail. No. 15, 786. Leicester. 11 August 1961. p. 5; col.1–2. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "OLD BOY IN THE STATES – He finds their traffic a terrifying nightmare". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 012. Stamford. 15 December 1961. p. 8; col.2–3. Retrieved 8 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "WHY HE DOES NTO WANT TO LIVE THERE – Mr. Oliver Bayldon explains". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 013. Stamford. 22 December 1961. p. 6; col.3–6. Retrieved 8 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Mr. BAYLDON SEES THE FALL-OUT SHELTERS GO UP IN USA – Fear and insecurity felt there". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 014. Stamford. 29 December 1961. p. 6; col.2–5. Retrieved 8 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Another Rutland is having to fight – Together with Oakham (Mass.)". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 015. Stamford. 5 January 1962. p. 6; col.6–7. Retrieved 8 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "ART IN THE HOME AND STREET: Leicester Students Can Provide It". Leicester Chronicle. No. 1, 928. Leicester. 16 February 1962. p. 4; col.3–4. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Talented Young Men in the Paint-Shop". The Stage. No. 4, 234. London. 7 June 1962. p. 16; col.4. Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Taking Over from Osborne Robinson". The Stage. No. 4, 242. London. 2 August 1962. p. 5; col.6. Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Babes in the Wood – Northampton Repertory Theatre". Wolverton Express. No. 3, 220. Wolverton. 28 December 1962. p. 6; col.5. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "NORTHAMPTON – Babes in the Wood". The Stage. No. 4, 264. London. 3 January 1963. p. 29; col.3. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "About people". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 070. Stamford. 25 January 1963. p. 12; col.2. Retrieved 25 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Designs on show at Northampton". The Stage. No. 4, 273. London. 7 March 1963. p. 16; col.6. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Blackmail underlies". The Stage. No. 4, 276. London. 28 March 1963. p. 32; col.4. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Looking back at Northampton". The Stage. No. 4, 292. London. 18 July 1963. p. 16; col.5–6. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "A television designer". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 115. Stamford. 6 December 1963. p. 10; col.5. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "About people". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 130. Stamford. 20 March 1964. p. 2; col.7. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Chit Chat – 'Cupid'". The Stage. No. 4, 368. London. 31 December 1964. p. 6; col.6. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Paper making inspires local poet". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 180. Stamford. 5 March 1965. p. 1; col.8. Retrieved 1 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Designs for television". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 259. Stamford. 9 September 1966. p. 8; col.6. Retrieved 5 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Back matter / List of Members". Journal of the Royal Society of Arts. 115 (5136). London: Royal Society of Arts: 8. November 1967. JSTOR 43796568. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via JSTOR.
• "Two Gnomes". Manchester Evening News. No. 349. Manchester. 10 May 1969. p. 8; col.6. Retrieved 5 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Big props made Hugh Lloyd look gnome size". Nottingham Evening Post. No. 28, 511. Nottingham. 26 January 1970. p. 9; col.2. Retrieved 12 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Designing shows". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 515. Stamford. 6 August 1971. p. 3; col.6. Retrieved 12 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Steam v. sail in spectacular race". Belfast News-Letter. Belfast. 19 November 1971. p. 4; col.4–5. Retrieved 12 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "In line for design award". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. 15 February 1972. p. 16; col.6. Retrieved 12 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Porter, Andrew (March 1972). "Donizetti's 'Belisario'". The Musical Times. 113 (1549). Brentwood: Musical Times Publications Ltd.: 259. doi:10.2307/957130. JSTOR 957130. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via JSTOR.
• Guitard, Nick (25 August 1972). "Elaborate elegance". Coventry Evening Telegraph. No. 25, 229. Coventry. p. 27; col.2–3. Retrieved 25 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Everitt, Anthony (2 September 1972). "Oliver Bayldon exhibition... at the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry". Birmingham Daily Post. No. 35, 508. Birmingham. p. 28; col.2–3. Retrieved 25 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Barraclough, Pete (15 September 1972). "Man behind the scenes...behind the scenes". Leicester Chronicle. No. 2, 979. Leicester. p. 14; col.2. Retrieved 25 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Nominations for 1972 SFTA awards". The Stage. No. 4, 792. London. 15 February 1973. p. 11; col.1. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Nominated for second 'Oscar'". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. 22 February 1973. p. 24; col.3–4. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Local man works on 'Poldark'". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 743. Stamford. 12 December 1975. p. 16; col.6. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "He has designs on an award". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. 14 March 1977. p. 16; col.3–4. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Burn, Gordon (2 October 1977). "All his own work – Ollie's living room sets the scene for the TV viewers". The Sunday Times Magazine. London. p. 41; col.1–4.
• Lovelace, Jennifer (4 January 1979). "So far, well up to standard". Drama Reviews. The Stage. No. 5, 099. London. p. 16; col.3–4. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Oliver delves into the past for TV series". Stamford Mercury. No. 13, 961. Stamford. 16 May 1980. p. 16; col.2–4. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Miller's first season of six". The Stage. No. 5, 192. London. 16 October 1980. p. 23; col.4. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Designer of Bard's plays". Stamford Mercury. No. 14, 094. Stamford. 17 December 1982. p. 8; col.5–6. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Wood, Robert E. (1 October 1983). "Richard III". Shakespeare Quarterly. 34 (3). Oxford: Oxford Academic: 340. doi:10.2307/2869895. ISSN 1538-3555. JSTOR 2869895. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
• "All tuned in for more success". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester. 12 March 1990. p. 15; col.1–2. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Award for TV designer". Southall Gazette. Ealing. 26 October 1990. p. 6; col.7. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• Loynd, Ray (21 March 1991). "TV Reviews : O'Toole a Slick Villain in 'The Dark Angel'". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
• Cook, Hardy M. (1992). "Jane Howell's BBC First Tetralogy: Theatrical and Televisual Manipulation". Literature/Film Quarterly. 20 (4). Salisbury, Maryland: Salisbury University: 326–331. JSTOR 43796568. Retrieved 20 November 2023 – via JSTOR.
• "Bayldon set on design". TV Producer. October 1990. p. 7.
• "Making a scene". House & Garden (UK ed.). London: Condé Nast. September 1992. pp. 102–103.
• Lipman, Amanda (December 1992). "Seconds Out". Sight & Sound. London: British Film Institute: 57. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
• "BAFTA NOMINATIONS". The Stage. No. 5, 837. London. 25 February 1993. p. 20; col.5. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Winners of the Bafta Craft Awards for films and TV of 1992". Nottingham Evening Post. No. 35, 586. Nottingham. 8 March 1993. p. 3; col.4. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Oliver Bayldon BAFTA award". Briefly. Middlesex County Times. London. 12 March 1993. p. 3; col.1. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
• "Oliver Bayldon at 195". BAFTA News. Vol. 6, no. 9. London: The British Academy of Film & Television Arts. October 1995. p. 3.
• "Exhibitions by Fellows". RSA Journal. 143 (5464). London: Royal Society of Arts: 66. November 1995. JSTOR 41376911. Retrieved 27 September 2023 – via JSTOR.
• Dunn, John (April 1996). "General News". RSA Journal. 144 (5468). London: Royal Society of Arts: Front Matter & 10–13. JSTOR 41377035. Retrieved 27 September 2023 – via JSTOR.
• Bayldon, Oliver (November 2011). "Obituaries: Peter Hammond – Influential actor turned award-winning director" (PDF). Prospero (8). Cardiff: BBC: 11. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
• Bayldon, Oliver (Winter 2013). "Creating a Visual Style". The Veteran (141, Winter 2013). London: British Cinema and Television Veterans: 4–10, 28 (back cover).
• Bayldon, Oliver (Winter 2014). "Filming in Perspective". The Veteran (145, Winter 2014). London: British Cinema and Television Veterans: 4–9.
• Bayldon, Oliver (April 2015). "Memories: Ealing Studios remembered / Oliver Bayldon, former art director and designer, shares his reminiscences..." (PDF). Prospero (2). Cardiff: BBC: 6. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
• Bayldon, Oliver (February 2016). "Obituaries: John Hurst – Senior TV production designer" (PDF). Prospero (1). Cardiff: BBC: 10. Retrieved 21 November 2023.

Websites

• "Oliver Bayldon – Production Designer". London: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 21 January 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2023. 12 September 1938 to 23 December 2019
• "Nominees: The Onedin Line". London: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 1972. Television Design in 1972. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Oliver Bayldon
• "Nominees: The Onedin Line". London: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 1973. Television Design in 1973. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Oliver Bayldon and the Design Team
• "Nominees: When The Boat Comes In". London: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 1977. Television Design in 1977. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Richard Morris, Bernard Lloyd-Jones, Sue Spence, Oliver Bayldon, Peter Brachacki
• "RTS National Awards" (PDF). Royal Television Society National Awards Archive. February 2011. p. 75. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Production Design: 1989 Oliver Bayldon, BBC for Never Come Back.
• "A CLASS OF HIS OWN THE FILMS OF JACK CLAYTON: Memento Mori". bfidatadigipres.github.io. London: BFI. 1992. [Scroll down to "SCREEN TWO: MEMENTO MORI"]. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
• "Winner: Memento Mori". London: British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 1993. Television Craft Design in 1993. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Oliver Bayldon
• "Oliver Bayldon FCSD Reflects on a Career of Television Scenic Design in 'The Veteran', 2013". London: Chartered Society of Designers. 17 January 2014. Design Insights. Retrieved 27 September 2023. Oliver Bayldon FCSD, a Fellow of the Society since 1986
• Stollery, Martin (30 April 2017). "Evan Jones, Christopher Ralling and 'The Fight Against Slavery' (BBC2 1975)". Forgotten Television Drama. Royal Holloway: University of London. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
• "BBC Programme Index". Morning Story (BBC Radio 4). London: BBC Archive. Retrieved 3 October 2023. Results 1 to 7 of 7 for Oliver Bayldon
• "Find a Fellow – RSA". London: Royal Society of Arts. Retrieved 4 October 2023. Richard Oliver Maxwell Bayldon: Fellow since 1961
• Books & Bibliography – A Collection of 1889 Titles (PDF) (Report). p. 130. Retrieved 21 November 2023. 1219. (Twelve By Eight Press) Bayldon, Oliver. PAPER MAKERS CRAFT. Leicester: Twelve By Eight Paper Mill & Private Press, 1965, small 8vo., hand-made self-paper wrappers. (4) pages. Prospectus about a new book from the Twelve by Eight Press. The verse by Oliver Bayldon and the illustrations by Rigby Graham. Printed on Mason's handmade paper.
• "Oliver Bayldon". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. BBC Programme Index. BBC Genome Project. [Contributors]. Retrieved 7 December 2023. Designer: Oliver Bayldon
• "Oliver Bayldon". collections.ram.ac.uk. London: Royal Academy of Music. Academy Collections. Retrieved 6 December 2023. [Search on "Oliver Bayldon]
• "Oliver Bayldon – Production Designer". comedy.co.uk. British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
• Wright, Stephen. "Do Not Disturb (17 March 1991)". gemsagency.co.uk. Series: Screen Two. Penarth: Gems Agency. [Scroll down to "SCREEN TWO: DO NOT DISTURB"]. Retrieved 12 December 2023. Production Designer Oliver Bayldon
• "Angela Carter's Curious Room (15 September 1992)". collections-search.bfi. Series: Omnibus. British Film Institute. [Credits]. Retrieved 12 December 2023. Designer: Oliver Bayldon
• "Seconds Out (4 October 1992)". collections-search.bfi. Series: Screen One. British Film Institute. [Credits]. Retrieved 13 December 2023. Production Designer: Oliver Bayldon
• "Dear Life (19 March 1993)". historyfiles.co.uk. BBC Scene. The History Files. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
• "Return to Blood River (13 April 1994)". collections-search.bfi. Series: Screen Two. British Film Institute. [Credits]. Retrieved 27 July 2024. Production Designer: Oliver Bayldon

Theatre programs/playbills/crewlists

• The Boy With A Cart (Theatre program/playbill). Tuesday 22 March & Wednesday 23 March 1955. Stamford: Stamford School. p. 1. Costumes designed by R. O. M. Bayldon
• Guilty Party (Theatre program/playbill). Monday 3 September 1962 For Two Weeks. Northampton: Northampton Repertory Theatre. p. 1. Setting by Oliver Bayldon
• A Passage to India (Theatre program/playbill). Northampton: Northampton Repertory Theatre. September 1962. p. 5. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Characters in order of appearance: (...) Ranjit, Fielding's servant ... Oliver Bayldon (...) Mr Burton-Fletcher, a Civil Servant ... Kenneth Loach (...)
• Murder at Quay Cottage (Theatre program/playbill). Monday 5 November 1962 For Two Weeks. Northampton: Northampton Repertory Theatre. p. 1. Setting by Oliver Bayldon
• Write Me A Murder (Theatre program/playbill). Monday 4 March 1963 For Two Weeks. Northampton: Northampton Repertory Theatre. p. 1. Setting by Oliver Bayldon
• Go Back For Murder (Theatre program/playbill). Monday 17 June 1963 For Two Weeks. Northampton: Northampton Repertory Theatre. p. 1. Settings by Oliver Bayldon
• Belisario (Theatre program/playbill). Wednesday 8 March to Saturday 11 March 1972 (Royal Academy of Music 150th Anniversary Celebrations ed.). London: Sadler's Wells Foundation. p. 1. Costumes: Oliver Bayldon
• Sir Jack Lyons Theatre (Theatre program/playbill) (Official opening of Sir Jack Lyons Theatre ed.). London: Royal Academy of Music. October 1977. Front cover. Official Opening by HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, President of the RAM. Wednesday 26th October 1977 at 8.0 p.m. Further performances on Friday 28th October, Monday 31st October, and Tuesday 1st November, at 7.30 p.m.
• The Fairy Queen Act IV: The Masque of the Seasons (Theatre program/playbill) (Official opening of Sir Jack Lyons Theatre ed.). London: Royal Academy of Music. October 1977. p. 6. Set: Oliver Bayldon
• Tobermory (Theatre program/playbill) (Official opening of Sir Jack Lyons Theatre ed.). London: Royal Academy of Music. October 1977. p. 8. Set and Costumes: Oliver Bayldon
• Trial by Jury (Theatre program/playbill) (Official opening of Sir Jack Lyons Theatre ed.). London: Royal Academy of Music. October 1977. p. 12. Set and Costumes: Oliver Bayldon
• "The Maitlands" (Crew list). British Broadcasting Corporation. 1993. Designer – Oliver Bayldon
• "The Plant" (Crew list). British Broadcasting Corporation. 1995. Designer – Oliver Bayldon
• "Into the Fire" (Crew list). British Broadcasting Corporation. 1996. Production Designer – Oliver Bayldon
• "Wokenwell" (Crew list). London Weekend Television. 1997. Production Designer – Oliver Bayldon

AV Media

• The Plant (Video clip). BBC. 1995. Event occurs at 1.04. [Credits] – via YouTube. Production Designer Oliver Bayldon

Further reading

• Rossini, Lauren, ed. (1999). Cinematographers, Production Designers, Costume Designers and Film Editors Directory (softcover). First Edition by Kate Bales. Cover design by Carla Green. (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Lone Eagle Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-58065-017-5. Oliver Bayldon: Poldark (MS) BBC, Lionheart Television Int'l (1977); Memento Mori (TF) BBC 1992

External links

• Oliver Bayldon at British Comedy Guide
• Oliver Bayldon's works at British Film Institute
• Oliver Bayldon at IMDb