Women’s Work in British Film and Television

Ada Hakeney
Engineer

Ada Hakeney (nee Green) (Engineer)

Ada Hakeney was born in Hull in 1932. She had planned to become a nurse but in 1954, aged 22, a friend encouraged her to apply for a job as a Technical Assistant at the BBC. In 1972 Ada became the first woman to qualify as an engineer at the BBC and in 1977 was awarded the Queen’s Silver Jubilee medal for services to broadcasting.

In this interview Ada recalls her memories of growing up in Hull and her experience of qualifying for a scholarship at Kingston High School. She goes on to recall the different stages of her twenty-three year career at the BBC, from working shifts in Manchester to passing her exams to qualify as a female engineer in the BBC in 1972. She recounts her enthusiasm for her move to Leeds in 1972 which enabled her to move in to working in television and develop new skills in camera, sound mixing and telecine. As one of the few female engineers in television during this period, she recalls specific episodes in which gender politics played a role in her advancement but she also speaks with great affection about feeling part of the team and the camaraderie and support she received from her male colleagues. Ada also discusses the big events of 1977; receiving the silver jubilee medal and her resignation from the BBC following her marriage to fellow BBC engineer, Joe Hakeney. The interview concludes with Ada discussing her subsequent contract work for the BBC in Cardiff between 1979 and 1983.

Interview

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How to cite this page

Women’s Work Oral Histories/Oral Histories/Vicky Ball, Women’s Work in British Film and Television, https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/bectu/Oral Histories,Thursday 28th March 2024.
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