Veronica Connell
Newsdesk Copy Taker
Veronica Connell was born in Hebburn, South Tyneside, in 1949. She worked at BBC Newcastle for 17 years between 1974 and 1991. During this time Veronica worked in the newsroom as a Copytaker, News Desk Secretary and Presentation Secretary before taking an attachment to features as a Production Assistant.
In this interview, Veronica talks about her family, education and leisure time in Hebburn. She reflects on her aspirations as a young woman to become a secretary and taking typing lesson from aged 13. She recounts her experiences of work from her first job as a Messenger Girl at aged fifteen in 1963 to becoming a Marketing Manager in 1991. Veronica recounts her desire to work and both the material and personal benefits of doing so. She discusses the disappointment of having to leave her job at The Evening Chronicle newspaper due to pregnancy in the early 1970s and the stigma and guilt she experienced on returning to work in 1974. She also discusses the pleasures and challenges of working shifts as a Copy Taker on the BBC News Desk.
In the latter half of the interview Veronica reflects on the esteem of securing a job at BBC North East and her enjoyment of working in the newsroom as well as in Features. She describes her working day in her different roles, the working culture at the BBC, the significance of the social club and her role as club secretary, and her thwarted attempts to secure a permanent position in Features. Amidst this history Veronica recalls some humorous moments of working in television including Diana Dors’ visit to BBC Newcastle.
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 25th April 2024.
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WOMEN’S WORK ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
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