Over sixteen million viewers were glued to the tube to see Stacey Slater unmasked as the killer of Archie Mitchell in an historic live 25th anniversary episode of EastEnders. So why are you reading that here? Well, given the show is normally recorded, cabled mics are generally used off camera. But for the live episode a large number of wireless mics were required at numerous locations across the set and all operating simultaneously. To complicate matters further, the location, Elstree Television Studios, is in an overlapping area covered by three television transmitters all carrying digital as well as analogue services. To say microphone spectrum is scarce is an understatement.
However, working with a customer on-site during rehearsals, JFMG were able to conduct measurements in the locations where equipment was being deployed and measure the actual levels of TV into the location. As a result we were able to ensure the spectrum was clean enough so you could hear Peggy Mitchell bawl all the way from the Queen Vic to the Argee Bhajee. It also has enabled us to improve on-line availability of mic spectrum for future users.
Oh, and as a bonus, we got to see Bradley 'fall' off the roof two days ahead of the rest of the country!
