Key question regarding the BBC 1973 series and the graffito

[Simon Wood]

Hi Herlock,

Joseph Gorman changed his name to Gorman-Sickert in 1970.

Any idea why, at the age of 45, Joseph might have begun thinking he was the son of Walter Sickert?

Regards,

Simon

[mpriestnall]

Thanks, Simon.

[Simon Wood]

Stephen Knight describes in his book how he became involved – and also in an article he wrote for the East London Advertiser, December 7th 1973. Plus the production file for the BBC 1973 documentary series makes it abundantly clear that Ian Sharp and Wendy Sturgess were the lead researchers on the programme.

Hope this sorts it out.

[mpriestnall]

Thanks a lot Sam.

I'm out and about and have no books to check.

OK, I think he may have interviewed for his paper someone associated with the B&W documentary and that was how he got onto it.
He recognized that the newspaper interview/article had more legs and that's what got him started. I think that's it.

Dont' quote me though.

So like Simon said(!) he had no actual connection to the show.

Martyn

[FISHY1118]

i think you could be right there

[Sam Flynn]

I'm not 100% sure, but I thought Stephen Knight was a researcher on the BBC Barlow and Watts show?

Or am I making this up. Anyone?

Martyn

Hello Martyn

Can't see anything about that in his IMDB entry, nor in the obit written for him by Richard Whittington-Egan, which suggests that he would have been working as chief writer for the Hornchurch Echo at around the time that the Barlow and Watt programme was being made. Most of the research for the programme was done by experienced screenwriter Elwyn Jones, who also authored the excellent book The Ripper File, which was based on the series.

Obituary here: www.casebook.org/authors/obituaries/knight.html

[mpriestnall]

Hi drstrange169

Stephen Knight’s involvement with Joseph Sickert commenced a month after the BBC had aired the episode in which Joseph appeared – as Knight makes clear in his book. He had nothing to do with the BBC programme.

Regards,

Simon

I'm not 100% sure, but I thought Stephen Knight was a researcher on the BBC Barlow and Watts show?

Or am I making this up. Anyone?

Martyn

[jmenges]

Thanks, Simon.
I’m doing ok. I hope you are well, too.

JM

[Simon Wood]

Hi Jonathan,

Don't remind me. Hard to believe, I know, but it's over forty years ago, and the memory can play funny tricks.

Thanks for your reply. Hope you're well.

Regards,

Simon

[jmenges]

I was going from memory, Simon. That's what I called him on our old 'Royal Conspiracy A Go-Go' show (minus the 'senior' bit, my memory conflated the two).
Now that I've had time to look you're of course correct that he's referred to as a "senior Yard man" in Knight's book. In Paul Williams' Suspects: Definitive Guide and Encyclopedia he's called a "Scotland Yard detective" citing Howell & Skinner's Ripper Legacy (a book I don't have handy) and again as a Scotland Yard detective in the 1992 article Good Knight: an Examination of the Final Solution.

JM

[drstrange169]

>>Stephen Knight’s involvement with Joseph Sickert commenced a month after the BBC had aired the episode in which Joseph appeared – as Knight makes clear in his book. He had nothing to do with the BBC programme.<<

Thank you Simon, I wasn't sure, the 70's was a loooong time ago.

[APerno]

"Senior" could just mean he had been around for 35 years, sitting in the back office next to the filing cabinet (with his red stapler).

[Simon Wood]

Hi Jonathan,

Was your "Senior Scotland Yard Detective" a straight quote from somewhere, or just something you thought you remembered?

Thanks.

Regards,

Simon

[Simon Wood]

Hi Jonathan,

The "senior Yard man" was in fact the man in charge of Scotland Yard’'s Press Department. This exercise in hyperbole by Stephen Knight was presumably meant to create the impression that he was a high-ranking officer.

Regards,

Simon

[Herlock Sholmes]

Was it ever revealed who the "Senior Scotland Yard Detective" was that tipped the producers off to interview Joseph Sickert?

JM

I think his name was Clouseau Jon.