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A BBC Television Drama Production for BBC-1 devised and created by John Elliot.
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MOGUL PRODUCTION NOTES
© Matthew Lee, 2003.

In December 1963, writer John Elliot resigned from BBC Television to pursue more serious literary work after a long association with the broadcaster. At the same time, Associated Television (ATV) was scoring highly with The Plane Makers, and the programme's sequel, The Power Game, which would see the series shift focus towards the boardroom machinations of a merchant bank. While Elliot considered the series to be well scripted, he recognized the limitations presented by the fact that it was completely studio-bound.

Elliot had a broader concept for a proposed series, portraying a world enterprise involved in the production, exploitation and marketing of oil. Before parting company, Elliot presented the BBC with the initial concept for his new drama series, and the network commissioned the first script with an option for a possible further twelve episodes. When Elliot returned from extensive location tours of oil facilities in Nigeria, Germany, Libya and Syria, he was disillusioned to find that the current BBC Head of Drama considered the network not to be ready for such a production, and plans were once again shelved. However, a matter of months later the appointment of a new Head of Drama to whom the concept appealed placed the programme in the upcoming Autumn 1965 schedules.

With the appointment of a producer and story editor, Elliot's first setback was the change in programme title from Mogul to Delta, an alteration executed to ensure there was no confusion between the drama serial and an existing oil corporation.

This change, combined with several clashes over programme content and direction (the production team's desire to draw the focus away from the boardroom and into the muck and brass of oil exploration and exploitation), lead to the producer and story editor moving on to a rival company. A more enthusiastic producer was appointed, but abandoned the project a few months later to pursue a project in Australia. Fifteen months after the option was first taken by BBC Television, John Elliot was now facing the prospect of the network cancelling the project due to conflict over content.
Having considered and dismissed the idea of producing the serial himself, he approached Peter Graham Scott (with whom he had previously worked at the BBC Television Centre) in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the project. Scott accepted the mantle of producer on the morning Andrew Osborne (the BBC Head of Drama) was due to announce the cancellation of Delta as a workable format, and managed to convince Osborne that he could successfully turn the near-doomed project around. Appointing Anthony Read as his script editor, Scott faced an insurmountable task: the appointment of cast, crew and writers, the drafting and reworking of thirteen scripts and locations to be sought in (Malta, Libya and on a North Sea Oil Rig) - all in the space of three months prior to the appointed transmission date.

Scott elected to change the programme's title back to Mogul, considering Delta to be a weaker equivalent and one which would fail to capture the spirit of the show. Whilst Scott had been captivated by Elliot's vision for the series, he was forced to deal with the production on a more practical level and draw upon his own experience in honing and defining the direction the programme would take: "The show had to move fast. Oil was about movement, pressure, speed. Scenes would have to start in the middle where the meat was without actors drifting through doors, and cut straight to the next on the last word of the climax. I needed dynamic camera angles. Television cameramen were getting awfully lazy, offering up loose head-and-shoulder shots when asked for tight close-ups. On Mogul we would insist on tight shots and more camera movement". British Television: An Insider's History by Peter Graham Scott

Scott (perhaps drawing on the ITV concept of brand recognition - a look, a texture, an undeniable programme identity for their output) designed a corporate logo for the fictional Mogul corporation, which he insisted be used on all scripts, paperwork and media articles (particularly those featured in the Radio Times) so as to immediately identify the series to the viewing public and beyond. Scott commissioned Tom Springfield to compose a jazz saxophone signature tune to accompany the fast-paced opening titles sequence he had devised which would feature a wide array of stock footage provided by oil corporations: "a sudden gush of oil from the earth, a spurt of flame, fast-moving boats, cars and planes intercut with the ubiquitous Mogul sign - I created a rapid opening title sequence like a thirty-second ITV commercial". British Television: An Insider's History by Peter Graham Scott

Scott, in conjunction with director Michael Hayes, persuaded John Elliot to revise his opening script (which originally told the story of an attempted takeover in Germany) to revolve around a marine drilling rig and which would be "an industrial espionage thriller investigating which one of three Mogul men leaked vital information about the first North Sea discovery" (British Television: An Insider's History by Peter Graham Scott) and would culminate in the oil rig blowing out and requiring capping during a terrific storm. After prolonged negotiations, Scott managed to secure a British Petroleum North Sea Training Rig for the purposes of filming this exciting premiere episode. Anthony Read assisted by procuring the services of John Lucarotti, James Mitchell and Kenneth Ware (amongst others) for the writing team whilst Scott directed his attention towards the vital task of casting.
Geoffrey Keen as cast as the ruthless Managing Director, Brian Stead, Philip Latham was cast as Mogul's chief accountant, Willy Izard, and Australian Ray Barrett was cast as Thornton, the "troubleshooter" who could quell boardroom unrest as easily as capping a blazing oil well. Barry Foster and Ronald Hines were also cast for the series, but Scott recognized that the primary cast were somewhat top-heavy and they were soon phased out after the programme's first series. Philippa Gail was introduced at the end of the first series as Jane Webb, Stead's determined personal assistant, as a means of introducing a strong female character to a largely male cast. Mogul was now taking shape, and with the appointment of cast and crew filming could now take place.
Scott's commitment to direct an episode of Court Martial resulted in him working between Pinewood Studios and Riverside Studios, but he was confident the series would premiere with a strong start when he was presented with Elliot's reworked script for the first episode, Kelly's Eye. Rehearsals enabled Elliot and Scott to hone the dialogue and pace still-further, but Elliot expressed concerns that the sets designed for the production were, far from reflecting a bright, vibrant, strong and entertaining new drama series, nothing more than a summertime replacement for Z-Cars. Sets were hastily re-designed as rehearsals enabled the cast to get to grips with their new characters, and when filming on the first episode started, Scott was faced with the prospect of ninety-minutes of studio time to record a fifty-minute episode (resulting in previous little time for possible re-takes).

Location footage obtained in Tripoli was inserted into the production, and Scott was impressed with the pace at which scenes were interwoven with one another. The production team were now locked into a schedule of rehearsals on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday before shooting an episode on a Wednesday which would be hastily edited together thereafter. With half the series completed, and press interest keenly aroused, Mogul premiered on BBC Television on Wednesday, July 7th, 1965, eighteen months after John Elliot had first proposed the series.

The first season Mogul was granted a Radio Times cover for the first episode
PRESS REACTION


Kenneth Eastaugh of the Daily Mirror: THE MOGUL SIGN MEANS HAPPY VIEWING. "A new series about oilmen gushed on the BBC-1 last night. Bubbling with getaway people and blaring music, scenery streaked with speed as determined young men walked along glistening corridors of power. Thornton, played by Ray Barrett, an operations manager marked for the boardroom, is a virile tough man's man who has fought his way up from Alaska to Arabia - a winning role".

Julian Holland in the Mail: "the spickest spannest glossiest, sheeniest series television has ever known". The Sketch raved, OFF TO A RATTLING GOOD START: "Scenes replaced each other with the speed of tracer bullets. It looked expensive, directed and produced with real flair".

Marsland Gander in The Telegraph: TALK BLURS NORTH SEA OIL STORY. "After watching this first effort I felt only moderately enthusiastic despite the vast effort involved".