In 2017 remain campaigners turned up at an outside BBC broadcast at the one show. The EU flags were shown on national TV. It wound up the Daily Express.
How did the idea come to me?
One Friday evening I came out of a show at the BBC Radio Theatre via the main BBC entrance and saw that The One Show was live in the courtyard with a pop group. Over next few weeks I watched the show and established that this was a regular event. It seemed ideal for an EU flag bombing on live TV. I even went a few times to observe camera placement.
How to recruit? This was a problem as whilst there were many keyboard warriors there wasn’t anyone online willing to be involved in direct action. It was only with the No 10 Vigil starting in Feb 2017 that there were willing recruits. A ‘commando’ group was formed. We had to wait till end April as there was insufficient daylight in March. I had tested this by standing right in front of spectators against the guard rails and was hardly visible.
What happened on the day? The One Show would transfer to the courtyard about 7.20 pm and start recording about 7.25 pm. I turned up some hours earlier to see how the cameras were positioned so we’d know where to stand to ensure the cameras couldn’t avoid our flags. We met nearby and then in smaller groups went to the court yard and spread to the best camera spots along the railings. The group, the Cranberries, came out to play. Once the music started we unfurled our flags. The rest is history
Richard Smith