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So what of the Prof now?
David himself is actually a quiet modest man, and not easy to track down. In fact it was more a series of coincidences through working on the Tony Hart website that really brought us together and spawned this website, if not the comeback of the Prof. These days, David is very involved in historical film archive work, but he has occasionally shown his 'Prof' films to students (lucky them!). Many of his films were unfortunately thrown away by the BBC, despite many attempts to get them returned, but quite a few still survive luckily, and indeed a great deal of Vision On programmes still survive in the BBC archives. The rest of Davids films still sit on VTR at the BBC....
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David Cleveland |
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Site Editor:
"Over the last year. I've had a great deal of fun ploughing through the wealth of information that David has thankfully retained and kindly loaned m.
For those that are unfamiliar with 'The Prof', you can enjoy these clips, and if you'd like to leave a message for the Prof - feel free to join the forum."
(left) Tony Amies |
"I was around 11 or 12 when I watched these films way back in the 60s & 70s. I've since come to see them in a whole new light and have thoroughly enjoyed watching them again. When you consider the possibilities with computer based animation today and the facilities available, it seems even more remarkable the results that these men achieved on standard film.
It seems only right that their skill should be acknowledged here as they were very much pioneers of a unique style of animation and surreal comedy that must surely have inspired many. The Prof was very much an integral part of what 'Vision On' was all about - looking at things in different ways." (right) David Wyatt |
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"I can't help feeling that childrens television has become manic and in the process lost its way. We're now more heavily influenced by US TV and Blue Peter is perhaps as quiet as it gets these days, but for fans of the Prof everywhere, I hope David and I have given you the opportunity to re-live those strange days and that maybe, just maybe, it will take you back to a time when television was more explorative and open-minded.
To all involved in these films, including David's wife, Christine Cleveland, his neighbours Geoff & Val Taylor who run the 'On Stage Upstairs' theatre group (Thanks Val), and who also helped out with David's props on occasion. I'm sure there are many more to thank" |
Sgt Bung and Cid Sleuth
In 1976 the plug was pulled on Vision On altogether. No one quite knows why. It was at its peak but the decision makers felt it was better scrapped than let it go stale. It had been running since 1964. Vision On replaced "For the Deaf" which had been running since 1954.
However, CAW films then went on to make the Cid Sleuth films in 1976 (more below). Clive Doig had been a director on the Vision On series in the latter years and is as far as we know still heavily involved in television. Patrick Dowling moved to Australia. The Prof had a kind of makeover and appeared on Jigsaw as a Sherlock Holmes type character called 'Cid Sleuth'. Cid Sleuth's outfit was actually the very one worn by Harry H Corbett in "Carry On Screaming" (left) - Odd Bod & "Frying tonight!"
David Cleveland (The Prof) now runs the East Anglian Film Archive and has in fact been involved with film his entire life. And why not. |
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Cid Sleuth Years
Cid Sleuth (and the 'Burglar') appeared in the series 'Jigsaw' in the late 1970s. 'Vision On' had come to an end rather abruptly, Tony Amies had gone on to other things and David Cleveland (Cid) and David Wyatt (The burglar) began (briefly) making films for 'Jigsaw' hosted by the (some would say) delectable Janet Ellis and ofcourse Adrian Hedley. By now, the boys film equipment was better, all of the film was in colour and they produced perhaps some of their best ideas, whilst still retaining the surreal quality of the earlier 'Prof' films.
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Cid Sleuth was a private investigator, plagued by a mysterious burglar. Well, an obvious one really, since he sported a mask, stripey shirt and swag bag. Our interpid hero would witness the burglar stealing the most unlikely things - Cid in the meantime never seemed able to catch him either - much to the annoyance of the local police station - and Cid! These films were made in the same locations as the earlier Prof films in the Essex town of Manningtree, with occasional jaunts to nearby Frinton.
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Over the last three years this site has had much praise from ardent Prof fans the world over. The Spike Milligan influence has been mentioned many times by visitors, but then David worked at the Ealing film unit and as a young man and saw some wonderful films made by some of the biggest name in British film at that time - including Milligan and the great Peter Sellers.
However, whatever their influences were, CAW films were surreal film makers in their own right and despite working for nothing most of the time, they produced some wonderful shorts with some very clever ideas that until more recently were nothing more than a pleasant memory for most of us. It has also been noted that the Prof could sometimes be scary and to a large extent, so is surrealism - it flies in the face of logic. Thank goodness for that.
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"How many Prof's does it take to change a lightbulb?"
Answer: A fish.
The Prof Video is an absolute treasure trove of material that includes long forgotten material. We cannot rate the video highly enough. It is in very limited supply so do get your orders in. David Cleveland and CAW films have only reissued so many copies and you will not find them anywhere else. We are sorry but we are unable to provide copies of 'Vision On' although many of the Prof films were shown on the programme. Copyright for 'Vision On' is held exclusively with the BBC and there are no current plans to release any for broadcast or sale.
(David Cleveland talks about the making of 'The Prof' for the TV series Vision On).
If you'd like to know more about lost TV programmes, we recommend the Mausoleum Club. It has a busy forum and you'll often find inside information on the whereabouts and availability of old TV series.
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All Prof Enquiries: PO box 7608, Manningtree, Essex.
The content of this site was written, researched and designed by Ralph Morris
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