Archive Hour: OLSP pupils believe in a thing called TV

DUMBARTON’S answer to Ant and Dec faced the camera and spotlights recently when Scotland’s first school TV station was launched.

Fourth year pupils Christopher McGilchrist and Jonathan Urquhart became the first presenters of OLSP TV at Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School.

Believed to be the first school-based, pupil-led TV initiative in Britain, it has started producing and editing a lunchtime show, which is broadcast through the internal network of 16 large televisions installed in the school.

Pupils are involved in recording studio productions and editing.

And to the tune of ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love,’ by Britain’s biggest rock band, The Darkness, Christopher and Jonathan became the school’s first ‘anchor’ broadcasters.

Christopher said: “We try to speak clearly, but on the first recording we couldn’t speak at all, we were so nervous, but we are getting a bit more used to it.

"We could get a lot better at presenting the shows — maybe we will become the next Ant and Dec!”

Behind the camera is fifth year pupil James Windebank, in his role as technician.

In the first programme one of the ‘burning issues’ was new school blazers.

First year pupil Melisa Brown is the programme’s newsreader and helps the two main presenters inform pupils about a diverse range of school-related topics including school trips, shows, football teams and fund-raising events.