John Hartshorn

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John Hartshorn, also known as John Stewart, (6 April 1940–May 12, 2003) was a well known and well respected Sound Supervisor at the BBC. Known in his field as "Golden Ears", he was present through many changes and evolutions in the history of BBC, particularly in the field of Television. At the the height of his career he oversaw sound production on Eastenders when the show was receiving massive viewing figures. These figures reached extraordinary heights in what is now known as the "Den and Angie" years in the mid to late 1980s. John Hartshorn's place as an anchor man at the heart of many highly regarded BBC Television programmes should not be underestimated. He was present as sound recordist then sound supervisor over many seminal productions between the early sixties and the late eighties. His credits included Blue Peter, Jackanory, Top of the Pops, Doctor Who, Wogan, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Duchess of Duke Street, In Sickness and In Health, 'Till Death Us Do Part, Juliet Bravo and Hancock. He was also present in his vocation with the Beatles performance on the BBC. A highly perfectionist and somewhat eccentric man, He bonded well with the Stars he mixed with on a daily basis. John carried small work out for non-descript Channel 5 productions, but left after feeling like nothing was quite as good as the BBC. John Hartshorn died on 12 May 2003 at Northwick Park Hospital after a long battle with alcoholism.