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‘Whatever Happened to…’ – Peter Emmerson 1975 leaver

I’m currently facing a quandary which I doubt most of my contemporaries at MTS are contemplating: having just celebrated the age of getting my free 60+ London travel card, do I finally hang up my flak jacket and helmet and perhaps have a more ‘settled’ lifestyle, more befitting to my recent birthday?



MTS (1971 – 1975) will always be remembered as a love-hate relationship during my time of study. Many of my former boyhood friends and colleagues may well recollect that I was not necessarily the most academically gifted or most conformist boy in the class. However, I will always be grateful to those masters who persevered with me and gave me the background knowledge (both academic and worldly) to pursue the career path I still currently tread.

Having left MTS, I subsequently read Electronics and Music at Keele University (having changed my A level subjects after a year to the correct subjects!) and then joined Polydor Records as their junior engineer – continuing my streak of non-conformity by working with punk/new wave/new romantics musical masters such as The Jam, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Visage (who the heck remembers them!!) for a couple of years before joining the BBC in Cardiff as an Audio Assistant.

Gradually rising up through the audio ranks, whilst also moving to BBC News in London, I quickly began to move to field work – away from the bosses – and established my credentials as someone who rather enjoyed forcing equipment to breaking point and then putting it back together again (usually in the right order and with not too many components left over).

Airport runs started to become more frequent. The troubles in Northern Ireland were to prove an excellent training ground for both the career path and for the leaps in technology that have accompanied this path.

Audio at this stage was on the cusp of moving from tape to the computer – and so my studio-based razor blade (for cutting tape) was swapped for a field laptop. The first ‘easily portable, easily set-up’ satellite dishes made their debut – and I could now produce and transmit ‘quality’ audio from anywhere in the world – and get every correspondent I was working with to sound as if they were sitting next to the presenter in the studio (creating ‘location studios’ for programmes such as Radio 4 Today often meant that the foreign correspondent actually was sitting next to the presenter!).

I’m not sure exactly how or why, but I became known as the engineer (and subsequent senior producer) who rather enjoyed those hostile environments – whilst also becoming versed in all aspects of both editorial and technical field work – and the scene was set for my BBC career, with amazing highs but tempered with occasional very difficult lows.



I have three passports and tend to renew at least one a year. I have covered virtually every conflict since Bosnia – on every continent. Drinking tea with the Taleban (they offered me a factory to run after I mended a radio station for them) was followed a few years later by walking into Kabul with John Simpson (via 9-11 in New York). I’ve been ambushed, shot at, bombed and faced the threat of execution.

Alongside conflict has been the coverage of natural disasters – famine, earthquakes and tsunamis. Many of these have been at next to no notice, with my phone on and with me 24 hours a day – a lot of breaking news is just that – it breaks and I head to the airport, hopefully having a few minutes to pick up the essential kit needed for that specific job (I have cases of equipment and stores at home for all eventualities).

Occasionally there is no time to even get home (even though it’s en-route to Heathrow) or the airlines forget to load my favourite case. Covering the breakout of civil war in Ivory Coast, not one case left Heathrow the entire time my correspondent colleague and I were deployed – I also carry at all times a small backpack which contains the essentials, ensuring that we didn’t miss any transmission slot – live and packaged, for both radio and TV. This was also the first occasion that an iPhone was used to broadcast live for BBC TV news.

Finding that I could use all technical equipment, I became the first BBC News ‘multimedia producer’ – handling all aspects of audio, video, satellite communications and IT – often travelling with just a correspondent and therefore very manoeuvrable.

Not all deployments have been hostile though – with memories of trips to the Galapagos Islands, Mandela meets the Spice Girls meet Prince Charles in South Africa, the mountain kingdom of Bhutan, both Everest base camps (Nepal side to cover the earthquake and Tibetan side to cover Olympic torch) and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar being among dozens of other highlights.

I have worked alongside virtually every BBC foreign correspondent during past few decades – making sure that they get on air saying the right thing at the right time in the right place. The right time is essential for news – missing your ‘slot’ is not an option and can occasionally be rather stressful (Jeremy Bowen’s 4 minute package from west Mosul a few weeks ago took me 6 hours to transmit to our London studios – and got there with 2 minutes before it was due to be on the air). However, behind every correspondent is ‘the team’ – and I’ve been lucky enough to be in that team, alongside a fantastic group of colleagues, for the past 25 years.



Will I give it all up now that I’ve blown out the candles on my 60th birthday cake?  My wonderful (and long-suffering) wife has a list of jobs needed to be done around the house! I’m sitting here writing this in north Iraq, with equipment (now including a drone) spread out before me waiting to head into Syria.

For now, the slippers and pipe have been put on hold!

(Note: Peter’s deployment to Syria has since been completed and the resulting film can be viewed here).

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We warmly invite you to Merchant Taylors’ for ou We warmly invite you to Merchant Taylors’ for our 2025 Open Morning, which takes place on Saturday 11th October between 9.30am and 12.30pm.

Merchant Taylors’ gives your child the platform to broaden their horizons, harness their ambition and take the first steps to a successful, happy life.

Join us at our Open Morning to get a taste of life at Merchant Taylors’, discover our excellent facilities and meet our wonderful pupils and dedicated staff. Parents and children will have an opportunity to tour our schools, take part in engaging activities and hear more about our exciting plans for the future of our historic school.

Find out more and register to attend via the link in our bio ✏️
Before the end of term, our Year 9 pupils explored Before the end of term, our Year 9 pupils explored the rich architectural heritage of both Merchant Taylors’ school sites, capturing their memories and experiences through art.

With the move to coeducation this September, it’s a wonderful way to celebrate the legacy of the MTGS site and reflect on the spaces that have shaped so many lives - while looking forward to the next exciting chapter in our story. 🏫✨
Join us for an action-packed Cricket Camp at Merch Join us for an action-packed Cricket Camp at Merchant Taylors' this August! 🏏

We’re excited to welcome boys and girls aged 8–14 to our two-day Cricket Camp, led by Gary Yates (former Director of the Lancashire CC Academy) and Simon Sutcliffe (former Head of Cricket at Merchant Taylors’). 

Together, they bring years of top-level coaching experience to help young cricketers build their skills, confidence and enjoyment of the game.

🗓️ Thursday 14 & Friday 15 August 2025
🕤 9.30am - 3.30pm each day
📍 Merchant Taylors’ School, Harrison Site, L23 0QP
💷 £36 per day or £60 for both days

Throughout the camp, players will work on key aspects of the game, including:

✅ Seam and spin bowling techniques
✅ Batting drills and shot selection
✅ Fielding and catching skills
✅ Game awareness and match situations
✅ Small-sided games and match play

Whether your child is new to cricket or already playing regularly, this camp is a great opportunity to develop their technique, meet new friends and learn from two outstanding coaches.

📲 Places are limited – Book via the link in our bio.
We’re hiring! 📢 Merchant Taylors’ is seeki We’re hiring! 📢

Merchant Taylors’ is seeking passionate and dedicated individuals to join our team in the following roles:

🏑 Hockey Coach
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If you're committed to inspiring young people and want to be part of a vibrant, forward-thinking school community, we’d love to hear from you.

Find our more via the link in our bio ⤴️
Our Reception pupils marked the end of a fantastic Our Reception pupils marked the end of a fantastic year with a joyful celebration before the end of term.

It was a lovely opportunity to reflect on how far they’ve come - from those first few days in September to the confident, curious learners they are now. There were plenty of smiles, songs and proud moments as we celebrated their achievements together. 💛

We’re so excited to see all they’ll go on to do in Year 1!
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Well done, Year 2 - you’re more than ready for the next step! 🌟

Full gallery available via our Facebook page.
Join us this summer for the Sale Sharks Rugby Deve Join us this summer for the Sale Sharks Rugby Development Camp at Merchant Taylors’! 🏉

📅 Thursday 31 July & Friday 1 August
⏰ 9.00am – 3.30pm
🧒 For U7s to U12s
📍 Merchant Taylors’ School

Delivered by the award-winning @salesharksfoundation, this two-day camp is a fantastic opportunity for young players to sharpen their rugby skills with expert RFU-qualified coaches.

Each day features high-energy activities, adaptive games and core skill development – all built around the Sharks DNA coaching philosophy.

Expect a fun, challenging and inspiring rugby experience – find out more or book a place via the link in our bio ⤴️
Last week, we celebrated our Stanfield Prize Givin Last week, we celebrated our Stanfield Prize Giving, marking a proud moment for our Year 6 pupils.

We were honoured to welcome Deborah MacLaren, Managing Director of LoveReading and an Old Girl of the School, as our guest speaker. Her thoughtful and inspiring address encouraged pupils to stay curious, keep reading, and embrace the exciting journey ahead.

It was a joyful and memorable occasion for pupils, families and staff and a fitting celebration of all that our Year 6 pupils have achieved during their time at Stanfield.

Full gallery available via our Facebook page.
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