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GPS Software as seen on Television - the AsOnTV page

Updated 1410 BST ( 1310z GMT/UT/GPS Time) Sunday 19th July 2020 UK time

Robin has also appeared on TV a number of times, related to his charity web site www.NHSCare.info, set up in 2003 to provide advice on obtaining free NHS long term care. He appeared on BBCTV's "The Politics Show", BBC News 24, and Sky TV.

However, Robin was rarely the "front man" in these broadcasts: others, far more eloquent, appeared in many more broadcasts, including Steve Squires, Derek Cole, Ian Perkins, Bleddyn Hancock, and Pam Coughlan herself.

Robin simply maintains his web pages, and puts journalists in contact with the right people.

List of TV broadcasts in UK, BBC Worldwide, and Radio across USA Networks and AFN ...

from 1992: the military origins of Robin's GPS Software: see the The Barossa Operation page and play the Barossa Operation video.
from May 1995: GPS Software on Meridian TV News : our first TV publicity. More detail is at the bottom of this "AsOnTV" page.
from October 1995: The London Motor Show : extracts of TV News coverage, from BBC and ITV, both National and Local.
from 1996: an extract from GPSS on Put It To The Test broadcast on ITV then BBC1 TV nationwide. Click on Youtube video -->
from 1998: not TV, but read "Into Tomorrow" interview, broadcast on 75 USA Radio Networks and Worldwide on American AFN.
Robin's December 2007 attempt at a promotional video: " GPS Software from Sunninghill " (10MB)
2008 until now: crazy Snoopy Sloop robot boat page. <-- Checkout the many videos, linked from here !
from 2008: amusing spoof video is on Robin effects USA Election result ? - what could have happened :-)
the Lovelock family take up dancing, dressed as elves for Christmas: checkout the video "here" :-)
All Robin's youtube videos are on www.youtube.com/user/RobinLovelock or, if that fails, here.

Frames from some of these TV broadcasts, are below. Enjoy! :-)

Robin's www.gpss.co.uk ASONTV page going back to the Nick Knowles broadcast of 1995 ...

This page shows the many times that GPSS has been featured in UK Television broadcasts - mostly years ago, when Robin had a moustache :-) Maybe this will give ideas to some of you outside the UK on how GPSS might appear on TV Networks in your own country. Sorry - this was written over 20 years ago :-)

The picture further below was from when the BBC used GPSS "for real", tracking people both in vehicles and on foot. This was for an internal "pilot" programme where pairs of people started 100 miles apart and there was a race to see which couple met first. They were all tracked in the studio. The detailed map is from Bartholomew, and discussed in detail on the UK download page.

Another programme, and in some ways both amusing and exciting development, was GPSS being used as special effects for "NCS Manhunt" - an action packed police drama starring David Suchet. Amusing ? - because this is where fact has preceeded fiction by several years. Exciting ? - even the trailer "knocked my socks off" :-)

Here are the known UK Television broadcasts that have appeared:

• Meridian TV News, 5th May '95, Nick Knowles (Early GPSS in a Lexus Soarer).
• London Motor Show, BBC1 National News, 17 Oct '95, Chris Wain (his car).
• London Motor Show, Carlton ITV, 17 Oct '95, Paul Larsman (Robin's Merc)
• London Motor Show, BBC1 NRSE, 18 Oct '95, Simon Montegue (Robin's Merc)
• "Technophobe's Guide to the Future" BBC2 23rd April '96 (Silva's Volvo).
• Meridian TV News on May 24th '96 (Finding Falcons by Satellite, Robin's Merc).
• "Out and About" BBC2 7.30 pm May 30th '96 (on foot).
• Meridian Television. "Put It To The Test". 27th Nov '96. (Police/Car Security)
• Yorkshire Television. "Tonight" Programme. 27th Nov. (Notebook PC game)
• "Put It To The Test". BBC1 Tues 21 Jan '97. Carol Vorderman (Police/Security)
• "NCS Manhunt". BBC1 9pm 26 March 2001 + earlier trailers. (Police drama).
• "Radio Foxhunters". Carlton East Midlands 6pm News on 6th August 2001.
• "Geocaching" Click-Online. BBC World Television: 10th-16th January 2002.
• "The Web Review" on UK Ch3 (ITV1) in the early hours of 18th November 2002.
• Snoopy-Sloop the Robot Boat. BBC TV South Lunchtime News: 27th December 2012

These pictures below are in reverse chronological order - those appearing first are from the recent BBCTV South news coverage of Robin's Robot Boat launch. Those at the bottom are from the news broadcast on Meridian local Television in May '95. Software appearing in this first broadcast was the original DOS prototype, and GPSS v1 released on PC Magazine CDs.

Not GPSS, but it did include Robin, three GPS, some bespoke GPS software he squeezed into a picaxe - and Snoopy :-)

Snoopy was launched at 1130am Tuesday 27th November 2012, but something pulled him into Alum Bay, Isle of Wight. Snoopy last reported on the rocks at 1939 (7:39pm) in Alum Bay, then stopped reporting - water in his electronics ? Snoopy may have sailed over 5000 miles on Bray Lake this year, in winds over 50mph, but hard rocks are something else ! :-) Play the BBC TV South video of Snoopy's launch, filmed by reporter Ben Moore, then see our video of Snoopy's launch - with Ben getting wet too ! on youtube or here :-)

Not GPSS, but it did include Robin and GPS :-) A television feature on Geocaching was broadcast into 200 million homes. Robin, Tony and friends helped BBC World make this "Click Online" TV feature. It was broadcast on worldwide TV networks nine times from 10th until 16th January 2002. Please visit TVINRAIN for the "inside story" and www.caching.info for more information on Geocaching.

Monday 6th August 2001: Carlton TV 6pm News in the UK East Midlands area: A couple of guys in the Nottingham area of UK doing some Radio DF "Fox-hunting". That aerial on top of their car is whizzing round at about 1 rev. a second - no wonder they attract attention :-) This hobby involves them using radio to track down the "fox" - a radio transmitter. More is on the Radio Direction Finding Page.

Starring David Suchet, Samantha Bond, Keith Barron, Kenneth Cranham, Phyllis Logan and - of course - the GPS Software, GPSS :-)

The BBC paid for GPSS to be used as special effects within the covert tracking sequences of this "Crime Double" drama.

A National Crime Squad team tracking down Ricky Valesi, a particularly nasty villain. All mapping appearing was provided by Bartholomews and typical of that delivered on real police systems several years earlier. Sometimes fact preceeds fiction - see below.

The Youtube video on right includes just this Carlton TV News piece. June and Robin "primed" Carlton TV with a fax, then, waiting outside their London HQ, Robin rang their newsdesk and suggested that they watch BBC TV News, with Chris Wain's piece filmed the day before, about to appear. Robin explained that they would wait outside for a few minutes, in case they were also interested in doing some filming. The film crew soon came running out, and Paul Larsmon took the wheel of Robin's "old banger". As we were finishing filming, Robin got a 'phone call from home to say Simon Montegue of the BBC was waiting to film us after we got home. Our daughters did not charge for the tea and coffee while they waited :-)

This Meridian Television news feature was broadcast on 5th May '95, having been filmed a month ealier. It was our first TV publicity, and was Michelle Lovelock's debut as a TV star - along with her friend Julie. Nick starts the programme asking where the nearest petrol station is, gives up asking the locals, and asks the computer instead :-)

Other people appearing included Robin, Clive de Carle of Rare Imports, and Martin Dix of Intek. Carol Parks, next door, was heard speaking French from the 'mouth' of the computer - Carol teaches French at a local school. Software used was the DOS prototype and the very first version of GPSS, shortly before it was released for publication on PC Magazine CDROMs, for issue to the UK public in the summer of '95.

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