Sid Perou

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Sid Perou was born on 19th April 1937, in London.

In 1964 Sid Perou began working in Film Sound for BBC Ealing. During this period he was regularly spending weekends travelling up to the Yorkshire Dales to pursue his hobby of exploring caves and potholes. Often he would return to the studios – unwashed from his weekend activities – still covered in mud.

Perou was co-opted into working on a film project involving the Cave Rescue Organisation. Despite his grade as Assistant Sound Recordist he was the most suitable candidate from the BBC to film a real-life rescue in the Dales. His black-and-white footage of an unsuccessful rescue (transmitted as "Sunday at Sunset Pot", in 1967) was the core of this production. The injured caver died as the team struggled to move him to the surface, and this hitherto unseen real life drama challenged the ethics of all those involved.

The impact of this film was life-changing for Perou and he decided to quit the BBC and start a career as a freelance film-maker. He moved from London into a hut at Horton-in-Ribblesdale which had no mains water or electricity. Perou was determined to make films which showed the positive side of the ongoing exploration of the caves in the area.

It took over a year before his dream started to become a reality when Brian Branson of the BBC’s "World About Us" commissioned a film depicting the exploration of Yorkshire’s famous cave—Gaping Gill. (Transmitted as "The Lost River of Gaping Gill" in 1971)

It has been said that Sid is a leading pioneer in developing specialised camera and lighting techniques to capture the essential elements of his chosen hostile environment. Whether the subject be caving, climbing, micro-lighting, ballooning or canoeing, he not only invented or modified the equipment, but achieved results on shoe-string budgets

Making these films required great effort. In caving, for example, each shot must be (like a drama) set up completely. The restrictions of the technology up to the mid-seventies meant that only a clockwork camera could be used, synchronised sound was impossible, and lighting equipment was home-made, bulky, inefficient, and on some occasions dangerous. Perou had no resources other than himself and his friends, the local cavers, to assist in the production of his films. His technique was to film over a long period of time (often up to a year) to create a film where the audience believed the action was occurring in real time in a single day.

Despite cynicism in the media regarding commissioning outdoor films made from the perspective of the participants in a particular sport, Perou was supported by Bill Greaves of BBC Leeds and the success of these local programmes attracted an ever-growing audience. Every film made in this way achieved nationwide transmission and gained awards both nationally and internationally.

The Awards (which?) speak for themselves. However, two films stand out:

Speleoenesis (1980), financed by the Yorkshire Arts Association, depicted an impossible journey through an imaginary cave system. Filmed over 18 months, no people appeared in shot – instead a montage of pictures combined with specially composed music told the story of a single drop of water on its journey through the limestone of Yorkshire. The film was aired on BBC Leeds, adopted by the British Council, screened worldwide, and was multi-award winning.

The Lost River of Gaping Gill: Breakthrough (1983, BBC Leeds) was an epic tale of discovery which, in essence, took 13 years to make. Perou regards filming this production as the closest he came to 'meeting his maker' . Perou filmed the actual breakthrough — a dive between The Gaping Gill system and Ingleborough Cave — as it happened. The film was, once again, multi-award winning.

Cavers, however, often cite Pippikin Pot as Perou's finest film in the way it captured the feeling of being a caver in a cave almost perfectly.

Throughout his career Perou claimes that he approached each subject with the belief that he could do something different, and that he has always had an unconventional streak and, as a cameraman, put his own life at risk to get the shots that have made his films so gripping.

Perou is credited with over 50 films and has given free advice to others following in his footsteps. As a film maker he has striven to get personally involved with the people at the heart of the sport or subject and given them credibility. In many ways he is a modern day explorer, armed with changing technology, giving audiences around the world an insight into unfamiliar territory and showing others what is possible.

Sid Perou lives in Embsay near Skipton with his wife Mau, they have three sons (Martin, Thomas and James. He is currently involved in non-broadcast productions including fund raising for a local centre for handicapped people.