Rycote: Small factory behind big TV shows closes down - BBC

By Dave Harvey

Business Correspondent, BBC West

A small factory in Gloucestershire that pioneered sound recording technology for the film and TV industry has been closed, with the loss of 22 jobs.

For over 50 years, Rycote in Stroud made windshields for microphones used all over the world.

But its parent company said the factory was "no longer fit for purpose". Production has been moved to Leicestershire.

"It's a brilliant company," said one worker, "I cried when we left."

Rycote's products are on every film set, every TV location shoot.

But you rarely see them on screen.

They shield the microphones from wind and rain, while still giving clear, authentic sound quality.

They are used throughout the industry, there are very few alternative windshields on the market.

But yesterday, 50 years of specialised manufacturing came to an end.

Sandra Summers remembers the day managers told them the Stroud factory was closing.

"Every one of us walked out of there crying that day", she said, "like we did today".

Her colleague Pauline Howe worked at Rycote for over 30 years.

"I just loved it," she told me. "Every single bit of it.

"I was going to retire at the end of June, but I wanted the company to be there for all my colleagues. And that is what I'm finding the hardest of all."

They were speaking at a gathering of staff to mark the last day of production. Many described Rycote as "more of a family than a company."

Steve Phillips ran the R&D team, working with top flight film productions and the very best wildlife TV teams, helping them record clean sound in tricky environments.

"We know how the camera crews work, what they need. We solve their problems," he said.

But none of this was enough to save the Stroud factory.

The company had been under family ownership until 2018, when it was sold to a large media firm, Videndum, for £8.5m.

There are two other audio brands under the same management, and last year Videndum decided to move them all to a single purpose built factory in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.

A spokesperson told the BBC: "Unfortunately, the Rycote facility had become too small to accommodate the growing business and was no longer fit for purpose."

Staff in Stroud were offered jobs in the new site, but none took up the option to relocate.

In total, 22 people have been made redundant, 15 new jobs will be advertised in the Leicestershire factory.