Micro Men: Sir Cliff Sinclair and flowering of the British Computer

Armstrong to play the role of Sir Cliff Sinclair in micro But fact-based BBC drama review this week. Martin Freeman co-stars as Chris Curry, another important figure in early British computer, smoky tavern was the scene of the film base line between two characters.

Under the umbrella, Freeman acknowledges that earlier film: "I was very conscious of Chris Curry, but obviously I am very conscious of Clive Sinclair. But until this work is not known how he will win."

Alexander Armstrong crouch under the leadership of the beer garden of a house with thick smoke, checking messages on your iPhone and avoid the relentless rain in July.

Actor consists of cups, a ginger beard and bald head, which took two hours to cover early morning and a reflection of what will be a prepubescent boy in the golden era of the British Computer Manufacturing, early eighties years. was a time when we became aware in the future, "Armstrong, 39, recalls. We want computers were the customs authorities will become more important in our lives. In our imagination, they were big things.

"We would say things like:" One day, each car will have a computer on his dashboard, and you think 'God, imagine this will be a wow! "I remember, if the school has a computer that is very exciting stuff."

Sir Cliff is the name of only one movie characters that mean something to most viewers. Even then, usually linked to investor, strange and funny cliche Electric Moped - this is a digital pioneer history of the United Kingdom.

Andrea Cornwell, who conceived and produced the film, said he wants to do because "we live in a world surrounded by computers and chips, but we do not know how to get here. This is the story of British companies, but not only to save them from U.S. companies, but also were technologically superior in many ways and it is a story that is rarely confirmed. "

This is the story of Information Technology in Cambridge in the seventies, late flowering and approved the glory days "Sinclair Spectrum and BBC microcomputer in the early eighties.

Sir Cliff was a technological innovator from the start to the first company in London, in 1962, Sinclair made a consumer electronic components such as radio and Hi-fi and the first exhibition of its founder Keane and forecasting, interest in "miniaturization" - in large, clumsy little gadgets.

By the end of this decade, the company flourished restored Cambridge and in 1976 - the first pocket calculator (1972 Price: £ 79), time and research in digital television and mini-flat screens now in his belt - Sinclair Research formed a partnership with the National Enterprise Board ( above), working to make small calculators, stronger and cheaper.

Chris Curry, who joined Sinclair in 1966, and the company has worked closely with him as star Sinclair employee. But in 1977, with the blessing of Sinclair, he left to establish his strong Cambridge (which is where the television version begins), and initially had close ties to his old mentor.

The two companies created a series of computers. Sinclair broke sales records, as small cars, easy and cheaper than all the rest (1980 ZX80 was the first computer prices less than 100 pounds).