Japanese television comes to Staple Inn
The Profession’s historic archives attracted the attention of the largest Japanese television station in July. The crew was from the NHK Joho Network, based in Tokyo and London, which broadcasts NHK World Premium, a 24-hour Japanese language channel.
The library’s special collection of books and its archives were used as illustrations for the television series entitled Beginnings, on how aspects of modern life originated. The first programme, filmed in part at Staple Inn, will look at early life assurance and its role in modern society’s approach to risk and financial provision from the 18th century.
It will focus on the life and work of little-known James Dodson, who in 1755 devised the notion of ‘level premium’ calculated by age and paid throughout life, for a life assurance policy that would then be paid to dependants on death. Dodson also mapped out how a life assurance office would operate.
The archives were explained to the film crew by Trevor Sibbett FIA, with the assistance of Staple Inn librarian David Raymont. Items of interest filmed for the programme included James Dodson’s First Lecture on Insurances and archives of the Society of Equitable Assurances, which from 1762 first put Dodson’s ideas into practice.
Mr Raymont said the interest in the Profession’s archives was indicative of their international significance in the history of insurance and ‘actuarial’ thinking on society. The editing of the programme is expected to be completed in September and is due to air within three months.
