In July 1976, a young photography student called Robert Carlyle accompanied an Assistant Editor friend to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. While his pal worked, Carlyle took a look around the studios, snapping as he wandered. He met Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels, two actors working on the film in production (“Star Wars”).

Both were open and friendly and there were no objections to him taking photos.

So he kept going, padding around the set, pointing his camera at anything that looked lively – builders, electricians, technicians, actors, and, in one particularly revealing shot, a beardy chap slumped over a rail, weighed down by the record summer heat – and maybe just a touch of self doubt…

Presented here is the most complete collection of Carlyle’s glorious, on-the-fly pictures capturing the Earth-bound, scaffolding-cluttered creation of the most stellar movie series in history…

These images could already be found in the website under 1976, but now they can be downloaded in high-res from the forum.