Polishing off an ice lolly on the left at the back of this still is yours truly.
I recall the ‘Vanity Fair’ shoot (with many scenes at Blickling Hall). It was toward the end of my time at Pebble Mill (fond memories) before I jumped ship to Central (ITV). I was working in G41 at the time (post production and OB maintenance). As I recall, I had been sent to Norfolk as a ‘guarantee engineer’, with the aim of minimising any downtime on the production should any of the technical kit on CM2 breakdown.
I well remember the night time scenes and trying to get the best pictures out of the Philips LDK-14 colour cameras and the Ampex VPR-2B videotape recorders that were fitted to the OB unit (CM2). I remember seeing the series on TX and wincing at the dreadful video lag evident on shots with candles in them; the noise on the low light scenes; and the occasional suspect corner registration. Not suprised that the BBC re-made ‘Vanity Fair’ as part of the move to 16:9!
Mark Hill
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These stills are of a helicopter rescue demonstration as part of a ‘Pebble Mill at One’ programme. Producer Tony Rayner is seen in the helicopter with the headphones on, and presenter Bob Langley is the one being rescued. The programme probably dates from the early 1980s.
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I was asked to man the lift when Princess Anne opened the building….even bought a new scarf for the occasion. As a PA of only 4’11″ stature and spending most of my time in the 2nd floor bar, nervous personnel doctored the lift buttons to make sure I pressed number ’4′ to take her to the lofty management echelons! I also practically passed out waving my antennae on the reception steps in an extremely unwieldy rubber ant costume for a Pebble Mill At One, Doctor Who feature. The joys of being diminutive. I joined the Asian Unit as Gerry Hynes PA in 1971, became a Production Assistant a year later & left for ATV in ’78. Carole Glover, Coral Higson, Heather Storr, Jenny Homer, Polly Whitehouse, Jane Alderson & Pam Relton were my partners in crime.
(The photo includes Dr Charles Hill (Chairman of BBC Governors), white haired man on the left, it is David Rose (Head of Drama) who Princess Anne is talking to, and 3rd from the right is Bob Gale (senior dresser).)
I seem to remember that these photos were taken with a panoramic camera that was being featured on the show that day. The photos were left in the North Riser so I took them home for safe keeping.
Left to right: Alex Christison, Michael Harrison, Guy Worth, Paul Scurrell, Kathryn Shuttleworth
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:
Peter Poole: ’Many happy days in the North Riser trying to make the VHF Micron radio mics work!’
Laura McNeill: ‘Think I spent half my life there, yes Peter happy days.’
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
These stills are from the 2002, second series of ‘Small Town Gardens’. The first series was produced in London, but series 2 and 3 were produced by me at Pebble Mill. Series one was presented by Rachel de Thame, series two by Joe Swift, and series three by James Alexander Sinclair.
The top still is of presenter Joe Swift with garden designer Annie Guilfoyle, explaining the inspiration for the small front garden in Fowey, Cornwall, she was designing for the series.
The second still is of an inspiration trip for garden designer, Andy Sturgeon, with one of the programme’s contributor s and presenter Joe Swift. The garden Andy was designing was a small garden in East Sheen, London – right underneath the Heathrow flight path!
It was a great production team, and a lovely series to make!
