Monthly Archives: December 2010

Phil Sidey’s Leaving Party – photo Paul Scholes

Phil Sidey's leaving party

Photo from Paul Scholes, of Phil Sidey’s leaving party, in the Pebble Mill Foyer, Studio C, the home of ‘Pebble Mill at One’.

Phil Sidey was the head of centre from 1973 to 1983, when David Waine succeeded him.

Phil Sidey, born in 1926, died on the 15th October 1995 whilst walking in the Peak District, below is a quote from his obituary in the Independent, written by Leonard Miall:

‘As the Head of the BBC Network Production Centre at Birmingham, Phil Sidey was the man who converted Pebble Mill from a structural white elephant into a thriving source of daytime television. He was the first manager of Radio Leeds and played a leading role in establishing lively local broadcasting on a financial shoestring. He was a programme innovator with a spate of lively ideas and an abrasive tongue which tended to upset some of his colleagues. He was also an accomplished public speaker and a successful chairman of the Royal Television Society.’

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-phil-sidey-1579330.html

Please add a comment if you knew Phil Sidey and can add more information, or if you can identify people in the photo.

The Pebble Mill Garden – Pete Simpkin

Pebble Mill Garden

THE GARDEN

This was a feature on the ‘Pebble Mill at One’ daily programme but this picture shows our Local Radio production office on the top left, second floor, directly ahead on the second floor level can be seen the Local radio management office. The ground floor offices were part of the PM@1 offices.

Pete Simpkin

Children in Need 1990 – Ruth Barretto

CHILDREN IN NEED 1990 – Ruth Barretto

The photos show the ‘Children in Need’ phone volunteers for the Midlands region, stationed in Studio A.

Tweedle dum and tweedle dee were Claire Cotton and Helen Lott, Andy

Pandy was Jill Bent, the bear was Jan Burrows, I was the princess.  The lady

with curly hair in purple was Joanne Anderton and behind her was Sophie

Marsh.   Can’t remember the others.

CIN phone volunteers 1990

Children in Need 1990

‘Airbase’ – photos by Willoughby Gullachsen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission.

‘Airbase’ was produced at Pebble Mill in 1988 by Keith Williams and Roger Gregory.  The script was written by Malcolm McKay and directed by David Attwood.  It was recorded in Studio A, and involved bringing a fighter plane into the studio.

The drama starred Anton Lesser, Clive Mantle, Catherine Russell, David Lansbury and Ricco Ross.  Catherine played Madeline Kohler, a young female American Air Force officer, who is posted to the all-male world of a U.S. airbase in Britain.  The drama follows four days in her life.

The BBC 1 drama raised considerable controversy with its unflattering portrayal of life on a U.S. airbase, particularly concerning drug use.  It even caused questions to be asked in Parliament by Lord Chalfont.

Save

Save

‘The Daughter-in-Law’ – TX Card from Dave Bushell

TX card

‘The Daughter-in-Law’ was an adaptation of D.H.Lawrence’s play about the 1912 coal strike.  It was produced at Pebble Mill in Studio A and transmitted in 1985. It was directed by Martyn Friend and produced by Carol Parks. Dave Bushell who has kept this TX card since 1985 was the director of lighting.  Michael Edwards was the designer and Ian Rae sound supervisor.

It was a star studded cast including Sheila Hancock, Cherie Lunghi, David Threlfall, Mick Ford, Carmel McSharry and Wilfred Grove.

Gareth Williams, adds the following comment: ‘I was the floor assistant on this show.  It was recorded over four days in Studio A in story order.  This meant that however much or little attention they paid in the preparation period, every single member of the crew got to see the story unfold before their very  eyes, played out by a fantastic cast.

The final scene between David Threlfall and Cheri Lunghi (the Daughter in Law) after Carmel McSharry’s character had died, left the whole studio moist eyed – and then Martyn Friend asked for another take, and we all cried again!’