February 2014 – Page 4 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Personnel Department Memo

Memo from Mary Mallet in Personnel to film editor, Charles White, about the need to produce his birth certificate due to joining the BBC Pension Scheme.

I particularly like the sarcastic tone of the first line!

Thanks to Charles for sharing the letter, and keeping it safe!

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Louis Robinson: ‘In the awful, awful days of the bloodbath that was the “Pamela Armstrong Show” Mary Mallett saved my sanity. Caught between two warring factions of management, she convinced me not to resign and leave. For that I am forever grateful.’

Mary Sanchez: ‘Hey! I worked on Pam Armstrong show ! Hilarious ! I’d only been at the Beeb a few weeks and this show was a real eye opener!’

Stuart Gandy: ‘Andy Tylee was the ‘personnel officer’ which was what they were called in those days, who I was assigned to when I joined.’

Marie Phillps: ‘Yes Stuart – Andy knew every member of staff he was responsible for and introduced many innovations including Career Development amd workshops for we “penpushers” to better understand the pressure and timescales faced by programme makers
I loved my morning Vision Mixing ! He gave me lots of confidence and is owed much by many. Still my Second Son!’

Andrew Godsall: ‘That is fabulous! I recall my first personnel officer at the BBC back in 1977. I was 18 and had no idea that I could just behave normally and didn’t have to bow and scrape to authority…she told me how she hadn’t really wanted to recruit me as she thought I should have gone to university instead! Then we talked about jazz and how much she loved it. Hardly any work talk at all!’

Pete Simpkin: ‘They certainly don’t make them like Mary in this sophisticated age!!’

Tony Fisher -1944-2014

It was Tony Fisher’s funeral today. There was standing room only at the crematorium, and a lot of familiar Pebble Mill faces. It was a Humanist service, with some very moving tributes to Tony, particularly from his daughter Harriet.

Tony enjoyed a very creative career in the Graphics Department at BBC Pebble Mill, after teaching at Bournville College of Art. Whilst at Pebble Mill, Tony designed the titles for a diverse range of shows including On the House, Vanity Fair and Martin Chuzzlewit.

He was an extremely talented graphic artist, and a universally popular gentleman, renowned for his sartorial elegance! He will be much missed.

John Kenway

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is of film cameraman, John Kenway, possibly dressed for a fancy dress party. John was a sought after cameraman, who usually worked on high profile dramas.

John was the cameraman on my first shoot as a director on Gardeners’ World, I was terrified at having someone with such a high reputation – but he was great. First and last time I got to film in a helicopter! I decided the best approach was to let John know what I was trying to achieve – and leave the actual shots up to him!

Vanessa

Children in Need – Simon Bates

Simon Bates, Cathy Houghton, Mick Murphy

Children in Need photos dating from the late 1980s/early 1990s, with Midlands Today’s Cathy Houghton briefing presenter Simon Bates on the evening’s proceedings, in Studio C – the Foyer. Mick Murphy tickling the ivories!

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Siobhan Maher Kennedy: Mick Murphy I remember him! I got my CBBC job from being a presenter for the Children in Need from Pebble Mill in 1986.

Rosalind Gower: Yes it was 1990, one of the years I produced it with Simon Bates and Toyah Willcox presenting. That year all the production team, crews etc all wore fancy dress and I remember Mick getting that snazzy outfit from wardrobe.