June 2015 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Trading Up in the Sun – Portugal

Photo from Joanne Kenyon, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is of the Trading Up in the Sun team in Portugal, 2003. The photo includes, left to right: Eugene Keogh, Keith Schofield (cameraman) with the red top, Russell Minton (in front of Keith), Amanda Lowe (series producer) Lorne Spicer – presenter, Jo Kenyon in the pink top, next to Caroline Ossowaskia, Gordon Whistance – designer, between Jo and Caroline, Rob Leveritt (sound), Sangeeta Sedhev (seated), Ketrina ? next to Sangeeta.

A-Z of BBC Birmingham

This A-Z Welcome pack was given to BBC staff transferring from Pebble Mill to the Mailbox in 2004. The pack included some discount vouchers for shops and restaurants in the Mailbox, as well a copy of the BBC Values, and this ‘Welcome’ message from Controller of English Regions, Andy Griffee.

The irony of the statement about striving to bring more and more production to the Mailbox will not be lost on stalwarts of BBC Birmingham.

Thanks to Dharmesh Rajput for sharing this pack, and keeping it safe over the past decade.

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

Jane Elledge: ‘It was utter bullsh*t at the time – anyone who argued against the move was labelled ‘negative’ and a troublemaker. We weren’t. We were just rightly arguing against what was obvious to most of us and has proven to be one of the most stupid things ever done by the BBC.’

Helen Chetwynd: ‘What a laugh! I particularly like the bit that says he believes that “key talent will increasingly look forward to coming here and working at the heart of a newly buzzing city centre building……” yeah, right’

Jane Green: ‘Agree with everyone here – the hard part was having to listen to the PR we knew to be false and that the move was the beginning of the end for BBC Birmingham. I still have my BBC drinks cup given in ‘celebration’ of the move too.’

Chris Camden: ‘Remember it well and so agree with Jane Elledge. As union reps we fought against the decision but no one in management would listen to us and had their own agenda. We all knew it was not the ‘centre’ of Birmingham and that it was an unsuitable building for television production. So very very sad. I still have the piece of mosaic from Pebble Mill wall, that we were all given.’

Herbie Donnelly: ‘They even piloted the One Show from the Mailbox, guess what? Yeah London knicked it.’

Dave Pick wins Radio Club prize

Pebble Mill News 1984

This cutting is from the Pebble Mill News, March 1984. This was the internal staff newspaper.

The article tells how Dave Pick, an OB Maintenance Engineer at Pebble Mill, won a short-wave radio competition, by contacting more short-wave radio stations than any other competitor. He did all this from the 2nd floor of Pebble Mill.

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

Roy Thompson: ‘I think it was a popular past time for many engineers, John Endall I think was one. At Wood Norton there was a radio shack which was popular with trainee engineers and operators.’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘There were quite a few Radio Amateurs at Pebble Mill. Dave is still about.’

Thomas Graal: ‘We shortwave fans were well served back in the day….unlike now.’

David Ackrill: ‘Many organisations had Amateur Radio groups as part of their sports and social groups. I belonged to the MEB Radio Club (G6MEB and G4MEB) on Mucklow Hill, Halesowen. I became friends with Giles Herbert when he moved to Birmingham and lived just down the road from each other for a while. I worked the Children In Need special event station and still have a QSL card for the contact somewhere.’

Dave Pick: ‘Yes we had a radio room in what used to be the 2nd floor club’s bottle store. We had access to the roof for aerials (not so much health and safety then!). Who remembers that geodesic dome they tried to use for programmes up there? I still hold the G2BBC call sign. Radio club had quite a few members including Maurice Darkin, John Endall, Simon Evans, Frank Stevens, Malcolm Hickman and loads more.’

Jim Lee: ‘I remember having a few plays on G2BBC in the 90s with Dave and Giles in that store. I remember going up on to the roof as well – probably with Dave – where there was a Cobwebb and the top of a sloping 160m dipole.’

Brian Empringham: ‘Hi Jim, don’t know about Pebble Mill, but there were some hams at Bush – including the late George Eason – who worked out of some sort of shack on the roof.’

CMCR9 at the Kelsall Steam Fair

current owner, Steve Harris with North 3. Copyright resides with the original holder.

The outside broadcast truck, BBC Manchester’s North 3/ Pebble Mill’s original CM1, CMCR9, will be on public display at the Kelsall Steam and Vintage Fair, between Tarvin and Delamere, Cheshire, next weekend 27th and 28th June. Details of the show may be found on their website: www.kelsallsteamrally.co.uk.

The EMI 2001 and Pye PC80 cameras will be on static display only, owing to severe power limitations. However, pictures will be available from a couple Ikegami HL79s, and most of the scanner will be working (touch wood)!

We will be very pleased to see any friends or former colleagues who can make it there. Kelsall is a super show with lots of attractions.

Jerry Clegg

Telly Addicts titles grab

Thanks to Ian Collins for making this titles grab available.

Telly Addicts was a BBC1 early evening, game show about television presented by Noel Edmonds. It was first transmitted in 1985, and ended in 1998. John King was the Executive Producer, with producers including Tim Manning and Richard Lewis. It was recorded in Studio A.

The questions were about television programmes past and present, with the usual format being a clip followed by questions. There were usually two teams of four people each, with a tournament style of 16 teams, in 8 qualifying heats, being adopted from 1987-1996.

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

Denny Hodge: ‘Yes fond memories doing the warm up on the show.’

Jane Green: ‘Your warm ups were a treat to see Denny. Remember them well. I worked on this. Noel was a dream to look after. Helicopter arrived literally 5 minutes before rehearsals began and he had his clothes all ready and pressed and he’d be in studio on time. No fuss, no silly demands. Went to collect him from his dressing room once and found him standing on a chair waving a ‘brick’ around. It was a new thing called a mobile phone and he was trying to get a signal. His very beautiful new wife Helen turned up to rehearsals one evening to support him as his much loved dog had just died and he was so upset. She just walked in – I didn’t know who she was and was about to ask her to leave when someone explained…’

Andrew Langstone: ‘My friend Jennifer Kings (was Hassall) was a production secretary on Telly Addicts. Managed to get us some tickets for a few recordings.’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Didn’t John King flog the rights to Noel Edmonds?’

Richard Stevenson: ‘The first show I worked on in 1997. Ironically I then went on to work with Noel on numerous Gotchas (65 I think), Noel’s House Party and some great worldwide trips for Noel’s Christmas Presents.’

Belinda Essex: ‘I used to do auto cue sometimes’

Gill Thompson: ‘I used to organise the audiences for this show, never had a problem filling seats was always a popular one!’

Sarah Dunning: ‘And the graphic designer was the brilliant Annie Jenkins!’

Jane Upston: ‘I remember recruiting for this programme (I was Jane Morgan then and worked in HR). I remember Nick Hurran too, the Director and Jennifer Hassell. Who was the PA?’

Richard Stevenson: ‘Trudi Stanton and Roger Sutton vision mixed I think. Can’t remember the PA but it will come to me!….Thea Harvey?’