Regional – Page 18 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Stella Sims Recording Session – Peter Poole

Stella was a senior broadcast journalist working for regional TV. She frequently directed Midlands Today. She is now pursuing a career as a singer. More information at www.seaton-sims.co.uk.

The recording was made in Studio 1 Pebble Mill. The piano pieces are,

“Aquarelle” by Edric Cundell.

“Rumores de la Caleta (Malaguena)” by Isaac Albeniz.

A Metamorphosis of a theme by Maurice Ravel.

Studio 1 was a large radio studio designed for classical music broadcasting. The acoustics were excellent but did suffer from low level traffic noise at rush hour. Many live Radio 3 lunch time concerts were broadcast there. It was originally equipped with a BBC “Type D” mixing desk. This became unreliable after many years use. And in 1992 it was replaced with a AMS Logic One digital mixing desk. This was semi-assignable and featured a “Audiofile” 8 track digital recording and editing system. This equipment was not very user friendly so I made my recording on a portable DAT recorder.

After the introduction of “Producer Choice” Studio 1 became too expensive for radio use. It was then used as a TV studio. The acoustics were then not ideal for speech based TV programmes. Midlands Today used Studio 1 when Studio B was being refurbished. And several viewers asked why it now had an echo!

Peter Poole

Studio 1 photo by Willoughby Gullachsen

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

Harvey Pope: ‘Am I correct in remembering a Children in Need night being broadcast from there? I was sent to do warm-up at Star City with Denise Lewis!’

Pete Simpkin:’It was a terrific experience to visit Studio 1 in the great days and watch mighty orchestras…up to 70 or 80 players at work. Also many audience shows were taped there…. and who will forget the amazing staff meetings for things like the visit of the DG!!’

Look! Hear! Toyah Willcox & Duran Duran

These grabs are from the Pebble Mill regional youth entertainment programme, ‘Look! Hear!’. The programme was presented by Toyah Willcox, and regularly hosted performances by well known bands, like Duran, Duran.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making them available.

The following comments were posted on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Stuart Gandy: ‘Yes I certainly remember working on this show with Duran Duran in it. It was I suppose unusual for a regional opt out programme to have such a big production as this. Each show would have 3 bands on at least and they always as far as I can remember played live, unlike TOTP where they usually didn’t. One of the first programmes I worked on in 1980 when I joined as a TA in opps, this was exciting stuff to get to see all these bands live.’

David Ackrill: ‘Don’t remember the actual show, but would have watched Toyah and Duran Duran on Look! Hear! if Mum and Dad had let me (until I left home and got married and no time to myself at the time). Strange to think a queen of punk would end up doing voice overs for the children’s program called Brum !’

Look! Hear! Titles grab

This grab is from the title sequence of the Pebble Mill Midland Region series ‘Look! Hear! – circa 1980. It was a youth orientated show, which combined music, entertainment and fashion items. It was presented by Toyah Willcox.

Thanks to Paul Vanezis for identifying the still.

Look! Hear! College Rags

Thanks to Ian Collins for making these grabs available.

I think these stills are from a ‘Look! Hear!’ special called ‘College Rags’. ‘Look! Hear!’ was a regional teen orientated music, entertainment and fashion show, presented by Toyah Willcox. The shows were transmitted on BBC Midlands between 1977-81.

The title card and catwalk shots were taken in the concourse outside Studio A, and I’m presuming that Studio A itself was used for the interviews.

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

Stuart Gandy: ‘Look Hear was one of the first programmes I worked on when I started at Pebble Mill in 1980 in vision ops. On one occasion I remember we needed to get an overhead shot, looking down on one of the bands. Now these days that wouldn’t be too difficult with the small size of today’s cameras, but back in 1980 when the cameras were EMI 2001’s it was altogether more involved. The camera had to be mounted horizontally on a sturdy board with a mirror in front of the lens angled downwards. The whole thing was then lifted up above the stage using four hoists. The scans on the camera were suitably switched to get the picture the right way round because of the mirror. The shot worked though, so worth the enormous amount of time needed to set it up! ‘

Keith Brook: ‘I directed that programme!! It was full of problems during the planning and even more when a strike was called for the recording day. This will be a subject for one of my missives!! The recording went swimmingly and I finished at 4 seconds before 9. It took the whole of the following day to edit and just made transmission. I didn’t watch it go out, I went to the bar!!’

Denis MacShane at Pebble Mill

Labour MP Denis MacShane stepped down as MP for Rotherham last week after an investigation into expenses irregularities. Before he went into politics he worked as a journalist in radio, and was at BBC Pebble Mill for a while.

The following comments were contributed via the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Pete Simpkin: ‘He was one of the original News reporting team at Radio Birmingham. Sad to hear of his demise when so many Radio Birmingham people went on to great jobs in Network Radio and TV……….and politics.’

Keith Brook: ‘he also, surprisingly, did stuff for Midlands Today because I remember trying to teach him the etiquette of walking in front of a camera.’

Michael Fisher: ‘On the Saturday Night show RTE1 tonight one of the guests will be Edwina Currie a former Tory politician turned broadcaster who got plenty of radio experience on the breakfast show Heart of the Nation at Pebble Mill when she was a Birmingham councillor.’

Norma Scott: ‘I remember Denis when he worked for the Sunday Mercury!’

Conal O’Donnell: ‘Denis was born Denis Matyjaszek apparently changing his name at the behest of the BBC because it was too hard to pronounce (!) A legend amongst phone-in producers Denis enlivened one of his flagging shows by posing as a caller himself -unethical you might think but hey what do u do when the lines are dead?Trouble is he went on to compound the deception by calling Tory politician Reginald “reggie” Maudling a crook on air .Well he was of course but taking full advantage of our rapacious libel laws Maudling sued the Beeb for muchos sponduliks.One can’t help but smile!’