Regional Station Assistant challenge

Photograph from Rosin Elder, no reproduction without permission. Left to right, Christine Palmer, Roisin Elder, Fiona Barton, Maureen Carter, with Peter Poole behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My memories of being a Midlands Today Regional Station Assistant include playing sound effects on the grams at the back of this pic to cover the mute films. My fellow RSAs and I would run a competition each evening whereby we would choose a totally inappropriate sound effect that had to be played-in without anyone noticing. The most challenging night for me was when I was charged with playing the effect of a nuclear bomb exploding into a story about a new golf course.

Nick Patten

Charlie Moody cameraman

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie Moody news cameraman died on Monday (3rd Dec 2018) after a long illness. Charlie started in Manchester in late 50s, moved to Birmingham in 1960,and started at BBC soon after in Broad St later working full time for Midlands Today retiring in 1993.

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

Pat Fenelon: ‘Charlie was one of two news crews working for BBC Midlands when I started at ITVCentral (1984/85) he was always a nice man and helpful when our paths crossed.’

Geoff Ward: ‘I remember Charlie really well. Top bloke and cameraman. I’ll always remember his advice. “Keep your head down, and keep sending in the bills”’

Steve Lee: ‘I am truly sad to hear this news about Charlie. Like his partner in crime Derek Johnson, he was a legend in Midlands broadcasting.’

Lisa Manning: ‘Charlie was the first cameraman I ever worked with; interviews and voxpops at the Bull Ring. I probably learnt more in that hour than in any other single hour at PM.’

David Nelson: ‘Charlie was one of the great cameramen unencumbered by sound. I spent countless hours in his company on filming assignments. He was a true gentleman, even when his car was back-ended by Tony Butler coming back from Ludlow to Birmingham! Nobody was hurt!’

 

Nick Owen on Inside Out

Here is a link to Inside Out from the Midlands including a piece presented by Nick Owen about local television/film industry, as it was & as it is now, plus going forward, despite Channel 4 not coming here. Nick is outside the new hospital at the Pebble Mill site talking about the ‘old’ days, the broadcasters, the independents and film makers, and showing various clips. He interviews Joe Godwin along with Roger Shannon, Steven Knight and Colette Foster, as well as some of my Media Production students at Birmingham City University – I’m also in it very briefly, blink and you’ll miss it! Worth a watch and here is a link to the iPlayer, only available for another 16 days The piece appears at about 10 minutes into the programme.

Directing Midlands Today 1990

Photograph from Rosin Elder, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Female production team in the gallery of Midlands Today in 1990 at Pebble Mill. Left to right: Christine Palmer, vision mixer; Rosin Elder, director; Fiona Barton, PA; Maureen Carter Producer.

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

Richard Uridge: ‘They all look very worried. I was probably presenting that night!’

Jonathon Dick: ‘The VM is Christine Palmer, who went on in later years to become a senior production executive with the BBC OU Production Unit. The Sound Sup is Peter Poole, who was a regular on MTD.’

David Croxson: ‘What a fantastic front desk. There was a right to do and a hoo-hah recently on a friends Facebook when it was shared as a triumph that the whole of a regional news programmes’ production team turned out to be female. Someone else complained that they wouldn’t have shared a similar photo if it was all men.

Perhaps Midlands Today was years ahead of its time!!’

Stephen Neal: ‘Roisin and I worked together at Look East when we were both Regional Station Assistants (aka the best first job in regional TV)! The chap at the back is the sound sup for the show by the look of it.’

Goodbye to Pebble Mill

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

Goodbye Pebble Mill was transmitted on BBC1 in 2004, as a tribute to production at Pebble Mill, as the building closed prior to demolition. It is introduced by Toyah Wilcox and features highlights from Pebble Mill programmes and interviews with many stars.