Tag: Alan Rees

Pebble Mill model

Pebble Mill newspaper clipping PP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Thanks to Pauline Pearson for making this cutting from Ariel available, and for keeping it safe!

The photo is a model of the Pebble Mill building before it opened in 1971.

Included left to right are: John Grantham (Engineer, Services), Tony Pilgrim (Management, Communication and Engineering Services), Pauline Pearson (Producer’s Assistant, ‘The Doctors’), P. Hodges (Engineer, Services), E.R. Deighton (Head of Programme Services and Engineering), Ruth Taylor (Secretary to Head of Regional Television Development), Alan Rees (H.N.P.C.)(pointing out areas of the building), J.M.N. MacQueen (Head of Personnel and Finance).

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

Ruth Barretto: ‘Collette Foster (who became a series producer on The Clothes Show) used to work for Tony Pilgrim and then George Henson took over the job of Manager Communication & Engineering Services (MCES). I used to work for John Grantham – (not in 71 but back in 83).’

Mike Workman: ‘Points of note, multi-storey carpark on the left of that image wasn’t completed, Studio C not shown in that image wasn’t built due to the substation and the front entrance didn’t protrude as much from the building!’

Stuart Gandy: ‘My goodness, they all look so young. John Grantham was one of the first people I ever met at Pebble Mill. This was early in 1979 when I went for my preliminary interview for the post of Technical Assistant. I remember he recommended a particular book to read on electronics. It must have worked because later that year I met him again on the formal selection board which got me the job. Then when I first started at Pebble Mill in early 1980, in TV ops, Peter Hodges was by then a Vision Super who I worked with for a while, always ensuring that high standards of picture output were maintained.’

Jock Gallagher blog

Considering the glorious sound and fury the network radio team created at Pebble Mill down the years, I’m sorry that there are so few contributions from the wireless wonders.

I was editor and then Head of Network Radio for the best part of twenty years (1970-89), and I can recall an astonishing array of talent that passed through the radio studios both in front of and behind the mic. When I started with the Beeb in 1966 (pre Pebble Mill), I worked in the Broad Street newsroom for the fiercesome Glaswegian Jack Johnston and was regularly saved from his wrath by Roy Ronnie and Sam Shaw!  Despite Jack’s attempt to fire me, I survived and thrived well enough to climb the greasy pole and had a key part in the move into Pebble Mill in 1970. In fact, when Alan Rees (Head of the Centre at the time) became ill, I got lumbered with the whole fandango of the royal opening of the building.

So…I have a shedload of memories but is there anyone out there who wants to hear them?

It would be nice to hear from some of the old school but I warn you, I won’t need too much encouragement to shout my mouth off!

Jock Gallagher (Pebble Mill from the beginning until 1989)