Alex Lester – What Was Pebble Mill?

Factual Network Radio Programmes circa 2004

Radio Studio 5, home of Edwina Currie and Stuart Maconie. Photo by Martin Fenton.

Here is a list of factual network radio programmes produced at Pebble Mill circa 2004. This list forms part of a document, which is included in the BBC Written Archives at Caversham.

BBC Radio Two

Night-time

Mon-Fri: Janice Long, Alex Lester

Sat/Sun: Mo Dutta, Sybil Ruscoe (from 6^th June)

Weekly

Best of Jazz with Humphrey Lyttelton

Big Band Special

The Organist Entertains

Bob Harris Country

Paul Jones Blues Show

Listen to the Band

Stuart Maconie’s Critical List

Mark Lamarr’s Shake Rattle and Roll

Ed Stewart

Assorted documentaries and ad hoc series

BBC Radio Four

Farming Today

Farming Today, This Week

On Your Farm

Open Country

Costing the Earth

Ramblings

On the Ropes

Between Ourselves

Radio Five Live

Late Night Currie

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

Lynne Holden: ‘Have worked on all but 3 of these – some very briefly. I still work on 3 of these programmes that are still produced in Brum – the Organist Entertains, Listen To The Band and Paul Jones. We also produce Clare Teal, Sounds of the 50s, Moira Stuart, Don Black and ad hoc series and docs. This Christmas we also produced programmes with Barry Cryer, Barbara Windsor and a delightful programme about Sammy Davis Jr as well as a Clare Teal Big Band Xmas Special and a Sounds of the 50s Xmas Special.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘…and of course the at least 18 hours a day 24/7 Local Radio service!’

Radio Birmingham’s Carnival Float

The photo is of the Radio Birmingham carnival float, in the 1970s.

Included in the photo, left to right, bottom row, Annie Gumbley Williams, Kathy Nelson (Scott), now married to David Nelson. Second row Carol McLeod, Dave Lowe, Claire McCloud (copytaker). Back row, Peter York, Alex Lester, Chris Phipps,?, Pete Simpkin standing by the gramophone (producer/presenter).

Thanks to Pete Simpkin for sharing the photo.

Studio 6 – Presentation Suite

Thanks to Peter Poole for sharing this facilities list for Radio Studio 6 at Pebble Mill, which was a self-op studio, used for Radio 2’s night time programming. It was quite a nice studio and sometimes used by audio unit for SM driven shows. It had a small kitchen to keep the presenters happy.

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

Pete Simpkin: ‘I believe it was used by Alex Lester for his very early morning show on R2.’

Andy Walters: ‘Those two studios were replicated in the Mailbox and are now used mainly by the Asian Network. Studio 6 and 6+ could work as two independent studios and did the last live radio programmes to come out of Pebble Mill running as late as December 2004 I think (Local Radio and Asian Network were the first to leave in Summer 2004). The sound desks went to Cardiff prison for the fledgling prison radio project. The digispot system was upgraded to a basic RCS playout system as used in some commercial radio stations. I think Janice Long used 6+ and Alex Lester used the slightly smaller 6. Radio 1 at Yalding House also used those Eela sound desks until 2005 as did the Asian Network in Leicester when they were based at Epic House.’

Chris Marshall: ‘You’re right Pete, it was primarily used for R2 overnights. Alex Lester, Annie Nightingale, Mo Dutta, Katrina (she of the waves) er, I can’t remember any others! R2 we’re always hugely suspicious of the digital play out system, believing that anything other than DJs playing their own CDs was the work of the devil. We always were way ahead of our time. Trying to recall the name of the consultant (and subsequently producer) who set it up. Robin Valk, I think? And in the day, we used it mostly as an editing suite, I think. Can’t remember recording in there.’

Kulwant Sidhu: ‘Remember it well. Often in there with mo dutta on the early Saturday and Sunday morning shows for R2.’

Radio Birmingham Carnival Float – photo by Annie Gumbley

Photo by Annie Gumbley, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is of the Radio Birmingham float, from the Birmingham Carnival, dating from the 1970s.

Producer and presenter Pete Simpkin is on the right handside, in the white shirt. In the red jacket at the back is Early Show and Traffic presenter Peter York,next to him Alex Lester (now the Radio 2 Thro’ the night presenter), just behing Annie G is David Lowe who was a tech op, now writes TV theme tunes. Next to Annie, is Kathy Nelson (Kathy Scott then), behind to the left is Crol McLeod and to the left Clair ? ex copy taker in the Newsroom.

Please add a comment if you can identify the others. Thanks to Pete Simpkin and Annie Gumbley-Williams for identifying many in the photo.