Andrea Buffery – What Was Pebble Mill?

John Craven on Countryfile

Here are a couple of screen grabs of John Craven presenting on Countryfile.
Thanks to Ian Collins for making the stills available.

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

Jo Moore: ‘I’ve got half an idea that I was the AP on this item…I think it was an Alan miller shoot – possibly when we were doing something about water/ irrigation etc.
I still see John from time to time and like most people who’ve been lucky enough to work with him – he taught me SO MUCH about all things tv. A total gentleman, generous of spirit and warm beyond measure. Some of my happiest telly times.’

Alan Miller: ‘It rings a bell with me too but I cannot be sure I was the director or merely compiled the programme it was in. That’s the trouble, I made so many films with John that I have lost track.’

Andrea Buffery: ‘The bath scene was for a compilation programme directed by Joanna Brame starring Bob the duck!?! and my old snorkel’

Dawn Trotman: ‘The compilation had Charlotte Smith’s bog snorkelling piece in it I think? The train pix was I think from the scenic train journey items we did just before we left Pebble Mill. John always pulled the whistle! A true legend and one of the nicest men in telly.’

Kulwant Sidhu: ‘I directed JC on a steam train thread for CF on several occasions…that screen grab looks like Severn Valley…but could be mistaken. Great man, great raconteur.’

Roy Thompson: ‘Such a great guy, really helped and guided me during an attachment to Countryfile.’

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Countryfile – Ken Pollock

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

Regarding Countryfile, it is fun to look at the photograph and recognise old friends/colleagues.
My involvement was to be a producer on Farming, with Martin Small, and Exec John Kenyon. We wanted to acknowledge the large “over the shoulder” audience we had on Farming, and hence wrote the brief for Countryfile. I remember it well, sitting in John Kenyon’s office sketching in the idea, and kicking around names. I came up with the Countryfile name, although we may have thought it should be two words…
Michael Grade, Controller BBC1 accepted the idea, the team went from 4 to 24, and the Countryfile bandwagon started rolling.
After poor Brain Strachan died, there was a vacancy on Top Gear, and John Kenyon told me to get some broader experience, before applying to run Countryfile. So I did, but they did not want me to run Countryfile, as I was supposedly too biased to the farming community and Mike Fitzgerald got the gig.
I stuck with Top Gear and the rest is history…

Ken Pollock

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

Patrick Flavelle: ‘I started on a rolling weekly contract working with Fitz surfacing potential stories at the fag end of Farming…led to working on the show for its first 11 years. Happy days and incredibly boozy Xmas do’s…the one after this photo was very messy!’

Mick Murphy: ‘3rd from right, 2nd row – Sue Lloyd, Director. 1st on the left, front row – Barry Paine, former BBC producer / wildlife narrator, who used to voice over some of our films. Girl behind Fitz is called Sarah…? Great picture. ‘

Jane McLean: ‘John Clarke on the left .. who I went to Russia and Siberia with for Countryfile in 1989. Should try & find the Russian pix. Talk about an eye opener. The director was Dick Colthurst (what happened to him?) and the crew was Nigel Davey, Barrie Foster, Keith Rodgerson and Andy Frizzell. We were force-fed vodka shots 24/7 – honestly! ‘

Pam Relton: ‘Dick is very successful Jane – he went to BBC Bristol after CountryFile and is now MD at Tigress Productions.’

Jane McLean: ‘Good on him. Never heard of Tigress Prods – am SO out of the loop these days re anything telly!’

Viv Ellis: ‘I recognise Yasmine O’Grady looking glam – as ever. I worked on Farming for a few months’

Roy Thompson: ‘Spent a very happy attachment to Countryfile from Wood Norton even getting to direct a piece on arts in rural communities. Very supportive and friendly team.’

Andrea Buffery: ‘This picture would look amazing next to the Countryfile team today. It consists of 30 plus people.’

Steve Johnson: ‘I worked on Countryside for a short time in mid nineties, arranged the filming of the brand new RSPB reserve at Conwy.’

Pam Relton: ‘As a real City girl, CountryFile opened my eyes to so many things. I remember my first shoot – in a battery hen farm, a barn the size of a hanger filled with chickens in cages no bigger than themselves, floor to ceiling, the noise!! I’ve not knowingly eaten anything other than free range, outdoor-reared produce since. I learned so much about the pressures on farmers and producers to comply with the big supermarkets. This was the great thing about working on programmes like this – that open up the issues to do with farming and the countryside to everyone.’

Jane McLean: ‘I was country born & bred Pam – my brother was a pig farmer – and I know exactly what you’re talking about from the other side! ‘

Countryfile – John Craven in the bath

Still of presenter John Craven in the bath, during a Countryfile item.

Does anybody know what the item was? Please add a comment if you can add any information.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the still available.

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

Andrea Buffery: ‘I think it was a compilation programme directed by Joanna Brame. JC is wearing my snorkel mask.’

Andrew Chorlton: ‘I’m sure that was me on sound. Probably Foster, B or Evans, D on camera. A long time ago!’

Garry Jordan: ‘COUNTRY FILE, Transmission date: 14 May 1989, Clip #: BBC_253004’

Betti Moretti: ‘Can’t help with the story sorry… but when I worked on The Countryside Hour, the most mortifying thing would occur every Thursday… when I was little, Mum would hoover when Newsround came on – white noise? And I’d immediately drop off on the sofa… every Thursday, John would rehearse his script for Countryfile in my room… and you would not believe the struggle I had to keep my eyes open! Thank god for the Club & Mick Murphy! Happy days!

Rosalind Gower: ‘I directed one on lavender growing for essential oils in Norfolk which ended with John in a bath, but I don’t recognise the bathroom or the duck and snorkel! On my shoot we did this as a last minute idea and asked one of the farm workers if we could borrow their cottage bathroom for a short time. When she saw it was for the famous John Craven she readily agreed. To save John’s modesty we asked if she had any bubble bath…no…so we used washing up liquid instead but had to use loads of it to make any sort of decent bubbles. By then the hot water had run out so poor JC has to do his PTC in gloopy lukewarm water, trying not to shiver and pretending he was having a luxuriously scented relaxing bath. What a trooper! When we’d finished the woman asked for John’s autograph as she thought otherwise none of her friends would believe she’d had John Craven in her bath that afternoon!’