Andy Foley – What Was Pebble Mill?

Peter Seabrook cutting – Pebble Mill at One

This article in the Sun recently by Peter Seabrook celebrates 40 years since the launch of ‘Pebble Mill at One’ in 1972. Members of the team met up recently to mark the occasion. Included in the photo at the bottom of the article are ‘Pebble Mill at One’ presenters: Peter Seabrook, Marian Foster, David Seymour and Bob Langley.

Peter’s Pebble Mill garden was round the side of the building, overlooking the brook – it was a really windy spot!

Thanks to Andy Foley for finding the cutting.

The Archers Spot Effects – Kathryn Shuttleworth

Studio 3 Spot Effects

One of the most famous effects to do! This all gets very messy but whenever there is a calf being born in Ambridge we reach for the yoghurt, a wet towel and some old tape (we may not record on it these days but it is still of use!). Squelching noises from the yoghurt and the “plop” of a wet towel onto the tape is all it takes to create this masterpiece of an effect! This technique is still used in studio to this day – some things never change!

Kathryn Shuttleworth

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

Peter Poole: ‘I remember recording the Archers in M3 before it all went digital. And the omnibus edit.’

Andy Foley: ‘How we suffer for our art – I once had to violently rip apart a chicken carcass in Studio 3 for someone being garrotted! Not in the Archers I hasten to add! A drama with Timothy West.’

Demolition of Pebble Mill – photos by Laura McNeill

Photographs by Laura McNeill, no reproduction without permission.

Here are a few (sad) pics of PM being torn down. By a complete fluke Mary Sanchez and myself were just passing on the way to Cannon Hill Park. We saw the cruel tearing down of the front of the building which was quite emotional. Andy Foley came by as well and I know he took some news footage as well of this.

Laura McNeill