Andy Walters – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Panic Mechanics

These screen grabs are from the 2002 series, Panic Mechanics, shown on BBC2. It was presented by Trevor Nelson, directed by Ewan Keil, and produced by Andy Francis.

Here is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

“Continuing the new series in which two teams compete to transform a normal car into an extraordinary machine.
Oragster. The mechanical savvy of tonight’s competitors is stretched to the limit as they try to make fiery drag racers out of their Reliant Rialtos. After a racing showdown, the losers’ vehicle is crushed, while the prize awaiting the winners is the drive of a lifetime. “

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/431833e28fe645b4b5e32680b05c998e

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the grabs available.

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

Sonia Beldom: ‘I certainly remember it. I developed it – my first TV commission’

Gyn Freeman: ‘Just seen this, behind Trevor Nelson in the blue with the white hair is my brother in law David Cooper and his son next to him Oliver Cooper – they loved doing the programme. It was popular too.’

Andy Walters: ‘The red and blue garages were at the back of Pebble Mill where the OB stores were. There was another series filmed in that area, Grease Monkeys.’

Amanda Barker: ‘What great memories! I remember filming at Saunton Sands and Silverstone’

Radio WM studio

Photo from Rod Fawcett, no reproduction without permission

Chris Nelson in Radio WM, with the desk partially dismantled, on the first floor of Pebble Mill.

The following comments were added to the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Walters: ‘That’s gotta be Area 1. The only Studio that was orientated that way. The removed unit will contain the Peak Programme Meters, Red DTX buttons and Talkback as well as master level controls.’

Paul Hunt: ‘I think it’s a very young Chris Nelson and he’s sitting in Area 1. (In Area 2 and 4 the operator had their back to the window) The central module has been removed. It wasn’t uncommon for folk to hit the tannoy or DTX (Direct to transmitter) buttons so hard that they would stick in. These BBC Mark 3 desks were hand built by the equipment department at Avenue House in Chiswick. The last one in service is at Radio Lancashire, not bad considering they were designed in the 1970’s!!’

Andy Marriott: ‘Wow, is Lancashire really the last Mk3 site? Does that mean everyone else is ViLoR’ed now? Or are the post 2000 refurbed ER template sites still in service?
I’ve got one of those centre modules in my garage, ex-Humberside, I think. What I’d like to know is what are those 7 segment LED displays are? Next to the LS3/5. Didn’t WM have some kind of computer controlled CD jukebox system for their music?’

Andy Walters: ‘There was a CD jukebox controlled by Acorn RISC computers with NSM mechanisms. It was originally bought for CWR in Coventry. I remember chucking it in the skip. The hard disk system was called Numisys but I do think it was there for very long. World Service used Numisys a lot. The display by the speaker, I think were timers for the two Gram channels.’

Paul Hunt: ‘We did the trial with Studer Numisys in 1994. As Andy points out the CD jukebox system was moved over in 1996 after the merger with CWR.’

Philip Morgan: ‘Am I correct in thinking that this area was originally the Station Manager’s office (i.e. Jack Johnston’s) in the 1970’s? I believe these areas were originally designated something like studio’s 8, 9, and 10 when Pebble Mill was under construction and the area was reserved for the Midland Region of Radio 4.’

Rod Fawcett: ‘The cart machine on the right is a BE (Broadcast Electronics) triple deck – replaced eventually by the Sonifex Micro HS series… The photo is from the 80s and after Radio WM became stereo (as of course its a Mk III stereo console). I can’t remember when WM converted to stereo exactly, was it 1985??’

Simon Walsh: ‘This is the Late Nights with Adil Ray desk, and was a pleasure to drive.’

Thomas Graal: ‘It looks like Chris Nelson with hair to me. The LP on the desk is 20 Fabulous Hits by Jake Thackray originally released in 1975.’

Paul Hunt: ‘So who do I bump into in the basement of BH today but Chris Nelson. He loved the photo and said it was working with people like Ed Doolan that helped him get on. He now travels the globe directing multi camera programmes for BBC World.’

Andy Walters: ‘Here’s how the same studio looked on WMs last day in 2004. It was the last studio on air as it was used by the Asian Network for six weeks after WM left.’

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Rod Fawcett in the WM workshop

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The photo shows Radio WM engineer, Rod Fawcett, in the workshop at BBC Pebble Mill.

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

Paul Hunt: ‘I’m guessing this is about 1988? I joined Dan Cooke as the second engineer there 5 years later with Tom Horsefield as the Engineer-in-Charge. The test set on the upper shelf is an ME2/5 (built by the BBC equipment department). Underneath is a Ferrograph RTS2 test set. On the bench is a DC power supply unit for powering equipment under test. Rod’s holding an AKG D130 which was the “standard” omni reporters mic that would be used with a UHER. The WM engineers workshop, room 104, had started life as the newsroom when Pebble Mill opened. It then moved upstairs to the 2nd floor and then back to the first floor in 1989 to be adjacent to TV news. It’s also worth noting the Dymo tape on the drawers – something very common in Local Radio stations!!’

Christopher Hall: ‘Top shelf, with black meter, is BBC ME2/5 audio test set, below it with white meter is Ferrograph RTS-2 audio test set, below it is an amplifier test rack, to left are two H&H AM8/12 loudspeaker amplifiers, below them is a Farnel power supply, and at the right of the bench is a Telequipment D66 oscilloscope.’

Keith Butler: ‘Isn’t the ‘scope a D66a, I think the earlier D66 was blue.’

Andy Walters: ‘My office for my first three years at WM. Room 104 with it’s views of the River Rae and plague of Ladybirds every autumn.’

George Tatler: ‘All this kit still looks current to me, i wish i had a modern dual PSU like the Farnell one. At the far end of the lower shelf is one of those Glensound Tele Balance Unit boxes with the sloping front that an old tele used to sit on top of – as used in district studios or simple NCA studio setups etc..’

Martin Cox: ‘The grey box lying on its face next to the LS3/5a might be a battery powered Level oscillator’

Susan Hillman: ‘Was just a few weeks ago that we were standing round a Farnell power supply at work and saying that they still looked the same as they ever did. This was in stark contrast to the oscilloscope which had an awful lot missing round the back’

Ian Dyer: ‘I moved an ME2/5 between bays only today whilst rationalising the old MKIII bays in Wiltshire post-ViLoR!’

Andy Walters: ‘The same room on WM’s last day at Pebble Mill in Summer 2004.’

Photo by Andy Walters, no reproduction without permission

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Rod Fawcett for Radio WM at Brum Superprix

This photo shows Radio WM engineer, Rod Fawcett, during coverage of the Birmingham Superprix. Notice the backpack for transmitting the radio signal.

The Superprix was a motor race meeting, held on the streets of Birmingham, between 1986-1990.

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

Andy Shepherd: ‘I was working at Central Television then, although not on the Superprix itself, and would go to the top of Alpha Tower (26 storeys) and watch the race with the guy who manually maneuvered the microwave receiver throughout the race to pick up the signal from the one (and only one) car with an on-board camera.’

Andy Walters: ‘We’ve still got a backpack like that. Usually gets used for the Birmingham Marathon and things like that.’

Emma Taynton-Young: ‘I remember going to this with Dad (John Taynton) but I can’t remember if he was at the Beeb then or still at BRMB.’

Mike Taynton: ‘Pretty much everything I got to experience with, my late father, John Taynton was a joy but getting to go along with him to these races is up there in my all time highlights’

Richard Uridge: ‘Great snap. I remember that day well as a reporter at WM. Nice to see Rod. He was always always smiling.’

Anthony Guy Willcock: ‘Racing up the ring road towards the Mosque, so slow!’

Jim Knights: ‘ It rained!‘

Andy Frizzell: ‘I was involved with the Top Gear coverage (pre Clarkson) Chris Goffey was our presenter.’

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Comms Centre

Thanks to Stuart Gandy for sharing this photo of the Comms Centre at Pebble Mil. It probably dates from the early noughties. The Comms Centre handled all the radio and vision circuits coming in and out of BBC Pebble Mill.

The photo was first shared on the Pebble Mill Engineers Facebook group.

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

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Dear departed Graham Todd and I were attached to P&ID to build that. Probel supplied the routing system but didn’t appreciate what we wanted. Took 2 man years of programming effort of get it right.’

Andy Marriott: ‘I loved working there. My first proper job in the BBC. I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s towards the end of its life. Certainly post 2001 which is when I left. The old DOS mode CBIS machine appears to have gone from the right of the desk and there appears to be an LCD screen on the left that I don’t remember being there. Interestingly the left bank of Trilogy panels appear to be missing, could they have possibly been taken for use in the Mailbox? Which would put us squarely in 2004.’

Andy Walters: ‘WMs transmitter lines and the inter local radio programme sharing circuits and control systems went through there too along with those for network radio.’

Richard Taylor: ‘And the Energis distribution system and Digital TV, both 601 for the studios (those bays are in the background left) and ‘Freeview’ or DTT as it was then. The BBC1 DTT off airs can be seen to the left of the desk displays. BBC2 was to the right. I suspect it was close to 2003? Best desk I ever worked on and I include London Switching Centre and Cardiff CC. And it’s tidy, so can’t have been taken on my shift!’

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