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This photograph was taken after a recording of a show with Rosie (Mary Kendall) from the Barmaid’s Arms on Radio WM. She did a pre-recorded show without Malcolm on this occasion. Nik was a member of a country band who had been on the Barmaid’s Arms show previously and so were invited in on one of her shows. This was early 80s.
Thanks to Nik Andrews for sharing the photograph.
From Pebble Mill News 1984. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
Congratulations go to Malcolm Stent, who has been honoured as a ‘Medallist of the Order of the British Empire’ (BEM), in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours (2017). The award is for ‘services to Entertainment and charity in Solihull’.
Malcolm was a presenter on Radio WM, in ‘the Barmaid’s Arms’, alongside Mary Kendall (Rosie), he also presented ‘Folk Scene’. In addition, he used to do audience warm-up for Pebble Mill at One.
Malcolm is still very active on the stage, writing and appearing in pantomimes particularly in Solihull.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:
Pete Simpkin: ‘I worked with Malc so much on his radio adventures and feel so proud of him achieving this honour . He has worked….sometimes too much…. but always with love and dedication to the people around him. the lad from Saltley off to Buck House!! Great news!!’
Clare Bryan: ‘I was lucky enough to work with Malcolm and Mary. Great days and great memories. A richly deserved honour.’
Jim Knights: ‘You’ve come a long way kid since “Stent on Sea”‘
Ned Abell: ‘Great warm-up “Coventry – a little fishing village just off the M6″‘
From Pebble Mill News 1984. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
Mary Kendall, better known as Rosie from Radio WM’s long running 80’s series, The Barmaid’s Arms, and my Mum, died yesterday, 21st January 2015, after a short illness.
Mum had been living quietly in Worcestershire over the last few years, before moving to Shropshire last year. She passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon at the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.
Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez (Son)
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:
Pete Simpkin: ‘So sad to hear this news. Always enjoyed working with her and remember her reporting for my afternoon show which followed the Barmaids. She was a very individual and lively lady from a talented family. I remember her Dad recording a couple of programmes for me featuring his wartime memories. Outside of work my wife Pat and l would often meet up with her on holiday in Mid Wales where she had an ancient caravan which was her beloved escape from work. In fact we inherited her lovely van when she moved in to a newer one. Always remembered. RIP Mary.’
Sue Welch: ‘Such a friendly lady.’
Andrew Thorman: ‘I’m glad we are able to share such sad moments while remembering the good times.’
Lynn Cullimore: ‘Yes I worked with Mary and Malcolm Stent on Barmaids Arms and I am so sad to hear this. She was such a lovely lady and a delight to work with. Oh yes Ann I remember you and Ivor getting together! I loved working on the series and the Producer was John Clarke.’
Viv Ellis: ‘Sad indeed, “The Barmaid’s” was on immediately after my show they were both such fun to work with.’
Steve Woodhall: ‘Very sad news. I fondly remember the show, the banter, the pub fx (obviously live!) & the sig tune (Malt & Barley Blues), etc. RIP Mary.’
Maggy Whitehouse: ‘Aw … well I’m sure there are quite enough lovely watering places in heaven which need someone like Mary. I remember her well from my time at WM. Never heard a bad word spoken about her. Ah yes, Steve, the live fx! Would that we actually could have popped in for half an hour on our lunch breaks…’
Ann Gumbley-Williams: ‘Such sad news. Ivor and I first got together on the Barmaids Arms when it was being recorded in Studio A. The rest is history. Such a lovely lively lady.’
Gill Thompson: ‘I worked with Mary when I first joined the BBC, she was a lovely lady, such sad news.’
Andy Bentley: ‘Remember Mary well always up for a laugh.’
Ed Billington: ‘Sad news she was always happy’
Carole Lowe: ‘Sad news remember the show well it was great condolences to her family’
Lorraine Randell: ‘So very sad…I worked with Malc and “Rosie” in the 1980s…she was great to work with..I have many fond memories of those days.’
Belinda Essex: ‘Ah that’s really sad. She used to look after the audience for Daytime Live when Malcolm was the warm up guy.’
Stephen Lloyd-Gonzalez: ‘I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all most sincerely for your kind comments about my mother, Mary ‘Rosie’ Kendall. I know that she would have been genuinely surprised to see that she was still remembered so fondly and by so many. Your comments have fuelled my already immense pride in my Mum, so my deep thanks to you all for that.
I recognise many of your names and faces, from my time as a grubby teenager hanging around the lengthy corridors of Pebble Mill. Happy days indeed!
My very best wishes to you all and thanks again.’
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This page from the 1984 Pebble Mill News, includes an article about David Waine’s press briefing about Pebble Mill’s output: 500 hours of network TV, 1,000 hours of network radio, and 160 hours of regional television. Highlights include a new Saturday night light entertainment show, new series of Top Gear, Kick Start and Top Sailing, as well as Now Get Out of That, Gardeners’ World, Asian Magazine, and Gharbar. On the drama front there is mention of The Groundling and the Kite, Phoebe, The Amazing Miss Estelle, and Morte d’Arthur.
Network Radio was also busy, with a new Radio 4 series of Enterprise, and Rollercoaster, as well as hosting a Schools Radio Festival hosted by Sue Lawley, Rolf Harris and Duncan Goodhew.
In regional television there were new series of, Midlands Sound and Midlands Tonight, and a television version of Malcolm Stent’s Radio WM series, In the Barmaid’s Arms.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:
Peter Poole: ‘I worked on The Barmaid’s Arms in Studio A. They had a good band called The Nightriders. This was before producer choice. After that regional TV could never afford Studio A.’
Pete Simpkin: ‘As producer of the Radio version of the Barmaids it was quite pleasant to be a member of the audience with the real beer and not have to worry about anything! I do remember that someone had crafted a tiny hole in the chest of Malc’s shirt to take the cable for his personal mic.’
Lynn Cullimore: ‘Yes, Peter it was Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders…I was the PA and I loved it. Malc was wonderful to work with and i did many programmes with him. Malcolm is still going too..doing shows and things. Mary someone or other did a brilliant set for it…cannot remember her other name but she was very good.’
Peter Poole: ‘Hi Lynn, it was great when regional TV could do shows like this. Do you remember who the producer was? Malcolm often did warm up for PM at One. He always did a great job entertaining the audience.’
Lynn Cullimore: ‘The Producer was John Clarke whom I worked with for a long time. I did many Studio A programmes at one time – do you remember The Garden Game?’
Stuart Gandy: ‘I do remember The Garden Game. Wasn’t it on during the Friday night opt slot? In those days regional programmes had two opt slots per week.’
Peter Poole: ‘I remember John he was great producer and a very nice man. It’s amazing the programmes produced on such small budgets. I didn’t work on The Garden Game but do remember it. One of the many panel shows in Studio A. I always enjoyed working on regional TV programmes. The production teams were lovely people.’
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Malcolm presented on both Radio Birmingham and Radio WM, with ‘Folk Scene’ and ‘Malcolm Stent in the Barmaid’s Arms’. He was often accompanied by his guitar, and never relied on scripts or running orders! He was described on the BBC website as a ‘folk-singing humorist’.
Thanks to Stuart Gandy for making this Radio WM photocard available.
The following comments have been left by people who remember Malcolm’s show:
Lynn Cullimore: We were lucky enough to be able to pick up the Barmaid’s Arms from WM and do a TV version. I
did several series with Malcolm Stent. He is still working and often does things with the comedian Don Maclean who I have only recently met up with again, as I also worked with Don. John Clarke was the producer for Regional TV. Malc is great fun and a lovely person. I was the production assistant on barmaid’s arms for regional television and I loved it. The sets were fantastic – Mary Spencer was the designer and we had “customers” who had to have little tokens to get drinks as of course they were restricted! Malc and Rosie – yes her name was Mary Lloyd were brilliant. Oh happy days.
Andrew Langstone: Memories of ‘The Barmaid’s Arms’ with Malc and Rosie – those wonderful sound effects of a pub – clinking glasses and jolly background chatter. I think Rosie’s real name was Marie Lloyd [it was actually Mary Kendall]. The whole concept of a lunchtime in a pub with gentle banter and music ”from the juke box” was inspired – another of Mr Pickle’s ideas? It’s a pity BBC WM has such a different sound now – but that’s another story!
Tim Manning: The Barmaid’s Arms was a big success for Radio WM and for Malcolm, a daily chat show with its stereo pub sound effects in the background, and a cast of fictitious regulars (like Simon the Crisp Man). People used to turn up at Reception at the weekend asking for directions, and it’s one of very few local radio shows to have been turned into a regional opt-out TV series. All the music played was supposedly on the jukebox, although Rosie the barmaid did say she liked “those copulation albums”! Yes, it was very much a John Pickles concept. He once said to me that he thought of that WM schedule as being “a bit like a street”, starting the day over the breakfast table with news and the papers, followed by coffee with friends and neighbours (The 206 Team), popping into the pub at lunch time (Barmaid’s Arms), then a quiet time after that before picking up the kids from school, or coming home from work in the rush hour. One of his most inspired ideas was the “romance” between Stuart Roper and Viv Ellis, which was only ever really mentioned in other programmes, until the surreal and wonderful fake OB of the wedding on April Fool’s Day.
Pete Simpkin: Malc bless him is still at work in his favourite medium the stage and regularly writes produces and stars in the Solihull Arts Centre Annual Traditional family pantomime. I was honoured to help him with the technical side of his early days at Pebble mill where he presented Folk Club on Radio Birmingham. We also shared some stage talent shows which I produced at the Old Rep theatre and I produced his famous album ‘Malc Stent is not a working class Millionaire.’ After the tragic axing of the Barmaid’s he went onto be the ‘Warm up’ man for ‘PM at One’.