BBC Birmingham – What Was Pebble Mill?

50 Years of Gardeners’ World

Joe Godwin, Sharon Fisher, Louise Hampden, Claire Johnson

Joe Godwin, Sharon Fisher

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In June 2017, Gardeners’ World will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee. A special 50th anniversary edition is being planned. Today (5th May 2017) a Gardeners’ World masterclass was held in the BBC Birmingham, Mailbox building, for students, and BBC staff. The event took the form of a conversation between Joe Godwin, Director of the BBC Academy (the training arm of the BBC), and three of the production team: Sharon Fisher, series producer; Louise Hampden, producer; and Dr Claire Johnson, horticultural researcher. It was interesting to hear from the team about some of the challenges of making the programme, and we found out that presenter, Monty Don’s dogs, Nigel and Nellie, have a huge mailbag, and even their own Twitter accounts – although the production team don’t know who it is that writes on their behalf!

Gardeners’ World was a Birmingham programme from its start in January 1968, until it was moved to Bristol in 2012. Sharon, Louise and Claire, used to work on gardening output in Birmingham, but moved to work in Bristol when production was moved there. Gardeners’ World has been a BBC production, except for a period of 10 years in the 1990s, when it was produced by Independent production company, Catalyst. This was when Alan Titchmarsh was presenting the programme.

Gardeners’ World was one of the first shows on the BBC to be recorded in colour. It was preceded by an earlier BBC Birmingham series, Gardening Club, presented by Percy Thrower from his greenhouse in the Gosta Green studio, Birmingham.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Bryan Comley: ‘Edited one of the episodes in the mid 80’s on CM2, made using the roll back & mix method of linear production, even the captions were as live. A very pleasurable & satisfying way of making tv.’

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BBC Birmingham Pen

Photo by Suzie Curtlin, no reproduction without permission

Thanks to Suzie Curtlin for sharing this photo of the BBC Birmingham pen which was given to all staff moving from Pebble Mill to the Mailbox, when the Pebble Mill building was closed, prior to being demolished in 2005.

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We are BBC Birmingham

This, We are BBC Birmingham brochure was given to members of staff moving from Pebble Mill to the new Mailbox building in summer/autumn 2004.

There are other sections which name some of the then current productions, both radio and television, but I will post those separately.

The leaflet highlights the work of internal departments like HR, Finance, Marketing, Talent Rights, Libraries and IT.

Thanks to Dharmesh Rajput for keeping the leaflet safe for the last decade, and for sharing it.

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

Andy Walters: ‘I remember those being taken. I am on the first B. We were assembled on the grass at the back of the building with the photographer on the roof.’

Jane Green: ‘I’m on a B too. I miss Pebble Mill’

Paul Hunt: ‘Am on the bottom of C having dashed back from a meeting at the Mailbox!’

Claire Bennett: ‘Eleven years? Did I miss all the big ten year anniversary celebrations there must have been for a decade of glory at the Mailbox then?’

Steve Peacock: ‘I think they threw that party in Bristol’

BBC Press Release about the future of Birmingham

This statement about the future of BBC Birmingham was released today (21/11/13) by the BBC.

Tour of Gosta Green studios

Thanks to Bill Jenkin for making the video available.

This video is amateur footage from a visit to the BBC Studios at Gosta Green in the mid sixties.

Pete Simpkin added the following information on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

“Wonderful to see the old Grams and the Pye Monitors………even the rewinding bench near the TK. What memories. After the TV moved out Radio Birmingham sometimes used the studio for audience attended Classical Music broadcasts. Classical music on Local Radio…now that IS going back some distance!!”

BBC Gosta Green Studios