Denny Hodge – What Was Pebble Mill?

Telly Addicts titles grab

Thanks to Ian Collins for making this titles grab available.

Telly Addicts was a BBC1 early evening, game show about television presented by Noel Edmonds. It was first transmitted in 1985, and ended in 1998. John King was the Executive Producer, with producers including Tim Manning and Richard Lewis. It was recorded in Studio A.

The questions were about television programmes past and present, with the usual format being a clip followed by questions. There were usually two teams of four people each, with a tournament style of 16 teams, in 8 qualifying heats, being adopted from 1987-1996.

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

Denny Hodge: ‘Yes fond memories doing the warm up on the show.’

Jane Green: ‘Your warm ups were a treat to see Denny. Remember them well. I worked on this. Noel was a dream to look after. Helicopter arrived literally 5 minutes before rehearsals began and he had his clothes all ready and pressed and he’d be in studio on time. No fuss, no silly demands. Went to collect him from his dressing room once and found him standing on a chair waving a ‘brick’ around. It was a new thing called a mobile phone and he was trying to get a signal. His very beautiful new wife Helen turned up to rehearsals one evening to support him as his much loved dog had just died and he was so upset. She just walked in – I didn’t know who she was and was about to ask her to leave when someone explained…’

Andrew Langstone: ‘My friend Jennifer Kings (was Hassall) was a production secretary on Telly Addicts. Managed to get us some tickets for a few recordings.’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Didn’t John King flog the rights to Noel Edmonds?’

Richard Stevenson: ‘The first show I worked on in 1997. Ironically I then went on to work with Noel on numerous Gotchas (65 I think), Noel’s House Party and some great worldwide trips for Noel’s Christmas Presents.’

Belinda Essex: ‘I used to do auto cue sometimes’

Gill Thompson: ‘I used to organise the audiences for this show, never had a problem filling seats was always a popular one!’

Sarah Dunning: ‘And the graphic designer was the brilliant Annie Jenkins!’

Jane Upston: ‘I remember recruiting for this programme (I was Jane Morgan then and worked in HR). I remember Nick Hurran too, the Director and Jennifer Hassell. Who was the PA?’

Richard Stevenson: ‘Trudi Stanton and Roger Sutton vision mixed I think. Can’t remember the PA but it will come to me!….Thea Harvey?’

Pebble Mill with Judi Spiers

This title grab is from the lunchtime studio magazine show: Pebble Mill, which was the successor of Pebble Mill at One, and ran from 1991-6. The show focussed on celebrity interviews, performance and entertainment. It was presented by Alan Titchmarsh on some days, and Judi Spiers on others, and I think Ross King also presented the show. Pebble Mill was transmitted from Studio A.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the grab available.

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

Denny Hodge: ‘I worked on this show did the warm up they had a very small audience but the presenters were great fun.’

David Lowe: ‘I wrote the theme tune for that – I was very proud! One of my first ones for Network TV – On The House was another’

Ainsley Harriott – Good Morning with Anne and Nick

Photo from Kathryn Shuttleworth, no reproduction without permission.

This photo of celebrity chef, Ainsley Harriott, was taken on the set of ‘Good Morning with Anne and Nick’. Ainsley was one of the resident experts on the live, morning show, which ran from 1992-6, using Pebble Mill’s Studio C.

The photo was taken with a panoramic camera, being demonstrated on the morning magazine show. They were left on set at the end of the show, and Kathryn kept them safe.

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

Murray Clarke: ‘A lovely man. What you see is what you get! Great chef to work with. I worked with Ainsley on location shoots only (not in the studio). One programme saw him dressed as Superman on a bicycle to secretly cook dinner parties for hosts with zero culinary talents – and then to pop out of the kitchen at the very end to reveal the truth to the amazed guests!!! ‘

Denny Hodge: ‘I worked with Ainsley on ‘Ready Steady Cook’ we had great fun.’

Cool It

Photos and drawing from costume designer, Janice Rider, no reproduction without permission. The main photo is of Phil Cool performing a Rolf Harris sketch.

‘Cool It’ was a 1985 comedy series, presented by Phil Cool. It was directed in Studio A by David Weir, and produced at Pebble Mill by Steve Weddle. The script was written by Phil Cool, along with Jasper Carrott.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook group about ‘Cool It’:

Stuart Gandy: ‘It was the programmes he made at Pebble Mill that brought him to stardom.’

Lynda Kettle: ‘I remember this! Phil Cool was so stressed out spent ages pulling faces in the mirror! Needed a stiff drink!’

Denny Hodge: ‘I did the warm up on the show and Phil had the same manager as Jasper. Steve Weddell was the producer.’

Jane Green: ‘Oh crumbs I worked on this too. Must dig out the end of run photos. I playfully ‘punched’ Phil in the tummy as we joked about something. He then said he’d just had a hernia op. I laughed louder thinking it was a joke and then he said it was true. And it was. :-/ I was alone in a sound room with Jasper Carrott for this programme too, and Jasper just didn’t stop cracking jokes. My sides hurt from laughing. Great fun this programme. Loved it. I remember Denny’s audience warm ups – hysterical!!!’

Julian Hitchock: ‘I remember that Steve was very keen to give Phil Cool this opportunity. Now I hear nothing of him, or Steve, who I hope is well,- and haven’t seen Jaspar C for ages. As Jane said, he was hysterical and very clever indeed. Please come back, all of you.’

The Last Pebble Mill at One – photo from Mark Kershaw

This photo was taken just after the last ever ‘Pebble Mill at One’ on 23 May 1986. In fact you can just see the last few members of the audience leaving on the left hand side of the photo.

Included in the photo are:

Back row: Michael Smith (celebrity chef), David Lancaster (glasses), Caroline Marshall, Steve Weddle.

Next to back: Julian Hitchcock (with pink balloon), Chris Wright, Roger Sutton (just behind the others), possibly Barrie Edgar peeking out behind, Tony Rayner, Peter Urie, Peter Hercombe, Claire Chambers, Norma Scott, Mary Clyne, Mark Kershaw, Trudy Stanton, Steph Silk, Richard ?.

Third row from back: Girl in red dress below Tony Rayner is Jacqui Goodwin, Fran Groves, Ann Varley, Di Reid (red dress), Margaret Allen (with belt), John Westcott (FM), Annie Gumbley Williams (standing purple dress)

Back seated row: Sue Ashcroft, Debbie Hood, Caroline Matthews, Denny Hodge , Paul Coia

Middle seated row: Gareth Williams, Jo Buchan, Magnus Magnusson, Marian Foster, Bob Langley, Bev Wildman (Thompson), David Weir

Fron row: Tom Ross (standing), Eileen Bayliss just behind Tom, Maggy Whitehouse, Jane Clement, Viv Ellis, Peta Newbold, Colette Foster (central short brown dress), Nicky Barfoot, Claire Stride, Jane McLean, Jo Dewar

Please add a comment if you can fill in any of the people not identified.

Thanks to Mark Kershaw for making the photograph available.