Ebony – What Was Pebble Mill?

Christmas show in Studio A

Photo by Malcolm Hickman, no reproduction without permission

Can anyone identify this Christmas entertainment show in Studio A?

Thanks to Malcolm Hickman for sharing the photo.

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

Malcolm Hickman: ‘I have a vague recollection that it was a L.E. Show featuring 5th Dimension, but as it was over 40 years ago, I might be mistaken.’

Andy Frizzell: ‘Not that long ago Malcolm. I think it might have been an ‘Ebony’ spin off. I remember working on it and I only joined the Beeb in 1980. I remember it being a pig to light inside that tent though.’

James French: ‘Yes definitely an ethnic minority programme. I would say about 1985.’

BBC Birmingham remembers Pebble Mill heritage

BBC Birmingham at the Mailbox is remembering its heritage by naming some of its meeting rooms after famous Pebble Mill programmes.

The programmes being honoured include:

Pebble Mill at One

Good Morning with Anne and Nick

Howards’ Way

Tom Coyne

If you have any logos or photos of these programmes, which might be suitable to decorate the walls of the meeting rooms, then please get in touch. Vanessa

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

Cast and crew on Howards’ Way

Midlands Today presenters, Tom Coyne, back row, right.

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The following additional suggestions were added on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Helena Morrisey: ‘What about all the fine radio output too…? R3’s The Music Machine was a groundbreaking programme and produced at Pebble Mill.’

Stuart Gandy: ‘Not forgetting the popular local music show ‘Look Hear’. It was a big production for a local programme.’

Julie Hill: ‘Yes and what about Angels, Saturday Night at the Mill, The Clothes Show, Gardeners World, Ebony.’

Jane Clement: ‘If they name any more rooms, I would suggest The Archers. And Donny MacLeod.’

Jane Ward: ‘Midlands Radio Orchestra?’

Sue Welch: ‘Only TV? How about all the Radio 2 output and Radios 3 &4, not to mention 5?’

Bill Bohanna: ‘”Gangsters”, “Boys from the Black Stuff”, “All Creatures Great and Small” more to follow’

Mike Hayes: ‘Do not forget David Steel & Michael Hancock…’

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Multicultural Programmes from BBC Birmingham

Photo by Lynda Kettle, described as ‘Asian Music and Dance

Here is a list of some of the multicultural programmes produced at BBC Birmingham, from before and during the Pebble Mill period. The list is included in a document housed in the BBC Written Archives at Caversham.

Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye

(Make Yourself at Home) Radio – Home Service 1965

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0d248bbb13934a6293989ac1744ede8b

Made at Gosta Green and introduced by Aley Hasan

Nai Zindagi-Naya Jeevan

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/799760c890544c27a9f408fafcd77784

BBC1 Sunday morning programme (late 1960s-early 1970s) which is roughly translated as ‘New Life’ (ran for 14 years)

Gharbar

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/17f97d1ad04e484e9d403bfb27004555

BBC1&2, Women’s magazine show, transmitted on Wednesday mornings from 1977-87

Asian Magazine

BBC1 Sunday mornings 1983-87

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f3b01c62804743388df183a729484ef3

New Life and Gharbar then became one programme in the early 1980s, called Asian Magazine, which then became Network East

Network East

BBC1&2 Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings (1987-2003)

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/c0918d9079d8460488d012c3c1d7e000

Ebony

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/34a20f1624ad4a57bc6873ca1f0c3c6b

BBC2, 1983-1990, Afro-Carribean Magazine

Behind the Beat

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a05e0e41e87c4754a00599de8a0c3fba

BBC2, 1988-9, Music Programme

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

Keith Brook (aka Scouse):”‘Nai Zindagi-Naya Jeevan’ was the Urdu and Hindi for ‘New Way -New Life’ but was generically called ‘New Life’. It wasn’t renamed, it stayed like that into the 80s.

I worked on it as a cameraman, of course, but I also did a year or so directing it.

It was great fun, if a little disorganised. Getting everyone from our side into the studio was a little like herding cats.

Still, the real upside was that Ashok Rampal, Saleem Shahed and Mahendra Kaul and I were frequently invited to Indian and Pakistani houses for ‘real’ curries. Absolutely delicious!!

The best one was Madhur Jaffrey’s rather swish place. Best food of all!!

Still, I got a lot of pleasure out of it because it was a programme FOR Asians rather than about. At that time there were many elderly relatives who couldn’t speak English and it was their half hour of entertainment. For that reason alone, it was a delight.

I had the same feeling of fulfillment when I did a stretch on Open University. There wasn’t a big audience for each course, but every programme had an RI of 100%.

Still, every programme we did in Pebble Ill was fulfilling and it was a joy to work with such talented people.”

Terry Barker: “I worked for Nahrendra Morar as his PA from 92 to 94 and remember the diversity of programmes that came out of the multicultural department then. Charles Bruce and Farah Durrani made some terrific documentaries. Had a great time.”

Bridget Catherine Vaughan: “My first staff post, after 2 years of “temping” was in Asian Unit with Lisa Sommerville, Chris Hardman, Jayne Savage…..fab time”

Simon Edwards: “I recall working as camera assistant on the titles (on 16mm) for a programme called “All Black”. Not sure if that was a working title but it would have been early 90’s. We shot some of it in the studio at the Mill and then locations in London. Chris Weaver was the lighting cameraman and Wilfred E-J directed it.”

Keith Brook: “‘Nai Zindagi-Naya Jeevan’ was the Urdu and Hindi for ‘New Way -New Life’ but was generically called ‘New Life’. It wasn’t renamed, it stayed like that into the 80s.

I worked on it as a cameraman, of course, but I also did a year or so directing it.

It was great fun, if a little disorganised. Getting everyone from our side into the studio was a little like herding cats.

Still, the real upside was that Ashok Rampal, Saleem Shahed and Mahendra Kaul and I were frequently invited to Indian and Pakistani houses for ‘real’ curries. Absolutely delicious!!

The best one was Madhur Jaffrey’s rather swish place. Best food of all!!

I had the same feeling of fulfillment when I did a stretch on Open University. There wasn’t a big audience for each course, but every programme had an RI of 100%.

Every programme we did in Pebble Milll was fulfilling and it was a joy to work with such talented people.”

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Ebony under cover

This article about an episode of the black affairs series, Ebony, on the death of black activist Steve Biko, was published in the BBC staff newspaper, Ariel, on September 7th 1988.

Thanks to Julie Hill (previously Whittaker) for sharing this article.

Here is a transcript of the article:

‘A BBC team spent three weeks dodging the authorities in South Africa to make a film on the life of activist Steve Biko.

The programme, one of a £27 million package on BBC2 this autumn, was made by the Birmingham based Ebony team, and includes interviews with friends who speak about Biko publicly for the first time since his death in police custody 11 years ago.

Jamaican born director Terrence Francis, South African Kamscilla Naidoo, and the only white member of the team, Julie Whittaker, stayed in separate hotels, held clandestine meetings out of town and took care never to be seen with the camera crew during the making of Biko, The Spirit Lives, which goes out on the anniversary of his death next week.

“Being black helped us to set up interviews with people who would never talk to a white production team,” said Terrence Francis.

“But, as a group of mixed race, we had a tense time. We were stopped in a road block, we were followed, and our rooms were searched.”

Quality

The one-hour programme is among the first to go out in the autumn package, which is providing an “unprecedented platform for new, young talent,” said channel Controller Alan Yentob.’

Here is the link to the Radio Times entry from 19th September 1988, BBC2, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

‘On 12 September, 1977, Steve Biko died in a South African prison. The official inquest cleared the authorities of any blame, but the circumstances of his death had repercussions all over the world.
At the age of 31, Biko was the charismatic leader of the Black Consciousness
Movement and one of the most influential political figures in the country.
In this Ebony film, Biko’s closest friends and associates describe how he emerged to lead the movement and the personal qualities that set him apart.
For the first time, they also tell the story of political intrigue and betrayal which led to his death and assess the legacy of the Black
Consciousness Movement in South African politics today. Executive producer JOHN WILCOX Produced and directed by TERRENCE FRANCIS BBC Pebble Mill’ http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/849536c00a1a408b868b4a75836aa760

Julie Whittaker (now Hill) adds the following comment: ‘I was only sorry our documentary didn’t receive the publicity & acclaim it deserved, oh & having escaped the secret police in SA I had a rifle pulled on me in Botswana – where were filming the reconstruction of Biko’s capture. Our team of 3 & local 3 man crew achieved what would nowadays involve about 50 people!!!’

Afro-Caribbean Unit – photo Bev Dartnall

Afro Caribbean Unit girls

Photo by Bev Dartnall, no reproduction without permission.

Pebble Mill was the home of BBC multicultural programming for many years, including the Asian Programmes Unit, and the Afro Caribbean Unit. The Afro Caribbean Unit made programmes like the weekly magazine series: ‘Ebony’, which went out in the 1980s, presented by Vastiana Belfon amongst others.

Director, Sharon Pemberton adds the following information:

“The photo was actually taken whilst the ‘Multicultural Progs Unit was based in the famous ‘portacabin’. (Freezing in winter, boiling in summer!)

The gals in the photo are:

Back L-R) Victoria Trow (from editing) Annie Jenkins (from graphics) Sharon Pemberton, Sarah Costigan, Beverley Dartnall, Ann Holmes, Trudi Cresser
(Front L-R)Jo Mainwearing, Anna Umbima, Vastiana Belfon, Rosemary Boateng and Mary Gregory.

We made three major series for BBC2 during the 1990′s – ‘Black Britain’, ‘Black on Europe’ and ‘Africa – Out of Darkness’.
All ground-breaking stuff, although I don’t think I realised it at the time.”