Tag: Gail Herbert

Golden Oldie Picture Show – ‘Softly As I Leave You’ – Gail Herbert


Photos by Gail Herbert, no reproduction without permission.

These photos are from a location shoot for the ‘Golden Oldie Picture Show’, an entertainment series, presented  by Radio 1 D.J., Dave Lee Travis, and produced at Pebble Mill by John King’s department.  Music videos were made for classic hits, recorded before the age of music videos.  Guest directors would choose the hit they wanted to shoot the video for, and create the story for it.  Dave Lee Travis linked the different videos together.

This shoot was for the song ‘Softly As I Leave You’ composed by Hal Shaper.

Gail Herbert was the production assistant for the series.

The first photo shows sparks Roy Carn, creating a gobo effect with a tree branch.  The second photo features exec producer John King.

Geoff Hamilton’s funeral service sheet

Thanks to Gail Herbert for making Geoff Hamilton’s funeral service sheet available.

Gardening presenter and journalist,Geoff Hamilton was born in 1936 in East London.  He was a twin.  His love of gardening developed early, and he worked on practical gardening magazines as a journalist before beginning his television career.  After working for Anglia Television, he joined the ‘Gardeners’ World’ team in 1979.  The series was based at his home, Barnsdale, in Rutland, from 1985.  His five acre garden was divided into a number of small plots, mimicking suburban gardens.

Geoff presented a number of gardening series, besides ‘Gardeners’ World’, including: The Cottage Garden, The Paradise Garden, The Ornamental Kitchen Garden, The Elizabethan Kitchen Garden, and Old Garden, New Gardener.

He died of a heart attack on 4 August 1996, whilst taking part in a charity bike race.

I worked as a researcher on ‘Gardeners’ World’ in 1990/1, and remember filming at Barnsdale.  Geoff had two cats, named after directors on ‘Gardeners’ World’, one was named ‘Denis’, after Denis Gartside, but I can’t remember the name of the second one.  Geoff’s downstairs loo was also a fascinating place to visit – the walls were covered with press cuttings about ‘Gardeners’ World’, and you could spend quite a while reading the walls happily!

End of Gardeners’ World Party 1991 – photos by Gail Herbert


Photographs by Gail Herbert no reproduction without permission.

These photos were taken at the end of ‘Gardeners’ World’ party 1991.  This was when ‘Gardeners’ World’ stopped being made in-house at Pebble Mill, and became an independent production, made by Catalyst Television. Ten years later the contract returned to BBC Birmingham.

The first photo includes left to right: Steph Silk (editor), Vanessa Jackson (researcher), Sophie Marsh (production secretary), Patti Evans (PA), Chris Hardman (PA).

The second photo includes Annette Martin (director), Alan Duxbury (cameraman).

Gardeners’ World – photos by Gail Herbert


Photos by Gail Herbert, no reproduction without permission.

The photos are of ‘Gardeners’ World’ shoots from around 1989.  This was just after the programme moved to single camera production, instead of a two camera outside broadcast.

The first includes (left to right) presenter Nigel Colborn, director Annette Martin, PA Gail Herbert, sound Paul Taylor.

The second photo is taken at Barnsdale, presenter Geoff Hamilton’s garden, and main location of the popular series in the 1980s.  It shows Geoff recording a piece to camera in the snow.

Golden Oldie Picture Show – Christmas 1986

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

The ‘Golden Oldie Picture Show’ was presented by Radio 1 D.J., Dave Lee Travis.  The show created music videos for Hits which pre-dated the era of music videos, and directors were encouraged to choose a track and create a story around it.  It was produced at Pebble Mill by Exec, John King.

This photo dates from Christmas 1986, and was taken on location at the Red Lion, Somerton, Somerset, where the links for that show were recorded.  Left to right, back row it includes: Dave Lee Travis (presenter), John King (exec), Mike Williams (lighting cameraman), John Parker (sound), Jim Hatchard (set design).  Front row: Andy Frizzell (lighting), Nigel Davey (camera), Phil O’Shea (props), Gail Herbert (P.A.), Veronica McAleer (Brebner)(make-up).

Thanks to Gail Herbert for making the photo available, and to Andy Frizzell, Kevin Lakin and Lesley Weaver for adding information.