Graham Todd

Stan Smith’s retirement party

Photo from Malcolm Hickman of Stan Smith’s retirement party (circa 1983/4), which was well attended by Comms Centre staff.

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

Brian Johnson: ‘Will give it a try: Front row L to R – David Robinson, John Noble, Chris Donovan, Stan Smith, Keith Lindsey, Graham Hewitt: : Second Row L-R Shaffiq, John Nestor, Brian Johnson, Ian Gordon, Roy (Cyril) Thompson (peering over his shoulder), Glynn Benbow, Roy Winson, Jon Parker, Bob Allison, Mike Day, Fred Norton, Nigel Harris, Keith Brown, Paul Wheeldon, Derrek Smith, Malcolm Hickman,: Back Row R-L- John Malby, Phil Partridge, Guy with Glasses (??), then Graham Todd, Richard Taylor.
Can anyone fill in the (??) .

Great Photo. but what a male orientated lot we were’

Malcolm Hickman:’Guy over Roy’s shoulder is John Parker. Went to VT. Nigel Harris with beard, Keith Brown looking sideways.’

Andy Marriott: ‘Graham (on the right, with his hand on the trolley looking thing) was one of the Comms supervisors when I started.’

Comms Centre

Thanks to Stuart Gandy for sharing this photo of the Comms Centre at Pebble Mil. It probably dates from the early noughties. The Comms Centre handled all the radio and vision circuits coming in and out of BBC Pebble Mill.

The photo was first shared on the Pebble Mill Engineers Facebook group.

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

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Dear departed Graham Todd and I were attached to P&ID to build that. Probel supplied the routing system but didn’t appreciate what we wanted. Took 2 man years of programming effort of get it right.’

Andy Marriott: ‘I loved working there. My first proper job in the BBC. I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s towards the end of its life. Certainly post 2001 which is when I left. The old DOS mode CBIS machine appears to have gone from the right of the desk and there appears to be an LCD screen on the left that I don’t remember being there. Interestingly the left bank of Trilogy panels appear to be missing, could they have possibly been taken for use in the Mailbox? Which would put us squarely in 2004.’

Andy Walters: ‘WMs transmitter lines and the inter local radio programme sharing circuits and control systems went through there too along with those for network radio.’

Richard Taylor: ‘And the Energis distribution system and Digital TV, both 601 for the studios (those bays are in the background left) and ‘Freeview’ or DTT as it was then. The BBC1 DTT off airs can be seen to the left of the desk displays. BBC2 was to the right. I suspect it was close to 2003? Best desk I ever worked on and I include London Switching Centre and Cardiff CC. And it’s tidy, so can’t have been taken on my shift!’

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Graham Todd – A55 course

A55 course July 1978: L to R, Back row: D Slingsby (Terminated), M Swain, G Todd (Birmingham), J Willis (Belfast). Middle row: N Meadwell, R Pickering (Terminated), D Purdham (Glasgow), S Rowsell (Cardiff), G Russell (Cardiff). Front row: N Barnes, A Best, M Brown, M Devareux, G Fry, N Godden (Resigned at end of course)

A55 30 yr reunion Sept 2008. L to R, back row: Martin Swain, Neil Barnes, Steve Rowsell, Graham Todd, Joe Willis. Front row: Andy Best, Martin Brown, Martin Devereux, Gary Fry

A55 35 yr reunion 2013. L to R, back row: Steve Rowsell, Graham Todd, Joe Willis. Front row: Neil Barnes, Andy Best, Martin Brown, Gary Fry

The photos are from the VT Old Boys website: http://www.vtoldboys.com/etd/etd24.htm.

Thanks to Joe Willis for giving permission to use the photos, from the original TA course, A55 at Wood Norton, and the subsequent reunions. Graham Todd, from BBC Birmingham, was one of the first people that Joe met, when he joined the BBC, and they shared a room in D-Dorm, on the course. The A55 course, Engineering Training Department, visited Pebble Mill as part of the course, to see Pebble Mill at One going out live on air.

Graham Todd, died in October 2014.

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

Andy Marriott: ‘Graham was a great bloke. It came as a real shock to hear he’d died.

I made it to his retirement do (which I think was in 2010?) and that was the last time I saw him.

Unlike many retirement do’s I’ve been to where the person in question is usually a little sad to be leaving, but ultimately looking forward to a bit of R&R, spending time with family and hobbies and the like, I got the feeling he retired out of frustration at the way things were going. It was really quite upsetting.’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘I worked with Graham for many years and a better colleague you couldn’t wish for. Another fine fellow gone.’

Graham Todd’s partner, Beryl, has been in touch with Annie Gumbley Williams, about Graham’s sad passing. Graham aged 59, was a member of Comms Department for many years. Graham died last week, after a short stay in hospital. He was diagnosed with cancer early in 2012 but the chances of survival from it were very low. Beryl said they had a long time to come to terms with this and Graham has been amazing throughout.

If you would like details of funeral arrangements please add a comment here, and I will forward your contact details to Annie.

If anyone has photos of Graham (on his own or with others) that you don’t mind sharing please let me know, as Beryl would very much like to see them.

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

Paul Grice: ‘A brilliant and committed professional who was a pleasure to work with. Sad to see he has gone so young.’

Steve Dellow: ‘Sad news..enjoyed time with Graham in the old Comms Centre and out on OBs.’

Ruth Barretto: ‘I remember him when I worked for all the engineers, he was a true gent.’

Brian Johnson: ‘Shocked to hear such sad news, I worked with Graham a great deal in Comms, always a pleasure to work with.’