John Smith – Page 6 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Arthur Heywood – photo from Jane McLean

The photo is of a 1980 Pebble Mill at One shoot in Hong Kong. In the photo are L-R: two unknowns; Jane McLean; John Gilbert; Nigel Davey; John Smith; John Williams; Arthur Heywood.

Thanks to Jane McLean for making this photo available.

Arthur Heywood was a Gaffer at BBC Birmingham from the early/mid 1960s until the 1980s.

Arthur died on Feb 7, 2012.

Colleagues who remember him fondly left the following comments on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Jane McLean: ‘One of my very favourite people. Had an amazing trip to Hong Kong and China with him in the 80s. He bought enough furniture out there to furnish a house .. then had to pay at least twice as much to get it shipped back here.’

Carol Churchill: ‘How sad worked with Arthur on lots of dramas and spent many jolly evenings in pubs with him and crew.’

Lesley Weaver: ‘We were only talking about Arthur the other day. That’s very sad he was such a lovely man & adorably cheeky ! I agree Carol lots of jolly times were shared with him. God bless you Arthur! X’

Janice Rider: ‘Simply a lovely man . Very sad’

Telly Addicts Question Card – from Tim Manning

‘Telly Addicts’ was a BBC 1 Game Show based on contestants’ television knowledge. It was hosted by Noel Edmonds. The series was recorded in Studio A, and was transmitted between 1985 and 1998. It was produced by John King’s department at Pebble Mill. First producer was Juliet May, followed by John Smith, Tim Manning and Richard Lewis.

Thanks to Tim Manning for making this Question Card available.

Pebble Mill at One – Blue Eagle helicopter

Blue Eagle helicopter on PM at 1

This photo shows a Blue Eagle helicopter landing on the front lawn for a ‘Pebble Mill at One show’. Shows with stunts like these were usually organised by John Smith, who had wonderful contacts in the armed forces. The Blue Eagles are one of only six helicopter acrobatic teams in the world. They are part of the Army Air Corps. The photo probably dates from the mid 1970s.

Thanks to Gail Herbert for making the photo available.

‘Kickstart’ – photos from Maggie Humphries & John Burkill

Photos from Maggie Humphries & John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.

‘Kickstart’ and ‘Junior Kickstart’ were outside broadcast series produced at Pebble Mill in the 1980s. The different series staged motorcycle trials for seniors and juniors. John Smith (who had worked on Pebble Mill at One, organising some of the most spectacular events like the Red Arrows) produced many of the series. Peter Purves, ex Blue Peter presenter, was the presenter on ‘Kickstart’, with expert advice voiced by Mick Andrews.

The black and white photos show cameraman Jim Gray, recording ‘Junior Kickstart’, with the colour photo from John Burkill dating from 1983.

Jim Gray recording 'Junior Kickstart'