Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
The following article was published in the University of Birmingham Alumni Magazine: Old Joe, in March 2014.
Work has now begun on the dental hospital, being built on the former BBC Pebble Mill Studios site. The dental hospital will have facilities for both dental students from the University, and for the public. The building will open in autumn 2015.
photo by Ben Peissel, 2003, no reproduction without permission
History of the BBC in Birmingham
(taken from notes held at the BBC Archives in Caversham)
1922 Nov 15 British Broadcasting Company begins transmitting from rooms at the GEC Works at Witton. Managed by Percy Edgar and Pat Casey, it consisted of three room: one contained the transmitter, one was the office and the other was the 12x20ft studio.
1923 Dec 6 The first ever Children’s Hour comes from Birmingham. Children’s circle established, proceeds of which were donated to West Midlands Children’s charities.
1924 Witton premises too small. Moved to top storey of 105 New Street. One studio and a suite of offices.
1926 New Street premises too small (and rat infested). Purpose built studios at 282 Broad Street acquired. Largest studio could accommodate a full orchestra and chorus.
1927 Jan 1 British Broadcasting Company dissolved and the British Broadcasting Corporation constituted under Royal Charter.
1927 Daventry ‘Experimental Transmitter’ replaces 5 IT at Witton.
1938 First episode of Paul Temple attracts 7,000 fan letters.
1949 Sutton Coldfield transmitter opens bringing television to the Midlands.
1951 Jan 1 The Archers first appears on the Light Programme. Brookfield Farm was located in Studio 2 at Broad Street for 20 years.
1951 BBC acquired the lease for Pebble Mill site.
1954 Carpenter Road, Edgbaston became the new Broadcasting House.
1955 Dec 29 First Midland Region television studio opened at Gosta Green, Birmingham.
1956 Gardening Club (now Gardeners’ World) began.
1957 Sept 30 First BBC Midlands TV News broadcast each weekday evening. 6.10-6.15.
1962 Nightly TV magazine programme – Midlands at Six
1962 A model of proposed BBC Pebble Mill Broadcasting Centre was show to the press.
1964 Sept First episode of Midlands Today presented by Barry Lankester and produced by Michael Hancock. News items were a football bribery trial, a new course on local government, Swedish sport and an item called ‘the body beautiful’.
1965 Immigrants Unit set up by Patrick Beech to provide Hindu/Urdu programmes. BBC’s first bi-media department, making programmes for both radio and television.
1967 First BBC Local Radio Station in Leicester.
1967 Pebble Mill – first sod was cut by then Director General Sir Hugh Greene.
1970 Nov 7 Pebble Mill began with Radio Birmingham, later became Radio WM.
1971 HRH Princess Anne officially opens the new Pebble Mill studios.
1972-86 Pebble Mill at One, presenters included Donny Macleod, Bob Langley, Ross King, Judi Spiers and Alan Titchmarsh.
1976 Saturday Night at the Mill – live. All staged in either one of the studios or outside the front of Pebble Mill. The courtyard around the back was constructed into a mini ice-rink with a canopy area for if it rained when live bands were on.
1977 The Horror of Fang Rock, only episode of Dr Who to be filmed here at The Mill. The set consisted of a lighthouse built in the studio, and it was the setting for a battle with an alien shape shifter. The story featured the one and only appearance in the series of a Rutan – seen in its natural state as an amorphous green blob with trailing tentacles. It was the fifteenth season of the series and the Doctor at the time was Tom Baker. It was transmitted between 03/09/1977 and 24/09/1977.
1988 Oct Midlands Today became the first regional news programme to include a nightly sports section.
The Directors: Chris Wright, David Weir, Mark Kershaw
Nicky Savage, Jane Mclean, Tom O’Connor, Jo Dewar
Photos from Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.
(The following blog was written after a conversation with director, Mark Kershaw in Feb 2014)
The Tom O’Connor Roadshow was a live entertainment show transmitted from around the country early 1987, it went out daily around 12pm on BBC1. The show was based in a different town or city each week, including: Derby, Falkirk, Port Talbot, Blackpool (twice!), Portsmouth, Newcastle, Cambridge, Exeter, Bradford, Londonderry with Liverpool being the final week’s location.
The show was commissioned to plug a gap in entertainment programming after Pebble Mill (the lunchtime magazine show) was decommissioned in May 1986. There was a move to use underutilised resources, and it was felt that outside broadcast scanners were busy at weekends during the winter, with football and other sport, but were available during the week. Therefore a live entertainment show, like the Tom O’Connor Roadshow, ticked all the boxes.
It was important that all areas of the country were covered, hence shows coming from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as England. Two versions of the set had to be made, travelling round the country in different directions, with one set being erected as the other one was in use.
There were three multi-camera directors assigned to the show. Mark Kershaw did all the advance planning. There was a main director of the week, which was either Mark, David Weir or Chris Wright. One of the others was the support director for the week, whilst the third, planned ahead for the following week.
The series encountered a few issues along the way. A week in Aviemore was planned, but because of an electricians’ strike had to be relocated as a return visit to Blackpool. Inserts from Aviemore were included instead. The Londonderry week was eventful. ‘The Troubles’ were still very active. The final show on the Friday in Derry had to be stopped part way through because of a bomb scare at the venue. The show went to an filmed insert, and never came back on air, with Pres taking over the transmission! UHF mics had to be hired in for the Cambridge shows, as the University complained that the Roadshow mics were using the same frequencies as the lecturers, meaning that instead of some erudite academic lecture,the sound of the Tom O’Connor Roadshow was coming through instead!
The series was expensive to make, although it was popular with the viewers. It was its high budget that meant that it wasn’t recommissioned.
The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:
Jane Green: I worked on this series. It was great fun. I thought being sent to the Port Talbot TOCRS was drawing the short straw, until the Fine Young Cannibals came out of their dressing room dressed as Welsh Dolls and Miners to sing She Drives Me crazy!
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
Crew and production team of the last Pebble Mill show, May 1996. Pebble Mill was an entertainment magazine show which went out before the lunchtime news on BBC 1 Daytime.
The show was presented by Alan Titchmarsh, Sarah Greene amongst others.
Here are a few of those in the photo:
Front row, left to right: Mark Kershaw (director),?,Kate Hillman, Crispin Evans , Alan Titchmarsh, Sarah Greene, Ross King, ?, Ronnie Butt, ?, Annie Gumbley-Williams
2nd row, l to r: Royston Horsley, Nick Harris, Shirley Benson,? , ?, Gill Thompson, Sarah Reddi, Melissa Feather
3rd row, l to r: ?, ?, Caroline Marshall, ?
1st row standing: Belinda Essex, ?, ?, ?, Vicky Jepson, Anya Francis, ?, Helena Taylor, Claire Chambers, Jane Benham, Clara Hewitt, Sue Lowe, ?
2nd row standing: Merrick Simmonds, Geoff Nawn, Andy Frizzell, (further across) Roulla Xenides, Janice Rider
Next to back row: (fourth and fifth from the right) John Carney (Tech manager), Mike Lee (Vision supervisor), in front of these row is Ian Cull (Vision engineer)
Back row: Dave Brazier, ?,?,?,?,?
(Thanks to Roulla Xenides, and Stuart Gandy for adding in some names).
Please add a comment if you can name some of the others!
Thanks to Ronnie Butt for sharing the photo.
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
These photos are of the architect, John Madin’s model of the Pebble Mill building, and date from 1962. On the top two photos you can see the helix car park at the rear of the building, which was actually never built, due to costs.