Pete Shannon – What Was Pebble Mill?

Midlands Yesterday – photos Maureen Carter

Here is a selection of photos from the Midlands Today reunion – entitled Midlands Yesterday, held on Saturday 3rd September 2016 at the Midlands Arts Centre. Thanks to Maureen Carter for sharing the photos.

Anita Bhalla, Sue Beardsmore

Ann Gumbley Williams, Jim Knights

Sally Morris and Ann Banks

Jane Ward, Mary Sanchez, Kay Alexander

Maurice Blisson

Pete Shannon, Gary Hudson

Pete Shannon, Maureen Carter

Richard Uridge

Rick Thompson and Gill Thompson

Rick Thompson, Pete Shannon, Jim Knights, Maureen Carter, Cathy Houghton,

Roz Gower and Mike Wilkie

Tony Francis and Roy Saatchi

Sue Beardsmore, Maureen Carter

? and Keith Ackrill

Brian Conway, Kathy Rochford, Sally Morris

Bob Sinkinson, Frances Coverdale, Mike Wilkie, Jim Knights

Gary Hudson and Mark Readman

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African World Rally

Phil Thickett, African World Rally

Photo by Jim Knights, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is from the first of four World Rally series produced by BBC Pebble Mill. It was taken on 13 April 1995 in Kenya.

Jim Knights (camera) and Gordon Nightingale (sound), from Magpie were part of the crew on all the World Rallies done at Pebble Mill.

The vehicle was a hired 4 X4 with a wireless intercom, so that Phil Thickett, the task force producer could to talk to other three crews. The four crews produced all the on road material for the World Rally series.

They would shoot during the day and then edited in Niarobi in local production house . The crews wre responsible for 10 mins of world wide rally news each day, which was sent by satellite to Reuters for onward distribution. The production was a co-production between the BBC and Formula 1 Promotions.

There were 10 rounds of the championship – this was the 3rd – the Safari Rally. Each Rally lasted three days. The crews were on location for four days, the first being a Press Day. The recce team came a week in advance.

There were four World Championship teams: Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Subaru, with rallies taking place in all continents.

Locations included: Monte Carlo, Sweden, Kenya, San Remo, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, UK, and Corsica.

The production team included Jacque Brown as the base PA, Phil Thicket and Andrew ? co-producers. The editing was done by Pete Shannon.

Pebble Mill Club – final days

Photos by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

Tim took these photos on 23 Nov, 2004, one of the final days at Pebble Mill.

The photos include post production staff including: John Burkill, Jim Gregory, Amrik Manku, Brian Watkiss, Ivor Williams, John Duckmanton, Tony Rayner, Martin Dowell, Mike Bloore, Pete Shannon, John Macavoy, Dave Pick, Frank Stevens.

Please add a comment if you can identify others.

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

Stuart Gandy: ‘In image 1016 the guy in the blue shirt holding a pint is John Macavoy, Engineer, and in image 1017 I see Dave Pick in the check shirt and next to him is Frank Stevens, former engineering services manager.’

Keith Brook: ‘If I may take friendly issue with Stuart Gandy about John Macavoy. He wasn’t just an engineer, he was a god. He was able to invent magical cures for any crazy idea that production could conjure up. Even worse, he would undertand their mumblings and give them more than they ever dreamed of. I hate him. The best days were, of course, when the bar was on the second floor. Very few managers realised all the post recording toxic, adrenaline, hyper-excitement that could corrode a great day’s work was diffused with a few beers upstairs. Incidentally, a truly ‘involving’, ‘participating’ and ‘egalitarian’ system, as we had at The Mill, works in any organisation. British industry, banking and the NHS would be major successes if they applied the same rules.’

The Drinkers

Copyright remains with the original holders, no reproduction without permission. The photographers include: Tim Savage, Paul Scholes, Brian Watkiss, Jim Gregory, Kate Davies, Ian Collins, Paul Vanezis, Steve May, Leigh Sinclair.

Making programmes is thirsty work as testament in these photos. Some of the drinks are definitely coffee!

Brian Watkiss

RAC Rally – photos by Paul Scholes

Photos by Paul Scholes, no reproduction without permission.

The photos are from the outside broadcast of the annual RAC Rally called ‘Rally Report’, which was produced at Pebble Mill for many years. The team would record and edit from the location, moving on each day, finishing the nightly broadcast and transmitting via satellite from the OB truck.

The top photo shows left to right: Chris Rowlands (film editor), Ken Pollock (producer), Jon Bentley (producer and now presenter of Fifth Gear), Gurpi Sani (post production engineer), Pete Shannon (editor). The lower photo shows Jon Bentley and Pete Shannon.