Pete Simpkin – Page 9 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Mary Kendall RIP

From Pebble Mill News 1984. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

Mary Kendall, better known as Rosie from Radio WM’s long running 80’s series, The Barmaid’s Arms, and my Mum, died yesterday, 21st January 2015, after a short illness.

Mum had been living quietly in Worcestershire over the last few years, before moving to Shropshire last year. She passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon at the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.

Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez (Son)

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

Pete Simpkin: ‘So sad to hear this news. Always enjoyed working with her and remember her reporting for my afternoon show which followed the Barmaids. She was a very individual and lively lady from a talented family. I remember her Dad recording a couple of programmes for me featuring his wartime memories. Outside of work my wife Pat and l would often meet up with her on holiday in Mid Wales where she had an ancient caravan which was her beloved escape from work. In fact we inherited her lovely van when she moved in to a newer one. Always remembered. RIP Mary.’

Sue Welch: ‘Such a friendly lady.’

Andrew Thorman: ‘I’m glad we are able to share such sad moments while remembering the good times.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Yes I worked with Mary and Malcolm Stent on Barmaids Arms and I am so sad to hear this. She was such a lovely lady and a delight to work with. Oh yes Ann I remember you and Ivor getting together! I loved working on the series and the Producer was John Clarke.’

Viv Ellis: ‘Sad indeed, “The Barmaid’s” was on immediately after my show they were both such fun to work with.’

Steve Woodhall: ‘Very sad news. I fondly remember the show, the banter, the pub fx (obviously live!) & the sig tune (Malt & Barley Blues), etc. RIP Mary.’

Maggy Whitehouse: ‘Aw … well I’m sure there are quite enough lovely watering places in heaven which need someone like Mary. I remember her well from my time at WM. Never heard a bad word spoken about her. Ah yes, Steve, the live fx! Would that we actually could have popped in for half an hour on our lunch breaks…’

Ann Gumbley-Williams: ‘Such sad news. Ivor and I first got together on the Barmaids Arms when it was being recorded in Studio A. The rest is history. Such a lovely lively lady.’

Gill Thompson: ‘I worked with Mary when I first joined the BBC, she was a lovely lady, such sad news.’

Andy Bentley: ‘Remember Mary well always up for a laugh.’

Ed Billington: ‘Sad news she was always happy’

Carole Lowe: ‘Sad news remember the show well it was great condolences to her family’

Lorraine Randell: ‘So very sad…I worked with Malc and “Rosie” in the 1980s…she was great to work with..I have many fond memories of those days.’

Belinda Essex: ‘Ah that’s really sad. She used to look after the audience for Daytime Live when Malcolm was the warm up guy.’

Stephen Lloyd-Gonzalez: ‘I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all most sincerely for your kind comments about my mother, Mary ‘Rosie’ Kendall. I know that she would have been genuinely surprised to see that she was still remembered so fondly and by so many. Your comments have fuelled my already immense pride in my Mum, so my deep thanks to you all for that.
I recognise many of your names and faces, from my time as a grubby teenager hanging around the lengthy corridors of Pebble Mill. Happy days indeed!
My very best wishes to you all and thanks again.’

Ken Dudeney RIP

(Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission)

Radio WM presenter Ken Dudeney sadly died on 5th January 2015. He used to present Town and Country, a country music show on a Saturday lunchtime. Ken was the presenter who “closed” BBC Radio Birmingham and launched the new Radio WM.

Thanks to Stuart Gandy for sharing the photocard.

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

Pete Simpkin: ‘This is sad news indeed. Ken was a talented and terrific colleague. He also had an extraordinary collection of
Radio Birmingham/WM history and memorabilia. We shared several ‘on air’ near disasters and Ken was there to rescue broadcasts and keep the transmissions flowing smoothly. I remember having to get him to overrun his wonderful Country music show one evening because the news team had not turned up in my studio in time for the next programme and he just seamlessly carried us through till things were sorted.’

Richard Uridge: ‘A good bloke. I’d echo Pete Simpkin’s comments about his coolness in a crisis. RIP.’

Lorraine Randell: ‘This is very sad news…I worked in the production office with Ken for many years…he was a lovely man.’

Tim Beech: ‘Very sorry to hear this news. Ken gave many, many years of service to Radio Birmingham/WM and really loved his music. I seem to recall the last track he played on his Sunday show was “Happiness.” RIP Ken.’

Keith Upton: ‘I knew Ken from the very earliest days of his broadcasting when he joined us at the Brighton Tape Recording Club. He grew up in Brighton and because of his parents efforts attended the University of Cambridge. When he joined the club he took part in many activities using his skills as as a confident presenter in many club activities and recording. He presented our Journey into Sound for the Brighton Festival. Eventually he presented our weekly hi-fi programme on BBC Radio Brighton which was produced by the club free of charge by club volunteers. It was the longest running programme on that station. Then Ken left for London and worked for the BBC World Service. He always kept in contact. I went to his wedding in Birmingham and continued to keep in touch with him. he was a great guy very knowledgeable and a confident and professional presenter.’

Birmingham Focus – Radio WM supplement

This Radio WM supplement in the Birmingham Focus newspaper of October 1991, features the station’s presenters, left to right: Jenny Wilkes, Gordon Astley, Paul Brighton; front row: Tony Butler, Ed Doolan, and Pat de Whalley.

Thanks to Pat de Whalley for sharing the paper.

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

Andy Walters: ‘Jen and Ed still work at WM. Paul is seriously ill after a stroke. I hear Tony isn’t too great either.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘I too am distressed to hear about Paul….we worked the old Wolverhampton studio together in the mid 80s when I was the producer there.’

Little Red Book – Safety Regulations

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.

This little red book contained the BBC Safety Regulations for Engineering staff.

Thanks to Peter Poole for sharing his copy of the book.

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

Pete Simpkin: ‘Somewhere I have the big green folder containing among other things the correct balance and control settings for audio levels…. Obviously no longer issued!!’

Stuart Gandy: ‘I still have one of these too somewhere. Funnily enough I am at Wood Norton this week almost 35 years to the day that I started my BBC career there, where I was presented with the little red book!’

Alan Jessop: ‘Still got mine in the loft, you used to get a pack of new pages now and again with updated regs, you we’re suppose to replace updated pages and chuck the old ones!’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Mine went west years ago, but I do have my Comms Data Sheets’

Ray Lee: ‘I think I’ve still got mine somewhere!’

Kinsey – rubber numbers

This sheet shows the ‘rubber numbers’ for some of the 16mm film rushes for the 1991, Pebble Mill six part drama series, Kinsey. The ‘rubber numbers’ were added to the transferred sound, so that it could be synched up with the frames of film. This log shows how the ‘rubber numbers’ corresponded with the ‘key numbers’ on the film itself. Also included are the slate number, the episode and the scene, and a description of the shot.

Thanks to film editor of Kinsey, Oliver White, for sharing this sheet.

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

Adam Trotman: ‘Omg my bad hand writing. Seems I was very lazy with my shot descriptions. Bob Mitchell used to do the rubber numbering. The rubber numbers where added to both the film rushes and the sound after we had synched it up with the clapper boards….. The key numbers were noted down as a double check if we ever need to get new rushes printed for what ever reason. And finally I see a take 11. …. never seem to go beyond 4 these days….’

Dawn Trotman: ‘Is it your writing Adam? Great times at Elliot road.. and don’t forget the black spacing!’

Victoria Trow: ‘Blimey, rubber numbers – Adam, was that you? Oh Bob Mitchell…. And Oh Oliver White and Carol Parks who saved me….. I will never forget Oliver re-cutting a scene on that show that had seemed fairly routine and uninteresting. A master class, A few frames off here, a few added on there…. Memorable.’

Terry Powell: ‘I loved working on this show, looked after Lee Lawson who still to this day, and his wife Twiggy, I see.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Could someone explain to an essentially radio bloke what on earth you are talking about??’

Adam Trotman: ‘Pete – this is a shot log used in the old film cutting rooms. It was to help assistants and editors keep tabs on what rushes they had and where they were. … rubber numbering was used to help keep the film in sync with the sound.’