Tag: Philip Thickett

VT E – photos by Brian Watkiss


Photos by Brian Watkiss, no reproduction without permission.

The photos are of a studio recording in VT E between 1990-2.  Editor, Nigel Evans is on the left, then Simon Bennett, with director, Philip Thickett on the right.  You can see the machine room through the window on the left hand-side.

The second photo also shows Nigel Evans in VT E.  The recording looks to be of a cookery programme, possibly ‘Hot Chefs’.  You’ll also notice an owl soft toy on top of the monitor. The owl still exists somewhere.  The owl has two eyes, a red and a green one. If it lit up red it would signify a non PAL edit IIRC!

Thanks to Paul Vanezis for adding information about these photos.

Blizzard’s Toys – Lynda Kettle’s photos

Photos by Lynda Kettle, no reproduction without permission.  Lynda Kettle was a Production Designer at BBC Pebble Mill, working on factual, entertainment and drama shows in studio and on location.  The photos were taken as records of the Sets.

In the 1980s presenter and craftsman Richard Blizzard made several studio based series showing viewers how to make wooden toys.  Some of the series were produced by BBC in London and hosted at Pebble Mill, whilst the 1987 series Blizzard’s Wooden Toys was produced at Pebble Mill by Mary Clyne and directed by Philip Thickett, and the 1989 series Wood Works with Blizzard was exec produced by Stephanie Silk and directed by Bob Davies.

I’m not sure which series is shown in Lynda’s photos – possibly the 1987 Blizzard’s Wooden Toys.

Production Designer, Lynda Kettle also worked as a theatre designer and an artist, and now runs courses from her art studio http://www.lynda-kettle.com.  She is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham Water Colour Society. Midland Pastel Society and Birmingham Art Circle . She exhibits her paintings several times a year at selected galleries.

Blizzard’s Toys