Quentin Willson – What Was Pebble Mill?

Top Gear Take 2

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

This is a titles grab from the series Top Gear Take 2, it was a compilation of repeated inserts. Here is the entry from Wikipedia, which provides some more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Top_Gear_%28original_format%29_episodes

“Top Gear Take 2

Top Gear Take 2 was a series of programmes broadcast by the BBC looking back on previous segments of Top Gear over the years. Each programme ran for 15 minutes on BBC Two, with repeats surfacing in 1997 on the then-new UK Horizons. Presenters included Quentin Willson, Steve Berry, Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell. The show was broadcast between 1992 and 1999, with 56 episodes being produced.
Series Editions Start Date End Date
Series 1 5 23 July 1992 14 September 1992
Series 2 11 6 January 1993 22 September 1993
Series 3 6 8 January 1994 4 October 1994
Series 4 10 31 May 1995 8 September 1995
Series 5 4 17 January 1996 16 June 1996
Series 6 1 31 July 1997
Series 7 8 13 July 1998 17 August 1998
Series 8 11 1 February 1999 23 December 1999″

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the grab available.

Top Gear Live

Here is a titles grab from the show: Top Gear Live.

There are two editions of Top Gear Live included on the BBC Genome project, which lists Radio Times entries. One edition of the motor show at Silverstone went out on BBC 2 in May 1998, and here is the entry for the first one in 20 July 1996:

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3fff773616ba49d6a3d4a304f90a01f9

“Last Thursday, the world’s first interactive motor show, Top Gear Live, opened at Silverstone, giving the public the chance to go for a test drive on the circuit that recently staged the British Grand Prix. The team from BBC2’s Top Gear programme reports from the five-day event whose attractions include motorcycle stunts, monster trucks, new cars, classic designs, karts and off-road vehicles. Presented by Jeremy Clarkson , Quentin Willson , Tiff Needell , Michele Newman , Tony Mason and Steve Berry.
Producers Jon Bentley and John Wilcox
Contributors
Presented By: Jeremy Clarkson
Presented By: Quentin Willson
Presented By: Tiff Needell
Presented By: Michele Newman
Presented By: Tony Mason
Presented By: Steve Berry.
Producers: Jon Bentley
Producers: John Wilcox”

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the still available.

The Car’s The Star

Image copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without pemission.

The Car’s The Star was a series about classic cars, presented by Quentin Willson. It began in 1994. Quentin would tell the story of a particular car, which was interspersed with interviews from its various owners. Jon Bentley was the series producer, with Dennis Adams as executive producer. David Lowe wrote the theme music. Brian Watkiss and Peter Shannon were editors on the early episodes, Gary Vollans did the graphics, and the cameramen included Keith Schofield, John Couzens, Nigel Davey, and Keith Froggatt.

The following comment was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:

Andrew Chorlton: ‘I recorded at least two episodes, Citroen DS and Land Rover, messrs Couzens and Foster on camera respectively. Highlights? Taking a DS down the runway at RAF Wroughton with one wheel removed and checking into a hotel down south with John Wilcox who’s room had been booked in the name of Sir John Wilcox.’

Top Gear – Gail Herbert’s photos

Photos copyright of Gail Herbert, no reproduction without permission.

Top Gear, now known as ‘old Top Gear’, was produced at BBC Pebble Mill from 1977-2001. It was a 30 min magazine show about cars and motor transport. The presenters included Noel Edmunds, Angela Rippon, Jeremy Clarkson, Tiff Needell, William Woollard, Michelle Newman, Chris Goffey, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Barlow, Tony Mason and Quentin Willson.

When production of Top Gear moved to London in 2002 some of the Birmingham production team, and presenters (Vicki Butler-Henderson, Adrian Simpson, Tiff Needell) moved to Fifth Gear on Channel 5.

Thanks to Gail Herbert, who was a production assistant on Top Gear for making her photos available. The photos date from around 1990 and include shots of presenters William Woollard and Tiff Needell, producer Ken Pollock, directors Dennis Jarvis and David Wheeler, cameraman John Williams, sound men Tony Wass and Alex Christison, and production assistants Gail Herbert and Sophie Marsh.

David Wheeler, who is featured in these photos, sitting on a donkey, makes the following comment:

Tony Mason thought it would be amusing to do a PTC from a “4×4” for use on the sand at Weston-Super-Mere. But when I called his bluff he requested that I test drive the thoroughbred before he risked his rally-bred bottom on the beast! After some reassurance he delivered the PTC… ending: “… but I don’t think Nellie here is quite up to it, so I’ll have to find some better transport”. I seem to remember tracking from an open land rover and editing the piece to Echo Beach (Martha and the Muffins) which has a great intro and fab sax solo! Great memories.. enhanced by my trip home in the Astra 2litre, 16valve GTE… “space rocket” as I recall Gail called it!

Gail test driving a Porsche