Stephanie Silk – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

‘Pebble Mill at One’ location shoot – Ian Collins & Jane Mclean

Photos by Ian Collins and Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

These photos are of a ‘Pebble Mill at One’ location trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. They date from 1982.

The photos include Stephanie Silk (white cardigan), producer; Tony Rayner, director. The presenter in the red suit is Marjorie Lofthouse, and it looks like gardening presenter Peter Seabrook is also featured. Jane Mclean was the PA on the shoot.

The shoots covered Amsterdam, including a trip to a Dutch cheese factory, and the Floriade in Belgium.

Steph Silk remembers the trip: ‘ The girl in the boat was a Dutch pop star of the time and she was about to burst into song. To be fair to Tony Rayner the pic of him was taken in a Dutch cheese factory and not a brewery! The unusual pic of me with a glass of wine and a cigarette was taken at the Floriade, Holland’s gigantic Tulip Festival (when we had wrapped!) I vaguely remember that Tony Wolfe was there? The most notable thing about that shoot is that it was the first and last time that I ever saw Jane cLean in a skirt!’

Bugbusters pilot – Vanessa Jackson

The photo was taken on a location shoot for a Pebble Mill pilot programme called ‘Bugbusters’ circa 1991. The photo includes Paul Hutchins (Magpie sparks), and Keith Conlon on sound, in the foreground (left to right) Pauline Pearson (PA), Vanessa Jackson (Researcher), Dr Moray Anderson (Entomologist and presenter). The photo was probably taken by Robert Davies, who I think was the director on the shoot.

The idea was a spin off from the DIY series ‘On The House’, and was about the pests that live in our homes, and how to get rid of them – we’re talking rats, deadwatch beetle, woodworm, moths, wasps, ants etc. Dr Moray Anderson was an Entomologist (insect expert) at Birmingham University, and was the presenter of the pilot. I remember putting out calls for contributors on various local radio stations. After selecting the contributors and recceing the locations we’d take Moray out with us, dispensing advice on how to get rid of the pests.

Stephanie Silk was the programme’s editor.

Unfortunately the series was never commissioned.

Vanessa

End of Gardeners’ World Party 1991 – photos by Gail Herbert

Photographs by Gail Herbert no reproduction without permission.

These photos were taken at the end of ‘Gardeners’ World’ party 1991. This was when ‘Gardeners’ World’ stopped being made in-house at Pebble Mill, and became an independent production, made by Catalyst Television. Ten years later the contract returned to BBC Birmingham.

The first photo includes left to right: Steph Silk (editor), Vanessa Jackson (researcher), Sophie Marsh (production secretary), Patti Evans (PA), Chris Hardman (PA).

The second photo includes Annette Martin (director), Alan Duxbury (cameraman).

Good Morning with Anne and Nick 1996

This photos is of the ‘Good Morning with Anne and Nick’ production team in 1996, around the end of the series.

The photo includes: Sarah Jayne Phillips, vision mixer (pink top), Sue Robinson, director (black top, glasses), Marco, floor manager behind Sue R. Sue Watson, researcher (white jacket over black top), Steph Silk, Editor Daytime, (seated, black jacket), Jo Gray, PA (seated on floor, black top), Jane Lomas, Producer (seated on floor, grey waistcoat), Sue Walton, AP (black top, behind Jane Lomas), Natasha Wood, PA (turquoise top, next to Sue), Katie Wright, Deputy Editor Good Morning (pink suit), Tessa Finch, Editor Good Morning (black suit, next to Katie), Guy, Producer, Rosemary Edwards, Producer (blonde hair, black top, rt handside), Jen Phillips, AP (dark hair, stripey top next to Rosemary). Back row right handside, Jane McLean, PA (blue top), Merrick Simmonds, director (black jumper next to Jane), Sharon Fisher, researcher, (white shirt, next to Merrick). Back row left handside, Derek Hallworth, director. Central – Jackie Deitrich, Producer (blue jumper, glass raised), next to Jackie, Julie Tanner, AP, next to her, Jean (can’t remember surname) who was in charge of finances (pink jacket).

Thanks to Jane McLean for making the photo available.

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