Photo from Kathryn Shuttleworth, no reproduction without permission.
The photo of presenters Anne Diamond and Nick Owen was taken with a panoramic camera.
‘Good Morning with Anne and Nick’ was a daytime magazine show which was transmitted on BBC 1 from October 1992, until May 1996. It was a live show from Pebble Mill’s Studio C, the Foyer, which was previously used by ‘Pebble Mill at One’. The show included a journalistic top story of the day, celebrity interviews, as well as cookery, medical, veterinary, gardening, fashion and interiors items. There were also video strands, such as ‘The Library of Romance’, a Mills and Boon type mini soap, with a different story each week.
Kathryn Shuttleworth worked on the audio of the show.
I seem to remember that these photos were taken with a panoramic camera that was being featured on the show that day. The photos were left in the North Riser so I took them home for safe keeping.
Left to right: Alex Christison, Michael Harrison, Guy Worth, Paul Scurrell, Kathryn Shuttleworth
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:
Peter Poole: ‘Many happy days in the North Riser trying to make the VHF Micron radio mics work!’
Laura McNeill: ‘Think I spent half my life there, yes Peter happy days.’
Photo by Kathryn Shuttleworth, no reproduction without permission.
The photo is of the Studio C Sound Gallery. Studio C was the Pebble Mill Foyer, which housed shows like ‘Pebble Mill at One’ and ‘Good Morning with Anne and Nick’.
Stuart Gandy added the following comment on Facebook dating the photo: ‘Can’t say exactly, but I am guessing it is mid 90s when Studio C was revamped. The laminate floor and position of the desk is a clue. The original Calrec desk that had been there since the 80s was facing the other way and the floor was carpeted.’
Peter Poole adds: ‘I used the new desk when Studio B was being refurbished. I think it was about 1995.’
Photos by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.
I probably took these photos some time about 1990. A few years later a major refurbishment took place updating all equipment except the sound desk. I did all I could to get a new mixer but due to lack of money it was not possible. The old mixer was kept in good working order by Pebble Mill’s excellent engineers. These men and women are the unsung heroes of the BBC and without them no programmes could be made or broadcast. During the gallery refurbishment we moved to Studio C’s gallery while still using Studio B’s studio area. When the studio area was refurbished the Foyer and later radio Studio 1 was used. Studio 1 was designed for classical music recording so had quite a long reverberation time. This was not ideal for a news programme and a few people asked why ‘Midlands Today’ sounded different. After another few years a new sound desk was fitted.
Deferred Facilities
If Television Centre or Broadcasting House encountered a major event and were unable to produce its network output Pebble Mill could take over. In the pre-digital TV and radio era network radio and TV would be routed via Pebble Mill’s Communications Centre and then distributed to the transmitter network. Radios 1 to 4 would be allocated their own studios to ensure network output was maintained. BBC 1 and 2 would also be allocated TV studios. Studio B would become Network News. The regional presentation studio would become network TV presentation.
I worked on the rehearsals for Network News. The News production team and presenters would travel from London to Pebble Mill. A full 6 pm News programme would then take place as if for real. The London team always seemed impressed by Pebble Mill’s professional staff and facilities. I don’t think Pebble Mill was ever called to do this for real.
Peter Poole
Mike Workman added the following information on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:
‘just to clear up the contingency plans:
BBC One pres to come from Gallery-C and VT-B
BBC Two pres to come from Pres and VT-F
BBC Choice and Knowledge fold to One.
BBC World pres to come from an Edit C and VT-D
Domestic News was to set up in Studio-B (the Midlands Today studio)
BBC World News was to set up in Studio-A and VT-A
News 24 was to collapse into BBC World.
Weather used Birmingham’s regional weather facilities in Studio-B and Studio-B Annex/Pres.
I’ll also add, at the time lots more digital widescreen material was being made and transmitted by the BBC and Pebble Mill didn’t have any DigiBeta decks, so they had to order more of these to facilitate the Disaster Recovery Plans, Anything coming from B going to NET1 would be routed via A (which had been refurbed at this point) where it’d be ARCd to 14:9 Ratio (that horrid half widescreen thing the BBC did in the late 90s and early 00s) before transmission – this way it didn’t look like it was coming from an antiquated 13/14 year old gallery! BBC World got Studio and Gallery A, both widescreen which was funny as at this time BBC World wasn’t widescreen, Network BBC One was. The source for all this is somebody I know only as ‘deejay’ from a TV presentation site…’
Photos by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.
These photos show Studio C vision control and lighting desk (photo 1), vision mixer (photo 2), and production desk (photo 3).
The main use of this gallery was working with the foyer studio area. ‘Pebble Mill at One’ and ‘Good Morning with Anne and Nick’ were broadcast live from the foyer.
