Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
The recording includes:
Thanks to Peter Poole for making these recordings available.
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
This is a page from the BBC Telephone Directory of 1995/6. It promotes the Resources Department of the Midlands and East Region. This would have been after the vertical split imposed by John Birt, when Resources had to become more commercial and take paying work from Independent Production Companies. The page is lists prominent productions serviced by Pebble Mill’s Resources Department, which included design, graphics, editing, crewing – both radio and television.
Thanks to Peter Poole for making this page available.
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
This article from the BBC retirees’ magazine, Prospero (November 2006), commemorates the dedicating of radio drama studio in the Mailbox, where The Archers is recorded, to the memory of sound designer, Mark Decker.
Thanks to Peter Poole for sharing this article.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:
Julian Hitchcock: ‘How very sad. In my own BBC years, everyone liked Mark immensely and respected his serious and thoughtful approach to the development of sound engineering. I am terribly sorry to hear this news. It’s touching to celebrate Mark’s work and commitment in this particular manner. I knew Sue well and offer her my deepest condolences.’
Ray Lee: ‘Mark was a true professional. He pioneered work with the Calrec Soundfield Mic, wich gave some atonishing results and when the stereo sound was listened to on headphones, you really could hear things coming from behind and over your head.’
Ed Billington: ‘As a studio attendant I worked with mark sitting up the studio’s a great chap always a gent am sorry to hear this news.’
Kath Shuttleworth: ‘I had the pleasure of working with Mark on The Archers and many other Radio Drama projects over the years both as Spot SM and Gram Op. I learnt so much from him and always admired his work. We worked together on moving the Radio Drama Studio from Pebble Mill to The Mailbox and I was gutted when we lost him. Today I sit in what was his chair at the front of the studio mixing The Archers and I can only hope that I do the job half as well as he did. He was truly inspirational, a complete gentleman, and still very much missed.’
Patrick Moore
Copyright of this still resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
‘The Sky at Night’ has been presented by Sir Patrick Moore since its start in 1957. He has only missed one episode, when he was extremely ill with salmonella in July 2004.
The documentary astronomy programme is transmitted once a month on BBC 2 (and on BBC 4).
The series began life at Lime Grove, and I’m not sure when it came to BBC Birmingham.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:
Peter Poole: ‘I’ve been watching this wonderful programme for years. Only the BBC would produce this fine example of public service broadcasting. Is Birmingham losing this programme as part of the cut backs?’
Mike Workman: ‘Why is it the BBC see fit to ram everything great in Salford, everything interesting in Bristol and everything that makes money in London? They forgotten about the Midlands? Citizen Khan may have had its rushes shot in Sparkhill, but the studio and post was MediaCity. Great going.’
Peter Poole: ‘What’s next for Birmingham? Perhaps the Mailbox will close and Midlands Today will be broadcast from a industrial unit in Redditch.Just think how much money that would save. And why not send the Archers to Salford!’
Mike Workman: ‘After all, Salford is the traditional home for radio drama in these austere times! Let’s just translate the whole BBC North project – two words – last one ‘up’ and first starts with an f.. The slow abandonment of the Midlands by London management is starting to grate, it seems you can only be from the South East or North West if you live in the UK. Midlands Today, meh, just merge it with North West Tonight, it saves money and it’s not like it’s a region in its own right!’
Photos from Kathryn Shuttleworth, no reproduction without permission.
We went through a phase of putting signs on the studio doors of the productions that were currently being recorded.
I spent a lot of time in Studio 3. Always busy with The Archers and Radio Drama. Should I mention that I have the door signs at home!
Kathryn Shuttleworth