Category: Blog

‘Kickstart’ – photos from Maggie Humphries & John Burkill

Photos from Maggie Humphries & John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.

‘Kickstart’ and ‘Junior Kickstart’ were outside broadcast series produced at Pebble Mill in the 1980s.   The different series staged motorcycle trials for seniors and juniors.  John Smith (who had worked on Pebble Mill at One, organising some of the most spectacular events like the Red Arrows) produced many of the series.  Peter Purves, ex Blue Peter presenter, was the presenter on ‘Kickstart’, with expert advice voiced by Mick Andrews.

The black and white photos show cameraman Jim Gray, recording ‘Junior Kickstart’, with the colour photo from John Burkill dating from 1983.

Jim Gray recording 'Junior Kickstart'

Kinsey – TX Card

Kinsey TX Card

TX Card for the drama ‘Kinsey’, courtesy of Maggie Humphries.

There were two, six part series of ‘Kinsey’. Which went out in 1991 and 1992.  The drama followed the story of a maverick Midlands’ solicitor.

The drama was written by Peter Gibbs, produced by Carol Parks, Exec Producer by Barry Hanson, and directed by Phil O’Shea and Philip Draycott.  It starred Leigh Lawson in the title role.

Kinsey TX Card

Film Unit – photos from Maggie Humphries & Juliet Dean

Photos from Maggie Humphries & Juliet Dean.

These photos include stills of the Film Unit Office, featuring Bill Bohanna (Manager Film), Maggie Humphries & Diane Welch, Juliet Dean.

Photos of the crews include:

– Cameraman Mike Willie, and assistant Keith Froggatt and others, by the pond

– Keith Froggatt on the camera crane

– Cameramen Nigel Davey and Keith Froggatt

– John Couzens doing a tracking shot from a wheelchair

– John Parker and Roger Waldron recording 3 Minute Heroes

– Cameraman Eric Wise (below the cross)

– John Couzens, Eric Wise, Andy Payne and Tim Green, filming by a road

The Film Unit was a busy office on the 1st floor at the back of Pebble Mill.  All the allocation of film camera crews was done from the Office, as well as the ordering of specialist film equipment.  The Film Unit also organised the film editors, allocating editors to programmes, including news, dramas and documentaries.  Most filmed programmes were shot on 16mm film.  Shooting and editing on film were replaced in the late 1980s and 1990s by single camera video recording on beta and then digibeta, and the editing equipment changed from steenbecks to Avid.

Maggie Humphries & Diane Welch

‘Children in Need’ – photos by Lynda Kettle

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.

This was pirates year. Kay Alexander is upstage right in this photo, so she must have been presenting the regional ‘Children in Need’ output in this particular year.  It looks like floor manager Dave Brazier talking to Kay.  Dave Bushell (lighting director) is at the back admiring the palm trees, and it is probably Adrian Kelly on the camera jib. The guy towards the back left in the white shirt and tie is probably Mike Day from comms engineering. Those items look like telephones at the back there which he would have been responsible for.  In the second photo cameramen Robin Sunderland, James French and Andy Payne are by the grand piano. Sue Beardsmore is rehearsing.  Alan Titchmarsh & Sue were presenting this year. Merrick Simmonds was the Director and David Nelson Producing.  Please post a comment if you recognise anyone else in the photos.

‘Children in Need’ was a big annual occasion at Pebble Mill.  Sets, like this one were built for the evening regional ‘Children in Need’ output, and other programmes in the building would regularly join in.  Teams of willing volunteers would man the phones.  This often included staff from non-programme departments who were just as keen to lend a hand – and to dress up in costume!

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.

Afro-Caribbean Unit – photo Bev Dartnall

Afro Caribbean Unit girls

Photo by Bev Dartnall, no reproduction without permission.

Pebble Mill was the home of BBC multicultural programming for many years, including the Asian Programmes Unit, and the Afro Caribbean Unit.  The Afro Caribbean Unit made programmes like the weekly magazine series: ‘Ebony’, which went out in the 1980s, presented by Vastiana Belfon amongst others.

Director, Sharon Pemberton adds the following information:

“The photo was actually taken whilst the ‘Multicultural Progs Unit was based in the famous ‘portacabin’. (Freezing in winter, boiling in summer!)

The gals in the photo are:

Back L-R) Victoria Trow (from editing) Annie Jenkins (from graphics) Sharon Pemberton, Sarah Costigan, Beverley Dartnall, Ann Holmes, Trudi Cresser
(Front L-R)Jo Mainwearing, Anna Umbima, Vastiana Belfon, Rosemary Boateng and Mary Gregory.

We made three major series for BBC2 during the 1990′s – ‘Black Britain’, ‘Black on Europe’ and ‘Africa – Out of Darkness’.
All ground-breaking stuff, although I don’t think I realised it at the time.”