Copyright, Keith Warrender, no reproduction without permission
Here is a photo from Keith Warrender of the landing of the Harrier in 1982, during an episode of Pebble Mill at One. It was one of director John Smith’s episodes. You’ll see the new club building visible on the right of the picture, which hadn’t been open long. Keith thinks he must have popped in to the Club for a lunchtime drink after taking this picture on an off-shift day from TAR (Technical Apparatus Room).
Marian Foster with Steve Weddle
Today [8th April 2020] is Steve Weddle’s funeral and from a distance I mourn the shocking devastating loss of a lifetime friend. In 1976 we were both new researchers, desk to desk in the hairy scary Dobson days of PM@1. All the producers and directors were male and all the researchers except Steve were female – that’s what it was like in those days. Never macho, Steve quickly became one of the girls to the extent that his name was on the office PMT wall-chart.
First and foremost, Steve was fun. He was of course talented and creative, wacky and wonderful and super sociable but he also had great empathy and kindness and was friends with one and all. He gave my daughter her TV break and passed on his Spurs programmes to my grandson.
Recently we had two lovely holidays at the Exotic Marigold Hotel in Menorca. Steve, a great holiday companion, suggested that we should travel as Hinge and Bracket.
Post Beeb we met up every month with our fellow Sagalouts to wine and dine down Memory Lane. In January we celebrated his 70th birthday. In February Steve talked about his latest book, not an autobiography exactly but drawing on his life in television.
That would have been a good read.
Stephanie Silk
Photo from Susi Lightfoot, no reproduction without permission
Here is the original On The House production team, circa 1987. Included left to right are: Stephen Lockwood, Andy Meikle, Steph Silk, Bob Davies, Susi Lightfoot, Carol Sparrow & Jayne Owen. It looks like it was taken in the On The House, House, in the back garden of Pebble Mill.
Thanks to Susi Lightfoot for sharing the photo.
Photo by Keith Warrender, no reproduction without permission
Thanks to Keith Warrender for sharing this photo of a Royal Navy helicopter landing on the back lawn at Pebble Mill. This dates from the late 1970s. The landing would have been part of Pebble Mill at One, and was no doubt one of John Smith’s shows, as he had very good contacts with the military.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:
David Shute: ‘I often had the job of doing Hearts & Minds visits to the neighbours when we had noisy visitors expected. Great fun.’
Julie Hill: ‘I was at Pebble Mill then and we had harrier jump jets/ parachutes and all sorts of crazy stunts landing for Pebble Mill at One! Being told not to leave the BBC Club bar whilst the Harrier landed and took off went down very well! Oh happy days….’
https://www.facebook.com/bhasker.solanki/videos/10158143760147884/?t=21
Thanks to Bhasker Solanki for sharing this video of the Pebble Mill site in Jan 2020. It looks very different from when it was a broadcast centre, with only the road past Security at the end of the video looking the same.
Copyright Bhasker Solanki, no reproduction without permission