David Hughes

David Hughes, copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

David Hughes died recently and his funeral was held on Monday 5 Dec. Here is an obituary for him from Louise and Roger Willcox, which David’s widow, Marian, is happy to be shared.

 
“David Hughes moved to BBC Pebble Mill in 1974 after having established his credentials at Television Centre in London. He was encouraged to move to this Birmingham Audio Unit by the then head of department, Bryan Forgham, who knew David from his time at Television Centre. The Audio Unit serviced both radio and television programmes – studios, outside broadcasts and post, and promised a greater variety of work.
 
David’s specialism was sound for multi-camera drama – Pebble Mill was the home of the English Regions Drama department and hosted a lot of drama from London production teams. At Television Centre he had been one of the sound supervisors to mix series 1 and 2 of Doctor Who, so it was obvious that, when the Doctor Who story Horror of Fang Rock was to be recorded at Pebble Mill, David should be chosen as the sound supervisor. The story involved the fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker. The ‘hurry-up and wait’ nature of making television was even more true for a Doctor Who episode, as everyone had to wait for the special effects team to finish their preparations before a safe recording could begin. Horror of Fang Rock was made at Pebble Mill because engineering work at Television Centre had reduced studio availability and it was the only Doctor Who story of the earlier series’ to be made outside London.
 
At Pebble Mill, studio multi-camera drama sound supervisors followed their dramas into the dubbing theatre. David was a skilled dubbing mixer and was a great advocate of this continuity, arguing that sound design decisions taken in the studio often made dubbing easier and quicker, and the final sound design more polished.
 
David was part of the team that mixed the three innovative and iconic Pebble Mill shows: the daily Pebble Mill at One – for those too young to remember, think The One Show, but at 1pm for an hour, with a large audience. Live music in every show and the whole building wired for sound and cameras. The studio was the huge marble-floored reception area, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Pebble Mill’s front lawns and tree-lined Pebble Mill Road. Items were many and varied: live band; celebrity interviews in the foyer studio – often actors (including Tom Baker) working in the studio next door; gardening items from Pebble Mill’s many landscaped areas; occasional visits from military bands trouping on the front lawns with the odd helicopter fly past, shot from the roof, thrown in; once, a Harrier Jump Jet landing – live and to the timed second – in the field next to the Pebble Mill car park! Pebble Mill at One ran from 1972 to 1986. In the same stable were the occasionally anarchic foyer-based Saturday Night at the Mill chat show (think Graham Norton, but with a smaller budget!) and Pop at the Mill – Pebble Mill’s mini-Glastonbury, from the back garden. Wall to wall music – with all the technical challenges that that involved. David’s talent navigated through them all.
 
Pebble Mill was also the home of a new Asian Unit, which David was involved with. He was well respected for – and very proud of – his Asian music mixing skills; stylistically so different from western music. In recognition of his work, David and his wife were invited by the Unit’s producers to the Ravi Shankar 50 years in broadcasting celebration – a big event at Pebble Mill.
 
When David arrived in Birmingham, the Audio Unit made mono programmes for television, but stereo programmes for radio. Television didn’t start broadcasting in stereo until August 1991, but Pebble Mill’s Audio Unit staff were well prepared – not least because, in 1985 David was the first sound supervisor to mix a multi-camera drama in stereo. The series was called Late Starter, about a retired university professor (Peter Barkworth) starting again after his wife walks out, leaving him penniless. Making this series helped the BBC to decide, and define, the ‘format’ (usually centre speech, stereo music and effects) for the broadcast industry, and informed the wider BBC audio community on the operational challenges associated with stereo recording for TV.
 
In retirement, David went on for twenty years organising and making cassette tapes for the local Talking Newspaper for the Blind. He also did many talks for local organisations called Grampa’s Gramophone
 
where he took along numerous 78 records of Music Hall songs and others and played these on his grandfather’s wonderful old gramophone which had a large wooden horn. The audience were soon singing along.
 
When David was admitted into care, five and a half years ago, he still continued his life of music. Each night he conducted silently beside his bed. If anyone asked him where the music was he just replied “It’s all in my head”. He told his wife that he would only ever pass away if and when this music disappeared.
 
Not long before he died, he said the music was fading….
 
David passed away on 14th November 2022, he was 90.”
 
Louise and Roger Willcox

Elisabeth Seaborne

Elisabeth Seaborne, who worked in the Newsroom and in the Asian Unit, sadly died in January 2018.

Below are memories from those who worked with Elisabeth:

Diane Kemp: ‘I remember her from my days at Midlands Today. I always thought she was probably better read and more clued up than many of us (well certainly me). I also remember her telling me about working for Philip Donellan and Charles Parker. A direct link to two phenomenal documentary makers.
I’m sorry to hear she’s passed away.’

Carol Wilson: ‘When I knew her she was the camera diary supremo at Midlands Today. She seemed to know just about everyone. Sadly she became ill with MS and was incapacitated for most of her later years.’

Janet Collins: ‘Elisabeth also worked as Comms Clerk in the Planning Office’

Asian Magazine

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

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Thanks to director Waseem Mahmood for sharing these images about Asian Magazine featured in the book Inside BBC Television.

The series was transmitted on BBC1 on Sunday mornings at 10am in the early to mid 1980s.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Dawn Trotman: ‘ I worked with Waseem as an acting editor on the Asian magazine show later to become Network East. I think I cut one of his very first items about a DJ in one of the portacabins in the car park ..happy memories.’

Jane Green: ‘I worked on many an Asian Magazine. Great fun. Bish Mehay was a lovely guy to work with. Loved the bands we squeezed into Studio B – loved learning what all the various instruments were. Sat in the corridor on one occasion waiting for the set to be finished – with Benazir Bhutto. Great programme.’

Colin Pierpoint: ‘Yes, I remember, but I also remember the start of radio and television from the Midlands for Asians. The first step was to separate AM and FM Radio 4 on a Sunday morning (I think the management was afraid of loosing listeners if it went out on both!) In 1965 AM did “Make yourself at Home”, a programme on which I worked in Studio 1 Broad Street several times. (FM had the previously scheduled programme). I also did a bit on the television programme from Broad Street studio 4, in black and white, although I may only have been on attachment. Presenters: Saleem and Mahendra, directed by Gerry (surname?)’

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Official Opening of Pebble Mill Invitation

2013-03-07 14.50.34 2013-03-07 14.50.55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

This is the invitation which was sent to dignitaries for the official opening of Pebble Mill on 10th November 1971.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Terry Barker: ‘I was there but not as a dignitary just a secretary working in Radio 3 who nicked the left over champagne!’

Karen Singleton Davies: ‘4th floor head honchos called me in the Asian Unit to ask if I’d be ‘lift girl’ to operate said equipment to take Princess Anne to the dignitaries floor for a reception. The button panel was doctored in case I inadvertently pressed the wrong one & took her to the 2nd floor – the bar was in house in those days. I bought a new scarf for the occasion!’

Asian Unit Photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

The photo dates from the early 1980s, and is possibly from Mahendra Kaul’s leaving party. It includes from left to right: Yousuf Aziz, Christine Hardman, Mahendra Kaul, Ashok Rampal, Jayne Savage, Karen Hewson, Krishan Gould and Bridget Catherine Vaughan.