Queen Elizabeth II visits Pebble Mill 1981

Queen Elizabeth meets Vera Lynn and Bill Pertwee

Queen Elizabeth with Jim Dumighan

Queen Elizabeth, Jim Dumighan, Phil Sidey, Keith Bullock and John Allinson top left next to Steve Pierson. Top right is Chris Harris behind Phil Sidey.

Jim Gray on camera, Geoff Nawn design assistant & Samantha Watkins make up next to Keith Bullock

Queen Elizabeth meets Peter Seabrook

Queen Elizabeth meets Marian Foster, Bill Pertwee

Alan Ford, Trevor Elwell from scenery is to Donny MacLeod’s right, Fred Foster, prop master, back left

Queen Elizabeth, Jim Dumighan, Phil Sidey

Eagle Tower at Silverstone

Photo by Steve Dellow, no reproduction without permission

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This photo shows a couple of heavily rigged Eagle Towers at the Silverstone Grand Prix. The towers were self-erecting and had to carry the transmitter so that the signal from the outside broadcast truck could be relayed to a radio links vehicle at a mid-point, which had to be in line of sight with the tower.

I understand that the Eagle Towers were manufactured in Warwick, at Eagle Engineering.

Thanks to Steve Dellow for sharing the photograph.

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

Malcolm Hickman: ‘I believe you are correct, Eagle was at Warwick. They were fitted on Bedford chassis. They were transported laying down onto the top of the cab and pumped upright by using levers at the back to control the hydraulics. After rigging at 30′ the centre could be extended to 60′.’

Kate White: ‘We only had one Eagle Tower in Birmingham, the other would have come from London. The 4ft dish was probably pointing at a midpoint at Dunstable Downs and on to Crystal Palace. The 2ft dishes pointing at a midpoint at Charwelton near Daventry, that would then have gone into the receivers at Sutton Coalfield. This is based on my memories from the 90s.’

Chris Harris: ‘Wouldn’t the 2ft dishes be pointing to Stowe Corner and CM1?’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Quite right Chris. We used to have vans at Stowe, occasionally Maggots and Becketts. I was with Rod Batch at Maggots when a car spun off. The cameraman on his scaffolding was tracking the car and saw the line up card go through the shot. The car just bumped the scaffold and all we saw was a bit of camera shake.’

Mike Jordan: ‘In later years, we rigged all the links on a platform above the grandstand.’

 

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Children in Need 2000

CIN 2000 running order front page, Chris Harris CIN 2000 vision gallery Chris Harris on racks CIN 2000 Studio 1 Chris Harris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

These stills are from the regional Children in Need output from November 2000.

The still with Pudsey is the front page of the running order for the evening show. The second photo is of the Vision Gallery controlling Studio 1. Chris Harris is on racks. The third photo is of the floor in Studio 1, which was usually a radio studio, but could be converted to TV, and was so during any re-fitting of Studio A.

Thanks to Chris Harris for sharing the stills.

 

Outside Broadcast VT area

JCB 111 04 12 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.

This photo dates from December 1985. It shows the VT area of an outside broadcast truck, probably CM2. You can see the 1″ machine in the centre of the photo, and probably a U-matic VT machine lower down to the right.

(Thanks to Chris Harris and Peter Poole for adding in information).

Bryan Comley added the following comment on the Pebble Mill Facebook page: ‘This is the VT end of CM2, the VT machines are Ampex VPR2b’s with a shared TBC. The audio tape m/c I think is a Studer.’

The Queen visits Pebble Mill

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Photo by Keith Brook, no reproduction without permission.

The Queen visited Pebble Mill to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the building’s opening, in 1981.

Her majesty is accompanied by Jim Dumighan, immediately on her right, with Head of Network Production, Phil Sidey, further to the right. Ian Trethowan, the Director General, is 2nd on the right, next to the military man. The Queen is talking to cameraman Phil Wilson. Keith Bullock is by the window talking to Steve Pierson, with Sam from Make-up in the green smock, next to Guy from Design, with the red tie. Chris Harris is between Phil Sidey and Ian Trethowan, with the beard; possibly Ken Hodges next to Chris.

Please add a comment if you recognise the crew and others in the photo.

It was taken in the Foyer Studio, where Pebble Mill at One was transmitted from.

I have found this link on YouTube of some clips put together for the Queen’s visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK7_cTHpip4 

Thanks to everyone for helping identifying people in the photo.