Tom O’Connor Roadshow – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Tom O’Connor Roadshow – Jim Clelland

Photo by Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is from the Tom O’Connor Roadshow, a touring live entertainment show. It was a BBC1 Daytime show which went out at midday in 1987. It shows Jim Clelland on stage, carrying out a lighting check; Jim was an Engineering Manager.

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

Keith Brook (Scouse), talking about Jim’s hand signal: ‘It’s a signal to one of the sparks to stop lowering the light, or panning it up, for example.’

Kevin Lakin: ‘Foreground is John Potter ( props ), a brilliant bloke who sadly passed away a year or so after this picture was taken.’

Alan Jessop: ‘Jim’s son Iain works with us at CTV Outside Broadcasts’

Tom O’Connor Roadshow – prop making

Photo by Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

Blue Peter like prop making on the Tom O’Connor Roadshow,
1987.

The following comment was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Sarah Dunning: ‘Teresa Olds is the lady on the left but I can’t remember the name of the other. She also worked in the newsroom!’

(The other lady is possibly Vinette Lynch)

Martin Suker on Tom O’Connor Roadshow

Photo by Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is of Martin Suker, in the outside broadcast truck, for an edition of the Tom O’Connor Roadshow, which was a live entertainment show from around the UK.

The following comment was added on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Jonathan Dick: ‘He [Martin Suker] was a vision-mixer I believe, based in Bristol, back in the days when they did network productions from their Studio A and OB unit. I think he went on to direct as well.’

Ray Lee: ‘The Tom O’Connor Road show was extravagant it used both CM1 Type 5 Scanner, and SCV6 Sound vehicle. I have a few photo’s from the Port Talbot venue, when I went out as a support engineer to SCV6.’

Ned Abell: [The OB truck was] CM1. The window is between the “gallery” and the sound/comms end.’

Nicky Savage, Jane Mclean, Tom O’Connor, Jo Dewar

Tom O’Connor Roadshow – John Cole soundcheck

Photograph by Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

Soundman, John Cole checks the mics for the Tom O’Connor Roadshow
in Newcastle.

The Tom O’Connor Roadshow was an outside broadcast series transmitted in 1987. The lunchtime live entertainment show toured the country, being based in a particular city for a week at a time.

Tom O’Connor Roadshow – group shots at the bar!

Mary Sanchez, Mark Botfield, Jane Mclean, Steve Weddle, Jo Dewar

David Weir, Jane Mclean, Bev Wildman (now Thompson), comedian, Peter Hercombe, Caroline Marshall

A couple of after show sessions in the bar at different locations during the run of the Tom O’Connor Roadshow in 1987.

Included in the top photo are AFM Mary Sanchez, PAs Jane Mclean, and Jo Dewar, and producer Steve Weddle. In the lower photo are studio director, David Weir, PA Jane Mclean, music researcher/AP Bev Wildman, comedian, exec Peter Hercombe and music researcher/AP Caroline Marshall.

Thanks to Jane Mclean for sharing the photos.