February 2011 – Page 3 – What Was Pebble Mill?

On The House – photos from Annie Gumbley

Front door of the ‘On The House’ house

On The House was a popular DIY magazine programme which went out on Friday evenings on BBC 2 in the late 1980s.

It spawned a whole host of other DIY series in both the daytime and primetime schedules.

The actual house was a timber framed, brick clad house which was erected in the grounds of BBC Pebble Mill behind the main office block. There was an excellent time-lapse sequence of the house being erected. The house operated as a television studio, and was set up so that it was easy to shoot in. You also had to remember not to use the toilet – as it wasn’t connected to any sewage pipes!

The show was the brainchild of producer Andy Meikle with Steph Silk the series producer.

The show was presented by Harry Greene (father of Sarah Greene), Rick Ball and Pattie Coldwell.

Pattie Caldwell, Harry Greene, Rick Ball

Pebble Mill at One meeting – Mark Kershaw

The photo is of a production meeting for Pebble Mill at One, circa 1982ish. Left to right the photo shows me (Mark Kershaw), researcher Jane Marriott (now Jane Clement), producer Stephanie Silk, presenters Marian Foster and Donny Macleod, Nicky Barfoot, probably Peta Newbold, and Peter Hercombe perched on the edge, then probably David Weir and Sue Ashcroft.

Pebble Mill at One production meeting

Andy’s Farewell – Steph Silk

'On The House' with Steph & Andy

Andy always kept this On The House press launch picture from 1987 on the wall in his study. He wasn’t too happy at the beginning when I was assigned to ‘his’ DIY programme, but the show ran for 4 successful series and the team lasted for 25 years!

His sons and I have been very comforted by the many warm tributes posted this week. Andy had always said that he wanted a ‘meeting of friends and didn’t want people wearing black.”

We hope that friends and colleagues can join us at 1.15 at Redditch
Crematorium on Monday 21st February and afterwards at The Abbey Hotel.

Family flowers only: any donations to either St Mary’s Hospice or The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Steph Silk

Gardeners’ World – Andy Meikle in Heligan

Andy Meikle holding back the undergrowth

Photo by production assistant Gail Herbert.

In 1990 Gardeners’ World changed from being a programme usually produced from a two camera outside broadcast unit to one recorded on a portable single camera. In the new format the programme consisted of inserts from a number of locations linked by Geoff Hamilton from his home garden of Barnsdale in Rutland. Geoff would also do all the topical practical gardening, as well as some of the location stories.

One of the insert stories that was followed in Gardeners’ World in 1991 was about the restoration of Heligan Gardens in Cornwall, which had been badly neglected over a number of years.

This photo shows producer Andy Meikle holding back the undergrowth to allow the cameraman a good shot!

Andy sadly died earlier this week, after a long battle with cancer.

Original Dubbing Theatre – Photos by Peter Poole

I took these photographs around 1978. They show the original dubbing theatre. In this area the Dubbing Mixer mixed speech, effects and music to produce the final mix. Behind the glass is an area housing the Perfectone SepMag recorders and playback bays. Behind the BBC “Type D” mixing desk are Peter Poole and Liz Nicholls.

Peter Poole

original dubbing theatre

original dubbing theatre: Liz Nicholls & Peter Poole