Juliet Deane Recording Session – Peter Poole

Recording copyright resides with Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.

This recording session was in Studio 3 probably in the late 1970s. This was a drama studio but it was often empty in the evenings. And back then the BBC made it available free of charge for this private recording. At that time I was working for Film Unit as an assistant film recordist. So Roger Seward from Audio Unit booked the studio and supervised the session. Roger is a bit of a legend in the Audio Unit and and great character! He was great teacher and gave me a quick “driving lesson” of the studio. He then left the recording and mixing to me.

Juliet worked in the film unit office and welcomed the chance to record a few songs. We soon got a few other members of Film Unit to back her. They were Eurwyn Jones, piano, Andrew Godsall, drums and Steve Saunderson, guitar. The folk songs were recorded with Steve playing guitar with Juliet’s live vocal. Eurwyn and Andrew recorded the backing tracks for the other songs. On another session Juliet added her vocal to produce the final mix.

This was my first experience of music recording in a professional studio. We all had a very enjoyable time and I learnt a lot about music recording.

Peter Poole

CMCR 9 Prospero Articles – Jerry Clegg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright Jerry Clegg, no reproduction without permission.

Jerry Clegg wrote the following articles for the BBC pensioners magazine, Prospero, about the restoration of the OB scanner CMCR 9.  This scanner was Pebble Mill’s original CM 1.  It went on to become North 3, out of Manchester.

Thanks to Jerry Clegg for agreeing for his articles to be published here.

 

Pebble Mill Canteen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

This photograph is of the Pebble Mill Canteen on the 7th floor of the office block. Tim took the photo in autumn 2004 when Pebble Mill had been emptied, prior to the building being demolished in 2005.

The Canteen was at the heart of Pebble Mill, sadly it looks so clean and lifeless in this photo.  It had a excellent line in cheese scones, mid morning, and delicious cakes for afternoon tea.  You never knew who you’d meet in the Canteen, you’d frequently bump in to actors in full costume and make-up taking a break from recording a drama in Studio A.

The following comments were posted on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Becky Land: ‘I remember that if you timed it right you could get a warm banana and chocolate scone for elevenses. Welcoming when on an early news reading shift. Loved sitting amongst the Archers cast and listening to the well known voices.. and the brilliant view on a clear sunny day. ‘

Gordon Astley:..’I loved the canteen/restaurants from Gosta Green/ Broad st/ Pebble Mill. Only problem I had was with the whingers who complained daily…bearing in mind it was good, honest food, served by nice people…and it was all subsidised by some old lady lady’s licence fee.’

Stuart Gandy: ‘Oh! Pebble Mill Puddings – legendary’

Brian Johnson: ‘Canteens at Broad St and Carpenter Road were great too!’

Susan Astle: ‘Cheese scones……made it easier to cope with a hangover!’

Donald Steel: ‘And Sunday roasts! I knew staff who would come in specially !’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Well said Susan, you had to be in the queue at the prompt time of 1030!’

Neil Wilson: ‘Carl’s kingdom for many years. So much missed.’

Eurwyn Jones: ‘Who can remember some of the women who worked there ?
I remember Lil, Edna, Miss Rose and a blonde Scottish girl………’

Gordon Astley: ‘Donald…..after my WM Sunday show I would often had 4 Sundays plated up..took 2 round to Mum and Dad..and 2 for us. Had to smuggle the green plates and the covers back in on Monday !!!’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Eurwyn there was an Irish lady on the canteen staff called Mary, my wife who is Irish taught me some Irish phrases to try out on her, I think I was set up by some of these! Great and friendly staff in the canteen…sorry restaurant!’

Eurwyn Jones: ‘I well remember Lil that worked there took pity on me during the bread strike and she used to smuggle various loaves to me….. Bless her.’

Gordon Astley:. ‘talking of strikes (BTW I was the first person in the BBC in Birmingham to go on strike !) There was a strike on behalf of the canteen staff who were then berated by the pickets because they went into work. They told me “It’s ok for those journos etc…they earn a lot…we can’t afford to strike !”‘

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I remember Edna’s singing in the canteen. The cheese scones were to die for…nowhere else can you get a cheese scone the same! Many memories of christmas lunches there…served by management!’

Gordon Astley: ‘.Lynn..sometimes it was only time in the year you found out who was management !! Anyone got the scones recipe ?’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Re management I recall the times there were lift failures and those of us who could manage it would think nothing of stepping it out up the whole flight of stairs and then it became clear who were the management…..they were the ones appearing to be nonchalantly taking in the view on each landing trying hard to disguise their lack of breath!!

Gordon Astley:’..just out of interest re: the 1st ABS strike I remember walking out on a Saturday morning with Barry Lankester. The press was waiting. It was the 1st BBC strike. Barry said we had been set up. Most members weren’t working that day, took the day off, there was a trip to London, (and my dad was very upset with me)..I had only just joined the Beeb. My boss (Eddie Deighton?) told me to go..and see him on Monday. I did and he said that I should not worry….but it was a shame that no other union members turned up to back us in Broad Street. It still leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. Does anyone else have memories of that day…and what was the strike about…methinks it was Broadcasting in the ’70s. ?’

Sony BVE 9100 Keyboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Ian Collins, no reproduction without permission.

VT editor Ian Collins took a number of photographs of outdated kit when BBC Pebble Mill was cleared, prior to being demolished in 2005.

This is the keyboard of a Sony BVE 9100 edit controller, used in linear tape editing.

It would have been used in one of the VT suites.

Ray Lee adds the following information about what the edit controller did:

‘The edit controller allows you to select ‘in’ and ‘out’ points during a VT edit, controls the ‘play in’ and ‘record’ machines, executes the edit and stores the edit points for if you need to go back again. It is a lot more involved than that, (like most things) but a more detailed explanation would probably be confusing. The edit controller could control several players at once, as well as audio sources, digital video effects machines, and the recorder, so it was possible to do quite complex edits including fades from one source to another, as a single pass, once you had identified the timecode points at which you wanted these things to happen.

England’s Greens and Peasant Land

Photo copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

These publicity shots of the 1982 Play for Today: ‘England’s Greens and Peasant Land’ were probably taken by Willoughby Gullachsen.  The drama was transmitted on 5th January 1982.  Set in South Yorkshire during local government elections, a motorway is planned, and the route will either go through the golf course or the allotments!  Yorkshire’s version of the ‘Watergate’ scandal.

The cameraman was John Kenway, sound: John Parker, film editor: Chris Rowlands, costume designer: Janice Rider, production designer: Ian Ashurst, producer: John Norton, director: Jim Hill.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider for making these photographs available.

 

 

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