December 2012 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Barrie Edgar 1919-2012

Barrie Edgar in July 2010

Barrie Edgar sadly died recently aged 93.

Barrie was closely associated with BBC Birmingham since the very early days of radio broadcasting in the city. His father, Percy Edgar was a Birmingham concert manager who was asked to start up broadcasting in Birmingham in 1922, by the chief engineer of the G.E.C. works in Witton, which was part of the British Broadcasting Company. He supplied artists, and produced programmes. Barrie’s reaction as a young child to a story called ‘Spick and Span’ was apparently the inspiration for establishing the first ‘Children’s Hour’ broadcast, which was years ahead of the BBC in London, and produced by Percy. Barrie made his first broadcast at the age of 14, playing Tom Brown in a radio adaptation of Tom Brown’s School Days.

Barrie started working in television in 1946, when he was demobilised after the war, and in 1951 he came back to Birmingham as a television outside broadcast producer. The O.B. unit was shared with BBC Manchester. The first programme he produced was an amateur boxing contest at Gosta Green, the same building which became the BBC Gosta Green Television Studio in 1955. Barrie was based at the new Broadcasting House, in Carpenter Road in Edgbaston, which was where most programmes were made until the move to Pebble Mill in 1971. Barrie produced programmes such as ‘Gardening Club’, which became ‘Gardeners’ World’, ‘Farming’ and ‘Come Dancing’. He also produced the ‘Kings College Christmas Carols’, ‘Songs of Praise’, as well as events like General Elections, and the consecration of Coventry Cathedral.

Barrie retired from television in 1979. Barrie’s son is the playwright, David Edgar.

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

Keith Brook: ‘Dear Barrie. Lovely man. Cool, calm and collected. That’s how directors and producers handle themselves when they understand the business. ‘

Gordon Astley: ‘Barrie was a mate of my dad, Pat Astley…and got me an interview for the Beeb via the back door. He looked after me for the first few months of a career that lasted 40 years. Lovely man.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Wonderful broadcasting practitioner the like of which has gone for ever. I really enjoyed interviewing such a terrifically talented man on Radio Birmingham/WM and also remember him taking charge of the garden at Pebble Mill….how many retired producers of standing would do that?’

Lynda Kettle: ‘An extremely wonderful gentleman!’

Inside Out

These photos are from the 6 x 50 min, Pebble Mill drama series, ‘Inside Out’, recorded in 1984, transmitted on BBC 2 between 12 Feb – 19 March 1985.

The series was about two women ex-convicts who are trying to set up an employment agency. It was written by Simon Moore, and directed by Tony Smith and Pedr James; Sally Head was the producer.

The drama featured Lou Wakefield, Gwyneth Strong, Michael Thomas, Philip Sayer, and Caroline Guthrie.

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

Malcolm Carr demonstrates the EMI 2001 camera

Cameraman Malcolm Carr demonstrates the EMI 2001 camera from pebblemill on Vimeo.

Specially shot video with cameraman Malcolm Carr demonstrating the EMI 2001 studio and outside broadcast camera. The camera dates from the 1970s, and was a favourite amongst cameramen.

The camera was on display at a history of communication technology exhibition held at Salford University in October 2012.

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

Peter Poole: ‘I used these cameras when on attachment to Norwich as a Tech Op. Like most of their equipment they were in poor condition. I spent hours trying to line them up. But the pictures still looked poor. I was glad to get back on sound!’

Alan Griffiths: ‘Nobody seemed to mind if you spent two days lining them up properly. Nowadays there would be an inquisition if it took that long!’

David Short: ‘Used this camera at TV Centre. A cameraman’s camera, if ever there was one. Everything in the ‘right’ place. A joy to operate.’

Keith Brook: ‘Well done Malcolm, good demo. If I may add a comment.

Probably because of time, he missed an important point about the shot box and its use on drama.

There were six buttons, with the ‘middle’ four generally set-up to represent ‘natural’ lens angles, 9deg, 18deg, 24deg and 36deg which gave you CU, MCU, MS and MLS. All the cameras, each day, were set up on the same chart.

In a fast cutting sequence, this was the only way to accurately change shot sizes and still match the other cameras.

Without that shot box, we wouldn’t have been able to shoot drama anywhere near the standard we did. For example, we did Poldark, a 50′ costume drama, in 50′. Yes, really. Manually zooming would have created so many retakes that the rhythm of the drama would have been lost, the momentum would have gone and we’d have been there all night.

Incidentally, those lens angles, 9deg etc, were exactly the same angles as the four lenses on the old black and white cameras thus allowing the skills to transfer easily.

Thank you EMI, for understanding cameramen. And thank you Malcolm.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘EMI were very good with TV camera design.In Southampton news we had the little brother of the one Malcolm was demonstrating , the 201… we had two operators there working three cameras so they had to be literally ‘handy’!’

cameraman Malcolm CarrSave

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Staff Christmas Dinner

Serving Staff Christmas Dinner

Photo from Marie Phillips, no reproduction without permission.

At the annual BBC Pebble Mill Staff Christmas Dinner the management team would take on the role of serving the staff, so that the catering staff could also enjoy their dinner. The photo shows Marie Phillips, who worked as personal assistant to the Head of Personnel, in her Union Flag apron at the end of the Christmas Dinner. Marie Phillips went on to be the ‘Children in Need’ co-ordinator for the Midlands in the 1990s.

Together with Marie, is Julie Myslowska, from Personnel.

The Christmas dinner was an occasion for staff to let off steam, and the odd food fight did break out!

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

Nicola Silk: ‘I remember a food fight, poss ’94 or ’95 when a sprout landed in Denis Gartside’s ear… I was merely an onlooker.’

Marie Phillips: ‘Of course you were Nicola !! It was the crusty cobs that were most lethal. I cannot think of a better place for a sprout to land.’

Pebble Mill at One Production Team

Photo from Maggy Whitehouse, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is of the ‘Pebble Mill at One’ production team.

Included are, left to right, back row: Magnus Magnusson, Norma Scott, David Lancaster, Josephine Buchan, Anne Varley, Bob Langley, Pat Langley, Steph Silk, Steve Weddle. Crouching: David Weir, Jane Clement, Viv Ellis, Marian Foster, Di Reid. Front row: Jo Dewar, Beverleigh Wildman (now Thompson), Sue Ashcroft, Peta Newbold, Paul Coia.