December 2013 – Page 3 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Shalom Salaam publicity photos

Shalom Salaam 1 JR

These publicity photos are from the 1989, 5 part, Pebble Mill drama series, Shalom Salaam. The drama tells the interconnected stories of a Jewish and a Muslim family, and their children’s interracial romance.

The director and script writer was Gareth Jones, with Chris Parr the producer.

The series starred Zia Mohyeddin, Charlotte Cornwell, John Cater, Buki Armstron, Mamta Kaash.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider for sharing the photos.

The following common was posted by Janice Rider on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page: ‘Ayub Khan Din – top right behind Zia Moyeddhin went on to write East is East and Jimmi Harkishin ( top next to Ayub ) is of course a regular in Corrie.’

Invitation to the Cutting of the First Sod at Pebble Mill

This invitation to the ceremony of the cutting the first sod at the new Midland Region Headquarters, in April 1967, was sent out to dignitaries and members of the Press.

The Controller of the Midland Region at the time was Patrick Beech, and Sir Hugh Greene was the Director General of the BBC.

Pinto at Pebble Mill – Prospero Dec 2013

This article by costume designer, Joyce Hawkins, appeared in the BBC retirees magazine, Prospero, in December 2013.

The Immigrants’ Programme Unit

The Immigrants’ Programme Unit from pebblemill on Vimeo.

In this specially recorded interview, Stephanie Silk talks about becoming a production assistant in the newly formed Immigrants’ Programme Unit, at BBC Birmingham in 1966.

The Unit made a number of series to support newly arrived immigrants to the United Kingdom. The series that Steph talks about here was an Asian magazine show, with journalistic items, as well as arts and music inserts. It was a studio show, with inserts on film, and was in Hindustani, which was apparently understandable by both Muslim and Hindu viewers. The presenters of the show were Mahendra Kaul, and Saleem Shahed, and head of the Unit was David Gretton, and the studio director, Paul Morby.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Peter Poole: ‘I remember Mahendra and Saleem well. An interesting experience trying to edit in Urdu!’

New Midland H.Q. Planned for BBC

Birmingham Mail news cutting from Monday, May 14th, 1962, about the building of BBC Pebble Mill.

Here is the copy of the article:

New Midland H.Q. Planned For BBC

Will be world’s first TV-radio centre

“Mail” TV Correspondent

The world’s first combined radio and television centre is to be built in Birmingham.

Mr H. J. Dunkerley, BBC Midland Region Controller, announced today that work is to start within a year on the erection of the new Broadcasting House for Midland Region. It will be on the nine-acre site at Pebblemill Road, Edgbaston.

Plans have been prepared by Mr J. Madin the Birmingham architect, and when it is brought into operation in 1965 it will replace the existing administrative and studio centres at Carpenter Road, Edgbaston, Broad Street and Gosta Green.

Final details of the structure are still being considered by the architect and BBC officials.

“There is no comparable project anywhere in the world as far as we have been able to discover,” said Mr Dunkerley, “for in every other area sound and TV have developed separately.”

3,000 episodes

In November the BBC is to hold a three-day exhibition at Birmingham Town Hall to celebrate the Corporation’s 40^th anniversary. The first transmission in the Midlands was on November 15, 1922.

On July 27, “The Archers,” radio’s longest running serial, will reach its 3,000^th episode.

Mr Dunkerley said that although there had been some fall in the size of its mid-week audience, it now appealed to an audience averaging 10,000,000 when the omnibus edition goes out on Sunday mornings.