Photos by Stuart Gandy, no reproduction without permission.
Stuart took these photos of back car park and Studio B, in 2004, when his son went on Pebble Mill on work experience. This was shortly before the building was closed.
The second photo shows Studio B’s sound gallery, and includes Geoff Bellefontaine, who still works in news at the Mailbox.
The third photo is of Studio B’s production gallery.
Very sad to hear of the sad death of Engineer, Dave Sturrock, and the tragic circumstances.
I knew Dave from our days at Evesham in the early sixties along with Jim Gregory, but had no contact since.
We were pioneering teams of new engineers at Evesham as the Beeb was developing at a fast rate it’s regional and sub-regional opt-out evening news services, so many of us were, although engineers, having to learn Tech ops as well. Subsequently, we were the first TA (i.e. Engineering rookies) to get to produce an end of course TV programme, and Dave and Jim would have been caught up in that too.
As tempus fugit looms, the loss of people such as Dave becomes more poignant.
Pete Simpkin
Brain Vaughton demonstrates the Brenell tape editing deck from pebblemill on Vimeo.
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.
Radio producer and editor, Brian Vaughton, demonstrates the Brenell tape editing deck, which would have been used to edit radio documentaries and inserts from the 1960s.
Brian worked as a freelancer at BBC Birmingham in the 1960s, with producers like Philip Donnellan and Charles Parker.
The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:
Peter Poole: ‘I used Brenell decks in hospital radio. Very good machines and built like a tank!’
Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.
Pebble Mill at One presenter, Marian Foster, with producer, Steve Weddle (who was later editor of Pebble Mill), on the Severn Valley Railway.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:
Jane Clement: ‘I’m pretty certain we did both a PM At One and a 6.55 on this railway. Is this the one where we stopped the train in the middle of the countryside (ie not at a station? for some reason? Steve N Weddle, Diane Reid – you’ll remember. Di, weren’t you the director?’
Photo by Eurwyn Jones, no reproduction without permission.
Photo of Linda Webster from make-up, with actor, Anthony Sher. The photo was probably taken before a Pebble Mill at One show, where Anthony Sher was probably publicising a forthcoming drama. Anthony Sher did appear in several Pebble Mill dramas, including The History Man, and The Sheik of Pickersgill.
The following comments were added on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:
Susie Astle: ‘From Susie(ex Bancroft ) I worked on the Sheik [of Pickersgill] and the photo was not from then. He wore a false moustache for that, it fell off during a tea break and I found it on the bottom of my shoe! I never told him so hope he’s not reading this, as if!!’
Lesley Weaver: ‘Yep Bankers true to form … Mind you I remember Shelley Weber doing that too …. She walked around all lunch time with the moustache stuck in the snow on the bottom of her moon boot… We searched everywhere, it was only when she sat down and crossed her leg that someone spotted it half hanging off!!! …once it was cleaned and re tongued no one was the wiser… Oh funny old times weren’t they!!!
I can’t be definitely sure it’s The Sheik ..but I am sure that this photo was taken in the Pebble Mill at One make up area next to where Barbara the BBC hairdresser worked. So it may have been for an appearance on the lunch time programme. Can’t think why the lead actor on The History Man would have been made up in that small area which was really a make shift area we used specifically for Pebble Mill at One. I worked on The History with Gill Hughes who was the hair & make-up designer… To my knowledge I don’t think Linda worked on that with us… In any case Tony was very particular about his hair & moustache on that show and being the lead I’m sure only Gill herself look after him, even I didn’t go near him and I was Gill’s senior assistant on that series. Tony looks much younger here than on History Man where he grew his own moustache for the character. Linda herself also looks quite young here too, we started at the same time and I think The Sheik was produced while I was in London on the make-up school during the autumn of ’78.. Linda didn’t attend that school she stayed at base and she went on a later one so she would possible been working on Pebble Mill at One during that time.’