November 2016 – Page 4 – What Was Pebble Mill?

RTS Midlands Awards 2016

Chris Richards collects the RTS Midlands Award for Best Factual Programme, 2016

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It was encouraging to see at last night’s (3rd Nov 2016) Midlands Royal Television Society Awards, that several of the accolades were awarded to previous BBC Pebble Mill programme makers, as well as existing BBC Birmingham ones.

Director, Chris Richards picked up the award for Best Factual Programme, for Channel 4’s Travel Man. The show is produced by ‘North One Television’, which includes ex Pebble Mill/BBC Birmingham staff, Richard Pearson, Nicola Silk, and editor Brian Charles, in addition to Chris.

The BBC Birmingham Drama Village picked up awards for Best Acting Performance, for Claire Goose, in The Coroner, with Father Brown winning Best Fictional Programme.

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Gosta Green Revisited photos

Lez Cooke introducing the screenings. Photos from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

Lez Cooke, Peter Booth and Joyce Hawkins. Photo from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

Photo from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

Audience for Gosta Green screenings. Photos from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

These photos are from the Gosta Green Revisited screenings, held at the Midlands Arts Centre on the 15th October 2016.

The photos are from the Flatpack Film Festival organisers, who arranged the screenings.

The screenings included: Rainbow City, The Newcomers, and Sinking Fish Move Sideways and were followed by a question and answer session with cameraman Peter Booth, and costume designer Joyce Hawkins, interviewed by academic researcher, Lez Cooke.

In the audience photo you can see Ann Chancellor-Davies in the front row, and in the second row, towards the right, Jenny Brewer, Peter Ansorge, and me (Vanessa Jackson).

Please add a comment if you can identify others.

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John Lannin

2″ Quad machine, photo by John Burkill (1976)

Annie Gumbley-Williams has sent through the following sad news about John Lannin.

“John Lannin died last Friday, 28th October 2016. John had been ill for some time. The news has come from John Kimberley. John was a VT Editor and then a Vision Manager at Pebble Mill. John was a very pleasant, friendly and very kind gentleman. He will be sadly missed.”

John was apparently also a master of the two inch editing block (seen in front of the 2″ machine above), which was a demanding piece of equipment to operate accurately!

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

Bryan Comley: ‘Very sad news, I first met John at BBC Bristol, as my line manager, I will never forget his amazing management style. When he moved back to Pebble mill he got me to move too, my interview consisted of a 15 minute tour of pebble mill followed by three hours? In the bar!!! I passed the interview!!’

Bill Morris: ‘Along with the sadly departed Alan Edwards, John trained me up as an Engineering Manager in the early 80’s at Viewplan Broadcast. He was a true gentleman and an unflappable OB Manager. His capacity for both humour and beer were legendary and I remember both John and those halcyon days of OB’s with great affection.’

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