Copyright resides with the original holders, no reproduction without permission.
This video was recorded by Thomas Graal, it shows the last days of BBC Pebble Mill Birmingham, including exclusive video footage of the Newsroom, all the News edit suites, the Crush Bar, the Pebble Mill garden, the main News studio, the conservatory & the car park. All this & the running commentary were recorded in October 2004.
Copyright Thomas Graal
Janice with her best trio of turkeys at the National Poultry Show 2013
Evesham the fox
Janice with Barnaby the Brahma
I worked on Countryfile from 1988 until 1999 and still use my Pebble Mill 21st anniversary mug for coffee!
For the celebration weekend I organised some sheep and chickens in a special Countryfile corner by the side entrance so visitors had something to look at whilst they queued up to get in the building
My time at Pebble Mill was very special and I am grateful to everyone for being such a friendly family.
I remember driving back to Fladbury (where I stayed with Anne Stephens during the week) after working late in the editing suite. I saw a fox that had recently been run over and picked it up. Next morning, I packed it up in the post department to send to a taxidermist. Those in post had never seen the like before!!! The fox still lays under the hall table and is called Evesham.
I have been teaching vet students, writing for various magazines, written a book on turkeys Not Just For Christmas, appeared with Gordon Ramsay on the F Word, helping him with his turkeys and lots of other things since leaving Countryfile!
Janice Houghton-Wallace now living in South West Scotland.
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission
Thanks to director Waseem Mahmood for sharing these images about Asian Magazine featured in the book Inside BBC Television.
The series was transmitted on BBC1 on Sunday mornings at 10am in the early to mid 1980s.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:
Dawn Trotman: ‘ I worked with Waseem as an acting editor on the Asian magazine show later to become Network East. I think I cut one of his very first items about a DJ in one of the portacabins in the car park ..happy memories.’
Jane Green: ‘I worked on many an Asian Magazine. Great fun. Bish Mehay was a lovely guy to work with. Loved the bands we squeezed into Studio B – loved learning what all the various instruments were. Sat in the corridor on one occasion waiting for the set to be finished – with Benazir Bhutto. Great programme.’
Colin Pierpoint: ‘Yes, I remember, but I also remember the start of radio and television from the Midlands for Asians. The first step was to separate AM and FM Radio 4 on a Sunday morning (I think the management was afraid of loosing listeners if it went out on both!) In 1965 AM did “Make yourself at Home”, a programme on which I worked in Studio 1 Broad Street several times. (FM had the previously scheduled programme). I also did a bit on the television programme from Broad Street studio 4, in black and white, although I may only have been on attachment. Presenters: Saleem and Mahendra, directed by Gerry (surname?)’
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission
Thanks to Gill Thompson for sharing this photo of the cast and crew of Going for a Song, the antiques panel game show.
Included are: Michael Aspel (presenter), Eric Knowles (antiques expert), Claire Hobbs (producer, front, black jacket), Helena Taylor (series producer, sat on the camera), Dave Wilkins (camera), Toby Horwood (camera), Mark Scott (director), Gill Thompson (audience organiser, pink top behind camera), Adam Schoon (antiques consultant), Dave Bushell (lighting director), Keith Knowles (engineer) in orange top next to Dave Bushell, Pete Eggleston (with beard, engineer), Dave Ballantyne and Keith Salmon (cameras) on the right, Sue Russell (production secretary and hospitality, left-handside, beige patterned top), Dave Brazier (blue shirt and tie, floor manager), Ron Poston from the BBC Club is next to Dave. Back row, top left in pink is Chris Reely (sound), Jim Gray (camera, back row, black jumper, moustache), James French (camera, black top, centre back), at the back on the left is Dave Savage (black top with white stripes) and Chris Reeley in the red t-shirt is at the top left – both Senior Audio Supervisors
Thanks to the following for their help in identifying people: Shareen Worthington, Dave Bushell, Jane Mclean, Jan Poston, Steve Admans,
Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission
Thanks to Kevin Lakin for sharing this photograph.
The photo, probably dates from the early 1980s, and shows, left to right, John Couzens on camera, Eric Crouch (electrician), Andy Payne (cameraman, probably an assistant at this time), Tim Green (sound recordist).
Please add a comment if you can identify the shoot.