John Taynton at the Birmingham Superprix

Photos by Rod Fawcett, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photos show Radio WM presenter, John Taynton at the Birmingham Superprix circa 1986. The top photo is of John with his production team, and he is interviewing Councillor, John Charlton, in the second.

Thanks to Rod Fawcett for sharing the photos.

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

Lynne Smith: ‘I think the woman on the right is Jane Stanton.’

Conal O’Donnell: ‘Yes its Jane alright-the guy in the blue with glasses is Steve Woodhall.The super prix had such bad luck especially with the weather but it was an exciting time for the city nonethgeless.I was pleased to meet one of its great supporters Martin Hone at Ed Doolan’s funeral earlier this month.’

Gordon Astley: ‘I think the other two are Steve? and Catherine? I’m just aiming for half marks here !!’

Pres Studio

Photographs from Stuart Gandy, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pres studio at Pebble Mill. This was probably taken around 2004, when the studio was being decommissioned with the move from Pebble Mill to the Mailbox.

Thanks to Stuart Gandy for sharing the photographs, which were originally posted on the Pebble Mill Engineers’ Facebook group.

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

Jason Dean: ‘The pres studio was largely left unused between it being the home of nightly weekday regional continuity during the late 1970s (all evening between Midlands Today and closedown in the early hours) and being used for Breakfast bulletins from Jan 1983. It looks like the photo might have been taken during this fallow period judging by the state of it?!’

Diane Kemp: ‘I did loads of bulletins from the little self opt studio, including the memorable time the Midlands was snowbound and we were interrupting network – all from there.
Can’t see it clearly enough to see the desk, the backdrop or the seat adjacent where SAs sat.’

Jane Green: ‘It looks like it’s being built or dismantled here….we SAs sat to the right of the presenter. It was a squash. The second photo shows what looks like a control desk that the presenter operated. Later on we had a proper backing with logo. Which once fell off on air as  Jonathan Dick reminded me…National inserts were done from Pres too, if you had a guest for news or Newsnight. I sat there with Michael Heseltine one evening for what seemed an age. If it’s not Pres, I can’t think where it might be. The cameras would only be in Studio B or A otherwise?

Diane Kemp: ‘It’d be great to see a photo of it as it was. I’d say ‘in all its glory’, but to be fair it was never a beautiful space. Rivalled only by the fab studio in Nottingham above the probation service offices where you could hear the women’s toilets flush on-air.’

Personnel Team

copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

These photographs of the personnel team at Pebble Mill were given to Rani Randhawa in 1985, when she left the BBC after a one year placement, to go to university.

Pickwick Papers

John Rees on Pickwick Papers. Photograph by Albert Sheard, no reproduction without permission

Pickwick Papers, Phil Hawkins, Frank Manning, Kevin Priestly, John Rees, photo by Albert Sheard, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Albert Sheard for sharing these photos from the 1985 adaptation of Dickens’s Pickwick Papers. The location was in Ludlow, Shropshire. Here is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

Synopsis:

by Charles Dickens dramatised in 12 episodes by Jack Davies
starring Nigel Stock as Mr Pickwick with Clive Swift as Mr Tupman, Jeremy Nicholas as Mr Winkle, Alan Parnaby as Mr Snodgrass and Colin Douglas as Mr Wardle, Patrick Malahide as Mr Jingle
Charles Dickens was still only 24 when, in his own words, “I thought of Mr Pickwick…”
The Pickwick Papers soon became a national craze. Mr Pickwick, his friends Tupman, Winkle and Snodgrass, and his cockney servant the immortal Sam Weller, have been among the most popular characters in fiction ever since.
This week they begin their travels through the England of stage-coaches and coaching inns – in a new version of Dickens’s first and most-loved bestseller.
(Nigel Stock visits “Pebble Mill at One” tomorrow)

Contributors
Author: Charles Dickens
Dramatised by: Jack Davies
Music composed and conducted by: Carl Davis
Lighting Director: Bob Chaplin
Script Editor: Terrance Dicks
Designer: Myles Lang
Producer: Barry Letts
Director: Brian Lighthill
Narrator: Ray Brooks
Mr Pickwick: Nigel Stock
Mr Tupman: Clive Swift
Mr Winkle: Jeremy Nicholas
Mr Snodgrass: Alan Parnaby
Sam Weller: Phil Daniels
Mr Wardle: Colin Douglas
Mr Jingle: Patrick Malahide
Mrs Bardell: Jo Kendall
Cab driver: Barry Linehan
Waiter (Bull Inn): Russell Denton
Doorman: Michael Godley
Mrs Budger: Mary Maxted
Dr Slammer: Gerald James
Lt Tappleton: John Patrick
Boots: Peter Richards

Harrier on Pebble Mill at One

Photo by Robin Sunderland, no reproduction without permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harrier jet lands at Pebble Mill, as part of Pebble Mill at One. Keith Brook (aka Scouse) is on camera, and I think Philip Thickett is cable bashing.