June 2018 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Radio Birmingham at Gurdwara

“Here is a picture of the late Stuart Miller (Engineer at Radio Birmingham/WM) with me rigging for the first live broadcast of worship from the Graham St Gurdwara in Birmingham in April 1975. Together we did the first…and… as far as l know…..only complete broadcasts for Radio Birmingham/WM of Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish worship on any radio station in the country. It involved complex rigging and audio balances and observation of the customs and traditions of the various communities.”

Pete Simpkin

Nationwide visits Pebble Mill

https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/583616358678065/?t=0

Tom Coyne shows the viewers of Nationwide around the brand new Pebble Mill studios in 1971, including TV Studios A and B, and Radio studio 3, the home of The Archers.

Harrier landing 1979

Photos by Bob Allison, no reproduction without permission

Refuelling the Harrier

These photos are from the first Harrier landing at Pebble Mill in the summer of 1979. This one was a Fleet Air Arm Harrier as you can see from the logo on the tail. Bob Allison took these from the balcony of Pebble Mill on the 8th Floor.

The Dark Man

Thanks to costume designer, Joyce Hawkins, for sharing this photograph of Earl Cameron. The Dark Man was produced at BBC Birmingham’s Gosta Green studios. It was transmitted on 8th December 1960.

Here is the entry from the Radio Times, from the BBC Genome project:

Synopsis

by N. J. Crisp.
Starring Robert Shaw with Earl Cameron, Barbara Clegg
From the Midlands

Contributors

Writer: N. J. Crisp
Producer: Don Taylor
Designer: Charles Carroll
Reg: Daniel Moynihan
Robert Smith: Earl Cameron
Alan Regan: Robert Shaw
Jean Forest: Rita Davies
Audrey Regan: Barbara Clegg
Ellen Woodward: Maureen O’Reilly
Basil Woodward: Reginald Marsh
Albert Watson: Denis Holmes
Mr Knight: Edward Burnham
Fred Crook: Edward Kelsey
Bill Jackson: Clifford Cox
Mrs Crosby: Nan Braunton
Potter: Jay Denyer
William Martin: Lionel Ngakane

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/8ceb4428a2d944088069acd58edb7d3a

Tom O’Connor Roadshow – Port Talbot

Photos by Raymond Lee, no reproduction without permission

The top photo is of SCV6 (possibly with Roger Guest operating), on the OB for the Tom O’Connor Roadshow in Port Talbot in March 1987. CM1 was also needed on the OB, because of the sound requirements. The lunchtime entertainment show toured the country with an OB unit, broadcasting a week’s worth of shows from each location. Unfortunately, although popular, it proved too expensive in the long term.

The lower photo includes soundman Tim Green on the left, and Mark Botfield with the blond hair, Kenton Allen in the demin jacket.

These photos were originally shared on the Pebble Mill Engineers’ Facebook group.

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

Raymond Lee: ‘SCV6 was an articulated trailer, of a similar length to to the Type 5 CM1. It had an SSL Desk, some specially shaped LS5/8s and a 24 track Otari Multitrack tape machine. It also had 2 or 3 1/4″ tape machines, a cart machine, and record deck. It was quite tight for space which is why the jackfields used Bantam Jacks, unfortunately, they proved fairly unreliable in O.B. conditions.’