Category: Photos

Top Gear safety item – photos from Andy Woodhouse

The photos are from a Top Gear shoot about potential damage to a person’s head if involved in a high speed accident when not wearing a seat belt. The melon seen on some of the pictures was, medical specialists said, a good representation of the human skull. This segment used a high-speed film camera, with the principal photographer being John Williams, and Nigel Davey operating the camera. The item was recorded in the grounds of Pebble Mill.

Photos by Andy Woodhouse, no reproduction without permission.


Picture shows a rehearsal for capturing the moving head/melon. John Williams is second from left, Nigel Davey on camera.


Picture shows the fall of the melon from a two storey roof being recorded. Note the use of the coat to ensure the same melon could be used throughout until allowed to hit the ground.

Picture shows a discussion about the shoot process. John Williams is second from left, Keith Ackrill is fourth from left

Picture illustrates the impact of the melon on a hard object!

A Sort of Innocence photographs – James French

A Sort of Innocence was recorded in October 1986. James French was cameraman, and has shared and captioned these photos taken on location in Hereford.

Don’t know who the extra is leaning against the wall. Guy with cigarette is Production Manager, Peter Rose; not sure about stripey, guy with white fleck in hair is Director, John Gorrie; lady is Producer, Ruth Boswell; on right is Sound Supervisor, Ray Bailey.


Grip is Ron Fleet, then Director, John Gorrie and me (2nd Camera) on Elemack dolly.

Me and John Gorrie again

Ron and me again in the foreground. Tim Everett holding the sound boom. I think the actor standing is Linus Roache and sitting in the Jaguar XJS is Kenneth Cranham.

Leaning on tripod is Rigger Supervisor, George Stevenson; Grip, Ron Fleet; cable-bashing is Rigger, Barry Clarke; on dolly is Camera Supervisor, Keith Salmon, with back to camera is Tim Everett (sound) and holding the boom pole is Tony Wass.

No caption necessary as all folk are named elsewhere.

Lighting Director, Barry Chatfield with Lastolite.

Grip, Ron Fleet; Rigger, Barry Clarke; Camera Supervisor, Keith Salmon

Lighting technicians (Sparks!): Roger Hynes and Dave Walter, with Rigger Supervisor, George Stevenson.

Dresser, Paul Higton; Designers, Martin Boddison and John Lindlar; Dresser, Shaun Lowe.

Me again (one of my favourite pics – I actually look like I know what I am doing!)

The only additional people on here are the boy, Actor, Neil Jeffery and with his back to us (next to Neil), Actor, Michael Byrne.

Performer at Pebble Mill

Photo by Bhasker Solanki, no reproduction without permission

Harold Rich at the piano and John McCulloch on bass.

Colin Pierpoint added the following information on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Harold Rich was a great broadcaster, and a nice guy. I remember him in Studio 6 at Carpenter Road. He knew the Type A studio equipment so well that he was passing useful information in private back to the control cubicle, by putting on cans and speaking quietly into the piano mic. He knew that the SM (Dave Welsby) could reply on Transmission Talkback and nobody else would hear the conversation. That way he was talking about the vocalist, and suggesting how to improve her performance.

Countryfile shoot at cricket bat factory

Photo by Mel Stevens, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Mel Stevens, no reproduction without permission

Countryfile shoot at the Duncan Fearnley cricket bat factory in Worcester.

In the first photo, Jim Knights on camera, in a Magpie crew. Mick Murphy, who directed this film, has his back to the camera and PA Caroline Smith can be glimpsed in the back of shot. The film followed the journey of a cricket bat from willow wood, from Essex to Duncan Fearnley’s factory, to be turned into the final product.

In the second photo, Matt Gray on camera, Keith Conlon on sound, on his knees, Duncan Fearnley (cricket bat maker) in the red jumper.

Paul Brighton 1959-2021

We had a mini BBC Radio WM 80s/90s reunion today (10 Jan 2022).

Sadly we were together for the funeral of our friend and colleague Paul Brighton at Tettenhall, but it was lovely to see Carole, Kasel, Louise and Claire after so many years.

I never knew that Paul had once reached the Semi-Finals of Mastermind.

Lots of laughs and good memories, just as it should be. RIP Paul.

Tim Beech