Factual – Page 124 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Gardeners’ World – Andy Meikle in Heligan

Andy Meikle holding back the undergrowth

Photo by production assistant Gail Herbert.

In 1990 Gardeners’ World changed from being a programme usually produced from a two camera outside broadcast unit to one recorded on a portable single camera. In the new format the programme consisted of inserts from a number of locations linked by Geoff Hamilton from his home garden of Barnsdale in Rutland. Geoff would also do all the topical practical gardening, as well as some of the location stories.

One of the insert stories that was followed in Gardeners’ World in 1991 was about the restoration of Heligan Gardens in Cornwall, which had been badly neglected over a number of years.

This photo shows producer Andy Meikle holding back the undergrowth to allow the cameraman a good shot!

Andy sadly died earlier this week, after a long battle with cancer.

Andy Meikle – who sadly died today

Gardeners' World Christmas Lunch 1990

It was with great sadness that I heard that Andy Meikle died this morning, after a long battle with cancer.

Andy worked for many many years at Pebble Mill, first of all in the drama department on series like Gangsters and then as a director and producer on factual series like On the House and Gardeners’ World.

Andy was an extremely generous, and incredibly practical man – he was brilliant at DIY!

I worked with him on the DIY series On the House , when I joined an established team as a brand new researcher. He taught me a lot about researching for factual television, as well as about working with contributors.

I remember him being really supportive when I directed my first insert on Gardeners’ World in 1990. He said jokily, ‘don’t you hate it when someone can just do it?’ – I certainly hadn’t been able to ‘just do it’, but knowing that he thought I’d done a good job was really important to me, and really helped my confidence.

This photo is from the Christmas lunch for the Gardeners’ World production team from 1990. It includes, left to right: Andy Meikle, Denis Adams, Mark Kershaw, Kulvinder Chudge, Nick Patten, Steph Silk, next might be me (Vanessa Jackson) or Ann Holmes, I can’t see enough of the next two girls to identify, then Patti Evans with the blonde hair, Howard Perks, and Gail Herbert (whose photo it is).

Andy will be much missed, and our thoughts go out to his loved ones.

Why the ‘6.55 Special’ came from a Radio Studio – Mark Kershaw

Why was “6.55 Special” made in Radio Studio 1?

When the lunchtime programme Pebble Mill at One was first broadcast it was “serviced” by the galleries and cameras of the two proper TV studios at Pebble Mill. Studio A on a Tues and Friday, while the studio was being reset between dramas etc (“All Creatures”, “Basil Brush”, “Great Expectations” etc) and Studio B on a Mon, Wed and Thurs, because its cameras could be re-rigged back from the Foyer in time for the evenings “Midlands Today”.

PM@1 was only on the air Sept to mid May, so for the whole summer the production staff were potentially under-utilised. So in 1982? (not sure when) 6.55 Special was sold to BBC2, a weekday early evening live entertainment and chat show, 6.55-7.30 (I think).

But it couldn’t use the existing studios which were incredibly busy in the evenings.

And that is why Radio Studio 1 (the one used for classical recitals etc) was turned into a TV studio, with an audience rostra and a permanent set with a sofa chat area (seen in the photo for the 6.55 Special post) and a stage as performance area. The sound was mixed in the radio sound control room, where the mobile lighting control desk was also rigged. The “lightweight” OB scanner CM2 was parked outside just off the fire track and used as production and vision control, with VT as well played from the scanner, but also connected up to Pebble Mill’s VT area.

Eventually when the Standby TV Network Continuity Suite needed refurbishing, the area was re-modelled as a full TV gallery – Gallery C (not sure the date but early 80’s).From then on Pebble Mill @ One or any of it’s spin offs came from that discreet gallery, but before then the studio equipment at Pebble Mill was some of the most utilised kit in the whole of the BBC!

6.55 Special moved into the courtyard after the famous movable roof was installed. And that is why for the first series, at least, 6.55 Special came from a radio studio.

Mark Kershaw

Mark Kershaw directing Pebble Mill at One

6.55 Special – from Mark Kershaw

The early 1980’s 6.55 Special was a nightly chat show on BBC 2. It came from Studio 1 ( which was actually the radio studio using the CM2 Outside Broadcast unit for cameras.

The photo is of the production meeting before the show and includes – left to right: David Williams (music booker and producer of this particular show), Mark Kershaw (director), Sally James (presenter), and the back of David Soul’s (co-presenter) head. The photo is possibly for a special whole music show with Elkie Brooks, which turned out rather well!

Sally James co-presented the first series of 6.55 Special with David Soul, and the second with Paul Coia.

The second series came from the courtyard behind the Pebble Mill at One Studio C, with a retractable roof fitted in case of rain.

Stuart Gandy comments: “I definitely remember the courtyard being used for the 6.55 special, and from an audio point of view the roof wasn’t very successful, especially if it rained!. I cant quite remember if it was for this programme, or one that came later, buit at some point a scenery door was fitted to the back of Studio 1 to make it easier to get sets in and out.”

6.55 Special

‘The Clothes Show’ – photo by Gail Herbert

Clothes Show 1990 Beachy Head

Photo by Gail Herbert.

The Clothes Show (1986-2000) was a hugely popular fashion magazine show transmitted on Sunday afternoons. It started as a spin off from fashion items on Pebble Mill at One and was the brainchild of Exec Producer, Roger Casstles. The producers included Clare Stride, Jane Lomas and Colette Foster. Directors on the show included Clive Wagner, Tim Langford, Alex Fraser, Paul Vanezis.

Regular presenters included Selina Scott, Jeff Banks, Caryn Franklin, Brenda Emmanus, Margherita Taylor and Tim Vincent.

The title music was part of the Arthur Baker remix of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘In The Night’.

The show was so popular that a BBC magazine of the same name was launched, as well as the annual ‘Clothes Show Live’ event at the NEC, which is obviously still a fixture.

The television series became renowned for the fast pace of its editing, and creative use of digital video effects. The post production team won a BAFTA for their video editing in 1989.

Tim Langford was the director of this particular insert.

Jane Green comments about working on The Clothes Show: “I FM’d on some of the first Clothes Shows with Selina and Geoff. We did the first ever Bride of the Year in Bradley, Staffs, with Lindka Cierach designing the dress, and Trevor Sorbie and Barbara Daly, hair n make-up. Years later I was a director – at the British Fashion Awards I met a new young model called Kate Moss, a crazy Vivien Westwood and Philip Treacy, and a grumpy Naomi Campbell. My 11 year old daughter finds it hard to believe mummy had such a cool job. It was hard slog but great fun. Roger was a genius.”