David Short – Cameraman at Pebble Mill from Sept. 1981 until May 1985 (when I transferred to TV Centre)
(The producer of this episode was Stephanie Silk, the director Tony Rayner, and the PA probably Jane McLean)
David Short – Cameraman at Pebble Mill from Sept. 1981 until May 1985 (when I transferred to TV Centre)
(The producer of this episode was Stephanie Silk, the director Tony Rayner, and the PA probably Jane McLean)
Telly Addicts was a studio based game show presented by Noel Edmunds. It was produced at Pebble Mill and recorded in Studio A. Two teams, sat on sofas, were pitted against each other in a test of their TV knowledge. The format mostly involved seeing clips of different TV shows and being asked questions afterwards. The series began in 1985, with the final episode going out in 1998. There were some celebrity specials (especially in the later years), but most of the early episodes involved families. There were generally around 16 episodes a year. The format changed a little over time. The early years saw the winners of the previous week staying on and being challenged by a new family. From 1987 there was a tournament style format involving 16 teams in 8 qualifying heats, the winners of which then went forward to quarter finals, then semi finals and concluding in a grand final.
There were a number of different producers and directors over the years. Producers included Tim Manning, John G Smith, Richard Lewis and Helen Lott, and directors included Annette Martin, Nick Hurran and Sue Robinson. John King was the executive producer.
Thanks to Ian Collins from Post Production for taking a photo of this Telly Addicts figure!
Photos by Lynda Kettle, no reproduction without permission. Lynda Kettle was a Production Designer at BBC Pebble Mill, working on factual, entertainment and drama shows in studio and on location. The photos were taken as records of the Sets.
Song for Christmas was an annual children’s carol competition, and part of Pebble Mill at One. Mark Kershaw was the director of the Song for Christmas shown in the photos, and David Weir was the producer. Lynda Kettle designed the set in Studio A. I’m not sure which year the photos are from, but probably 1985 0r 1986.
Production Designer, Lynda Kettle also worked as a theatre designer and an artist, and now runs courses from her art studio http://www.lynda-kettle.com. She is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham Water Colour Society. Midland Pastel Society and Birmingham Art Circle . She exhibits her paintings several times a year at selected galleries.
The Golden Oldie Picture Show was produced by John King at Pebble Mill, and presented by the Radio 1 DJ: Dave Lee Travis. The series ran between 1985 to 1988. The show featured new music videos made for old hit records. Different film makers recorded their own interpretation of the songs. Dave Lee Travis introduced and linked the show.
These photos are from the 1986 Christmas show, which went out on 22/12/86. The first photo shows the ‘links’ set up with Dave Lee Travis, and the others show the location filming of ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’. In the photo with Father Christmas you can see the cameraman Simon King, now well known as a wildlife cameraman, and son of producer John King.
Gail Herbert, who took the photos,was the Production Assistant on the Golden Oldie Picture Show.
‘The Chequered Flag’ (transmitted in the UK under the title ‘The Power and the Glory’) was an eight part documentary series about the history of motor sport, produced at Pebble Mill, with John Gau productions. This brochure was probably produced to promote its being sold internationally (since the title is different from the UK broadcast title). The series went out in 1991. Thanks to Maggie Humphries from the Film Unit for making the brochure available, and to Alan Duxbury for supplying more information.
Please add a comment if you worked on the series or can add more information about it.