Steve Neilsen, Paul Hutchins
Photo from editor Steve Nielsen.
The photo is of the World Rally Championship, probably from 1998, New Zealand. The helicopter is a Squirrel. It features editor Steve Neilsen (left) and cameraman Paul Hutchins from Magpie, the Birmingham based film production company.
Please add a comment if you can add more information, or know who the other people in the photo are.
Photos by John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.
These ‘Top Gear’ photos date from 1977 (with the Lotus Esprit and Porsche 928 photos) and 1982 (with the photo of the Ford Granada). They show early in-car recordings onto 1″ videotape. The recording machine was the VPR5. The camera mounted on the Lotus and Porsche is the Bosch Fernseh, which was one of the first ‘lightweight’ cameras, although it was extremely heavy in reality. The camera mounted on the roof of the Ford Granada is an Ikegami, probably an HL79. It is being operated by Keith Salmon, director David Weir is holding the gun mic and Tony Wass is on the right-hand side. Inside the white Granada, Steve Searly is operating the racks control for the VPR5. John Burkill, VT editor/engineer would have set up the VPR5.
The photos show how cumbersome in-car recording was in the 1970s and 80s in comparison to today, when cameras can be really tiny.
David Weir, Keith Salmon, Tony Wass
The Clothes Show cake
Photos from Ivor Williams, no reproduction without permission.
This cake was made to celebrate the 100th episode of The Clothes Show. Ivor Williams was one of the VT editors who worked on the popular Sunday afternoon fashion magazine show. The spelling of IROV on the cake was an in-joke. The ‘SM’ on the cake, I think stands for Steve May, also a VT editor.
The Clothes Show went out between 1986 and 2000. It was executively produced at Pebble Mill by Roger Casstles. Series producers included Colette Foster and Jane Lomas. The show grew out of ‘Pebble Mill at One’ fashion items, and became a huge brand, leading to the BBC magazine of the same name and the annual ‘Clothes Show Live’ exhibition at the NEC.
Breakfast Time’s Selina Scott and designer Jeff Banks were the series’ first presenters. Other presenters over the years included Caryn Franklin, Tim Vincent, Brenda Emmanus, Richard Jobson, and Margherita Taylor. The show included catwalk and high street fashion, including make-overs. The title music was a remix by Arthur Baker of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘In the Night’ (off the 1986 ‘Disco’ album).
What really set the show apart were the high production values and innovations in digital video editing. The editing team were rewarded with a craft BAFTA award.
Photos by John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.
‘Saturday Night at the Mill’ was a live entertainment show that went out between 1976-81. It was set in the courtyard behind the Pebble Mill foyer (where ‘Pebble Mill at One’ was situated).
An ice rink seems to feature in this episode of ‘Saturday Night at the Mill’, and Bob Langley is the host. Presenter Donny MacLeod is also featured, and it is possibly Anita Harris who is skating.
Please add a comment if you recognise other people in the photos, or can add other details.
Thanks
Vanessa
Saturday Night at the Mill
Transmission Card
This transmission card is from the 1988, 7 part series on BBC 2 following one of the NSPCC’s Child Protection Teams based in Lincoln, as they investigated cases of abuse and neglect towards children. The documentary series was largely observational and involved film crews being on standby to cover emergencies as they unfolded.
Margaret Jay was reporter for the series. The daughter of Labour leader James Callaghan, she followed her television career as Labour spokesperson on Health in the Lords. She was married and then divorced from Peter Jay.
The series was produced by Tamasin Day-Lewis (now best known as a television chef and sister of the actor Daniel Day-Lewis),with photography by Mike Fox and edited by Chris Wade; Sally Ann Lomas was the assistant producer. This thank you note is from the film editor Chris Wade, and thanks the Film Unit office for their helpfulness. Maggie Humphries scheduled and organised the film crews at Pebble Mill, facilitating the programmes based in Birmingham.