Category: Factual

Afro-Caribbean Unit – photo Bev Dartnall

Afro Caribbean Unit girls

Photo by Bev Dartnall, no reproduction without permission.

Pebble Mill was the home of BBC multicultural programming for many years, including the Asian Programmes Unit, and the Afro Caribbean Unit.  The Afro Caribbean Unit made programmes like the weekly magazine series: ‘Ebony’, which went out in the 1980s, presented by Vastiana Belfon amongst others.

Director, Sharon Pemberton adds the following information:

“The photo was actually taken whilst the ‘Multicultural Progs Unit was based in the famous ‘portacabin’. (Freezing in winter, boiling in summer!)

The gals in the photo are:

Back L-R) Victoria Trow (from editing) Annie Jenkins (from graphics) Sharon Pemberton, Sarah Costigan, Beverley Dartnall, Ann Holmes, Trudi Cresser
(Front L-R)Jo Mainwearing, Anna Umbima, Vastiana Belfon, Rosemary Boateng and Mary Gregory.

We made three major series for BBC2 during the 1990′s – ‘Black Britain’, ‘Black on Europe’ and ‘Africa – Out of Darkness’.
All ground-breaking stuff, although I don’t think I realised it at the time.”

 

RAC Rally – photo from Maggie Humphries

Ian Churchill & Keith Froggatt

Photo from Maggie Humphries (Film Unit).

This photo is from the Lombard RAC Rally (probably from 1983), it features cameramen Ian Churchill (left) and Keith Froggatt (right).  BBC Pebble Mill used to cover the RAC Rally each year, and produce a daily report from the Rally, called the Top Gear Rally Report.

World Rally – Steve Neilsen’s photo

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.

Top Gear – John Burkhill’s photos

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 100th episode – Ivor William’s photos

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.