Radio Birmingham, Radio Car

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

The photo shows the Radio Birmingham, Radio Car.  It probably dates from the mid 1970’s. The line  up is made up of the station’s news team.  According to producer/presenter Pete Simpkin, it includes (L to R): Chris Phipps,Stuart Woodcock, Nick Owen, Angela Jameson, Annie Gumbley, Jim Rosenthal, then the late Andy Roberts news producer, a newsroom Secretary who’s name escapes me,Roger Moody and Martin Henfield.  Angela Jameson was the Newsroom Secretary and married to the Warks cricketer John Jameson. Martin Henfield went on to become News Editor Radio Birmingham, Roger Moody went to satellite TV.

Thanks to Annie Gumbley for making the photograph available.

Pebble Mill Pantomime – from Annie Gumbley

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This photo shows the cast of a pantomime performed by members of the Pebble Mill staff. The pantomime was the Pied Piper which was a BBC Drama Club production and the show was put on at Cadburys.

The photo includes Pat Wareham, Ann Gumbley, Susie ?, Wendy Nelson, Annie ?, Polly Brain, Elaine Hercombe, Jane Hyde, and Jayne Savage.

Thanks to Annie for making the photo available.

Jayne Savage (on the right with the long hair), remembers the club well:

“Drama Club productions were a regular thing – I would say annually during the early/mid 70s. The first one I can remember was a review which included tiller girls and a very energetic can can which was performed at the Crescent Theatre. Rather worryingly I don’t remember Pied Piper! The production that stands out for me was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat which ran for several nights at Cadbury’s and then had 2 performances at Malvern. The final one I think was How to Succeed in Business… at the Old Rep. Rita Cashmore who choreographed was brilliant at organising a very ‘mixed’ collection of dancers. Anybody who wanted to take part could, and it was a lot of fun.”

Gail Herbert was also a keen Drama Club member:

“I used to be involved with some of these epics. I remember being the back end of the cow in Godspell – Peter Hercombe was at the front! We trod the boards at Malvern I seem to remember. Real laugh.”

Radio Birmingham Newsroom – photo from Annie Gumbley

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

The photo is of the Radio Birmingham Newsroom.  It probably dates from 1974, judging by the calendar, phones and the haircuts!  It includes: Peter Perks, Jim Rosenthal, Stuart Woodcock, Michael Woodhead and Bob Sinkinson.

Thanks to Annie Gumbley-Williams for making the photos available.

Birmingham producer/presenter Pete Simpkin adds the following comment:

“Fascinating picture because it shows just how similar Radio Newsrooms in those days were to newspaper office layouts………just phones and typewriters……….no sign of any technology……….any tape recorders and editing machines were hidden away behind pillars and in corners.
When the Newsroom moved upstairs under ten years later the whole design was more like what we now know as technology led with tape and recording facilities much more in evidence and visible…….there were cart machines in the duty editors workstation and there was even a dedicated broadcast studio in the newsroom.”

Radio Birmingham, Pete Simpkin – photo from Annie Gumbley

Photo from Annie Gumbley, no reproduction without permission.

This photo shows producer and presenter, Pete Simpkin ready for action in the Radio Birmingham radio studio!

Pete adds the following information about the photo:

“This was in the late 70s and the studio was built to meet the demands for more production space as Radio birmingham continued to grow. I presented the Mid morning Show from here.

The studio was constructed in what was the Education producer’s Office…… It was equipped with some ex-Midland Region equipment due to the cunning of the then Engineer in Charge the late Stuart Miller and had the latest……for the time…..TV studio style C29 microphones. Famous people who squeezed into the studio with me included Roy Hudd, Cliff Richard, Johnny Nash and Minister of Droughts and Floods Birmingham MP Dennis Howell. Pat Mellor did the first Yoga by radio in here and I actually fell asleep during a live Yoga relaxation broadcast being awoken by a kick from Pat. Many journalists put together their ‘packages’ here in the days before the news operation moved totally to the Local Newsroom.”