Roger Casstles reminisces about BBC Pebble Mill

Specially shot video of Roger Casstles talking about why BBC Pebble Mill was a special place. The video is recorded on Pebble Mill Road, overlooking the site where Pebble Mill stood, and is now a dental hospital. Roger mentions some of the productions that came from Pebble Mill, like Pebble Mill at One, Midlands Today, The Archers, as well as the Midland Radio Orchestra, and being a centre for drama, but tells us that the really important thing was how people worked together, for instance post production working across all productions and the way that Graphics and Set Design departments collaborated with production. Roger Casstles was the creator and producer of The Clothes Show, the fashion magazine series which ran from the 1986-2000.

(The video was shot by BCU Media graduate, Ash Connaughton, with me, (Vanessa Jackson) asking the questions).

Roger Casstles at the site of Pebble Mill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Frizzell: ‘Had some great shoots with Roger in many countries around the world. As always talking a lot of sense. We were all saddened by the closing of ‘The Mill’.

Claire Chambers: ‘As Roger would say “ why answer a question with one word when thousands will do” ! Very well said’

Linda Hearn-Clapham: ‘Very happy memories of recording Hartbeat and The Movie Game at Pebble Mill in the 90’s!’

Gary Williams – Graphics

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

This photo shows Gary Williams, from Graphics, hard at work. Gary was excellent at Astons. The photo is from the 1993. Gary thinks that it was taken in the old News graphics room, when it was round in the main Graphics area. The computer looks like an Abekas A72, or something similar.

The photo was first shared on the Pebble Mill engineers’ Facebook group.

 

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Graphics rostrum camera – Philip Morgan

Photo by Philip Morgan, no reproduction without permission.

Philip Morgan took a series of photos on the viewing day in November 2004, preceding the auction to sell off the fittings at Pebble Mill, before the building was demolished in 2005.

This photo is of the graphics rostrum camera.  The fixed camera was used to take shots of stills from magazines or photographs.  You can also see a couple of redheads to ensure that the lighting was right.