Ian Collins – Page 11 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Bollywood or Bust!

Bollywood or Bust! was a studio based Hindi film quiz, which ran on BBC 2 between 1994-6.

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Mo Dutta presented on the series, with Narendhra Morar the executive producer and Denis Gartside the series producer. David Millard was the director of some of the programmes.

Four contestants battled each week to win a holiday to Bombay (now Mumbai), and a trip to Bollywood.

Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing the titles grab.

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

David Millard: ‘David Millard produced and directed the first two series and found Mo Dutta who was the sole presenter – a fabulous show!!’

Maria Needle: ‘I worked on it and I remember several infamous David Millard quotes that I cannot post here!’

Terry Baker: ‘I was Narendhra Morar’s PA so remember this show well.’

Jean Palmer: ‘And I was unit manager for some of that time’

This is a grab from the titles of a gardening show: Ready Steady Grow. I think it was a daytime show, perhaps a quiz or challenge show, probably dating from the early 1990s. Unfortunately I can’t find any details about the show, so if you have any information, please add a comment. Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing the still.

The Bike’s the Star

The Bike’s the Star was a four part series which went out in January and February 2001, repeated in the Autumn. The series was produced by the motoring unit. It was presented by Steve Berry, with Dave Smith, and Dennis Jarvis as the producer/directors. The series looked at different classic motorbikes, including the Harley-Davidson, the Italian Vespa Scooter, the BMW Boxer, and the Triumph Bonneville.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the title grab available.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Peter Poole: ‘Anyone remember Top Gear on radio 5? I think Steve Berry presented. The other presenter was Zog Zeigler.’

Top Gear titles grabs

These title grabs are from one of BBC Pebble Mill’s longest running and most well known series – Top Gear. They date from the 1990s.

The series began as a monthly magazine show in 1977, and ran at Pebble Mill until 2001. It was fronted by a whole host of different presenters over the years, including Jeremy Clarkson, William Woollard, Noel Edmonds and Angela Rippon.

The colour schemes are all suitably macho, as are the design features!

Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing the stills.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Bentley: ‘Sometimes the vehicles for the program were delivered to Pebble Mill and we kept the keys in the Security office. As space on the car park was at a premium we felt duty bound to re-park them of a night. Got to drive some fab motors.’

Gregory Hallsworth: ‘Standing next to the fax machine the day after Clarkson tore into the Vauxhall Vectra was very revealing!’

25 Years of Gardeners’ World – 4 Aug 1994

This titles grab is from the 25th Anniversary edition of Gardeners’ World. The special programme went out on 4th August 1994. The programme was produced by Keith Hayley, and exec produced by John King. It was presented by Geoff Hamilton. This was during the ten year period where Gardeners’ World was made by the independent production company: Catalyst, but it looks like this show was made in-house by BBC Pebble Mill.

Here is the link to the Radio Times listing for the show: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/69dd0c60a4194396bc6f549e1d26aa5f.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the still available.