Lynn Cullimore – Page 6 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Timesheet – Reaching for the Skies

Charles White’s timesheet

This timesheet is from Charles White, who was involved in the post-production of the documentary series: Reaching for the Skies, a history of flight. The twelve part series was transmitted in Sept-Nov 1988. It was a co-production with John Gau Productions, the series producer was Ivan Rendall, with different episodes being produced and directed by different people, including Tony Salmon and Dennis Adams. The editors included Greg Miller and Mike Duxbury.

The timesheet shows an over 80 hour week for Charles, meaning that he would have accrued an awful lot of overtime payments, or time off in lieu!

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

Jane Green: ‘I have my Clothes Show and Howards’ Way timesheets. 20 hours days filming – no joke!’

Ruth Barretto: ‘I can remember the days when I used to process all of productions timesheets and Expenses. 4 consecutive days in excess of 12 hours and on the 5th day 4 hours then you earn a day off in lieu…. Oh so sad that i still remember that!!!’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I can imagine the hours as it was a big production. I worked on it for a few days filming at RAF Coningsby on tornadoes. It was fantastic.’

Victoria Trow: ‘Long hours? Over 100 one week on the dreaded Witchcraft. But nobody ever minded over time – time and a half + less than 10hr break….. Those were the days. My first job at Pebble Mill – in a portakabin with Fiona Haigh syncing up the rushes.’

Mark Heslop: ‘108 hrs on same series, unfortunately no proof, but everybody worked stupid hours on that programme.’

Rosalind Gower: ‘I’m still rather horrified he was scheduled a 60 hour week! I know we all worked crazy hours when we had to but it does seem very wrong that he was officially down to work for five consecutive days of 12 hours per day, big production or not.’

Studio B Gallery

Photo by John Doidge, no reproduction without permission.

I think that this photo is of the production gallery of Studio B circa late 1980s.

Studio B was the where Midlands Today was produced, but it was also used by many other programmes, e.g. Network East. The gallery was set up to take up to four studio cameras, and up to six outside sources.

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

Jane Green: ‘I vision mixed that desk, did some ‘sound duties’ too, and directed Midlands Today from there. OMG – it looks ancient now. I do remember though – the Technical Manager who sat to the left of the picture, who always had the last say on whether an item could be broadcast or not due to its technical quality – and I had stories dropped because the pictures were not 100% ok. How times have changed!’

Richard Murrell: ‘Yes Jane, I have been imagining how some of the old TM’s would have reacted to Skype video or mobile telephone interviews!’

Peter Poole, added the following photo of Studio B in the 1990s – notice the advent of computers, and updated phones!

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Rosalind Gower: ‘I remember this gallery pre computers. Directing Midlands Today was a but of a hairy experience as we had to do our own vision mixing as well!’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I remember being in there , especially doing Midlands Today and lots of regional TV as the production assistant. Memories.’

Stuart Gandy: ‘This is after the 1985 major refurb, but before Basis arrived, I think around 1990. This was also before the era of computer control. The control panels above the vision mixer controlled the sources on the Probel Matrix which fed the monitors, viewfinders etc, Later on in the early 90s computers took over this function, and one of the first instances of this was the control system built by John Macavoy, for the graphics sources, using Windows 3.11. What a shame we can’t quite read the screen of the presfax monitor bottom left, this would show the exact date.’

Pebble Mill at One 1976

This photo of the Pebble Mill at One presenters was taken on the area just by the bridge at the front of the foyer studio, on September 7th 1976. Included, left to right are: Donny Macleod, Marian Foster, Bob Langley, Jan Leeming and David Seymour.

Thanks to Gary Jordan for sharing the photograph.

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

Robert Greaves: ‘What a great picture. Pebble Mill at One was always a good reason to miss first period of afternoon school! Marian was always the most professional yet homely – I often wonder what she did after Pebble Mill.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Such memories of those days and lovely Donny who died.’

Sue Westwood: ‘I loved Pebble Mill at One. My neighbour made the cake for the final programme.’

Steve Weddle: ‘That was the year I joined the production team as a researcher on PM at One. I was lucky to work with a really great line-up of presenters, and a brilliant editor called Terry Dobson, who virtually invented the daytime magazine show.’

John Wood dies aged 83

(The following article is taken from the Birmingham Post, 4th March 2014)

Tributes paid after former BBC journalist dies
4 Mar 2014 07:00

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

John Wood, who had been suffering with diabetes-related problems for several years, rose to Chief Press and Public Relations Officer at Pebble Mill after starting his career with the corporation in London in the 1950s.

Former Birmingham journalist John Wood, who worked for the BBC for 25 years, has died, aged 83.

Mr Wood, who had been suffering with diabetes-related problems for several years, rose to Chief Press and Public Relations Officer at Pebble Mill after starting his career with the corporation in London in the 1950s.

He eventually retired from the corporation in 1983.

Educated at Aston Commercial School, Birmingham, he began his career as a trainee reporter with the Birmingham Post and Mail in January 1947 and later worked at the Cannock Advertiser and Wolverhampton Chronicle.

His daughter Kerrie Tillott said: “His spirit of adventure and passion for writing took him further afield and, at the very young age of 22, he left England for a job as a reporter on the East African Standard newspaper in Nairobi, Kenya.

“His service with the East African Standard included the whole period of the Mau Mau rebellion.

“He was able to carry out his National Service in the Kenya Police Reserve and later on in the Kenya Regiment, the King’s African Rifles.

“He joined one of the two reserve regiments of the Special air Service, the 23rd Regiment, in 1957 as a trooper, and rose to captain before retiring in 1972.

“He also served as a member of the Parachute Regiment.

“In 1970, he returned to Kenya, this time with his wife and family on secondment from the BBC, to take up a position with the Kenyan Radio and Television counterpart to the BBC, Voice of Kenya, in Nairobi.

“Upon his return to England in 1973 he went to Pebble Mill.”

After leaving the BBC, he worked as a freelance journalist, including spells with the Post and Mail and Walsall Chamber of Commerce.

John, who lived in Walsall, leaves a wife Elaine, two daughters and four grandchildren.

His funeral has been arranged for March 18 at Streetly Crematorium at 1.30pm.

http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/creative/tributes-paid-after-former-bbc-6767611

(Thanks to Andy Marriott for sharing this article)

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

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I worked with John in the Press Office – one of my early jobs in the BBC. John was a loveable rogue. He was kind and us girls whom he called “Woodie’s Angels” adored him. Always had his sleeves rolled up and a great friend of Phil Sideys who did same. Both journalists together. I send my condolences to his family and think of him fondly – so sad he is no longer with us.’

Network East

Netw0rk East was an Asian magazine show dating from the late 1980s and 1990s it included a mix of dance, music and other items about British Asian life. It had various presenters including Mo Dutta, Sonia Doel, Sanjeev Kohli, Rajesh Mirchandani and Shyama Perera. Narendhra Morar was the series editor in the late 1980s, with John Wilcox being the Executive Producer.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making this title grab available.

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

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I worked in that department with Narendra! I remember it well. Mainly because everyone in that department shared everthing – if they went to the canteen for a Kit Kat it was shared amongst us all. I particularly remember the music programmes as the artists had no idea of timing and just played on and on until we had to just cut in and stop it! So funny. Oh happy days.’

Victoria Trow: ‘Narendra Morar was Series Producer. Lots of talented people covered not only music but all kinds of topics of interest to the Asian Community. I was asst editor on The Bollywood Story (never repeated I fear because of copyright issues, clearances were hell) and also a researcher on a lovely piece about a group of Sikhs who had fought in WW2 going to Belgium for a commemoration of their fathers & uncles who had fought in WW1. Great days.’

Ruth Barretto: ‘Paresh Solanki also worked on the programme when Narendra left. It was one of the best departments I ever worked in. It was like one big happy family. I worked on it when Sonia Sangha (Deol) and Sanjeev Kohli were the presenters. Real fun times.’

Peter Poole: ‘I worked on it many times in Studio B. Studio links, interviews and music were recorded. For larger music recordings Studio A was used. In the 1990’s the programme featured contemporary Asian pop music.’