Pebble Mill – Page 12 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Brown Paper Bag – Michael Baig Clifford

Brown Paper Bag, copyright Michael Clifford, no reproduction without permission

Post producing Brown Paper Bag at Pebble Mill was a sublime experience. By that time I’d done a few pieces of work in the edit suites there, most of which, funnily enough were not BBC productions. The view from the outside was that it was more expensive than going elsewhere but, if you had it in the budget, it would be worth it. My main feeling, every time I went into edits there was one of safety, the feeling that no matter what was about to be thrown at the post production team, me included, everything would be alright!

Anyway, the good news for Brown Paper Bag was that BBC Post Production became partners in the project, led by Shirley O Mara and Trevor West, god bless ’em! Prior to Brown Paper Bag we’d made Bouncer, which editor Stephen Killick did in his spare time due to his BBC commitments and the lack of cash. That was nominated for a BAFTA and naturally when it came to Brown Paper Bag I wanted to work with Stephen again. He suggested approaching BBC post production to become partners in the project. Which they did and it was awesome. The funny thing was though that, having edited Bouncer at weekends, I’d discovered the benefits of breathing spaces during an edit which allowed thinking time. I asked Shirley and Stephen if we could ‘artificially’ break up the BPB edit in order to introduce that same thinking time that had happened by accident on Bouncer. They obliged the request and away we went.

Stephen had lots of fun creating sound fx with glasses and slo mo, which worked really well. We mostly stuck to the script but I think we cut one or two of the early scenes to move things forward. One of my biggest memories was the dub. Fiona did a fantastic job. We had no music in the piece apart from the credits, so voices and atmos had to carry the film. The work that Fiona did in track laying quite simply changed the film, even before it was mixed, it was brilliant the way she pulled the voices out in particular. It’s always hard to tell what you’ve got when you’re editing and got your nose to the screen but I think it was at that point (and the first time I read the script of course) that I realised we had something special.

And here’s a couple of lines from Stephen!

“Brown Paper bag. I remember needing copious amount of comedy viewing when I got home to remind me that life isn’t always as dark as the story I was editing.”

Michael Clifford

Cliff Richard with Marie Phillips

The photo is of Cliff Richard with Marie Phillips, the ‘Children in Need’ co-ordinator for the Midlands Region, who was retiring. Cliff was a regular supporter of ‘Children in Need’ charities, and often took time out of his schedule to do charity work for Marie, whenever he was up in Birmingham for shows like ‘Pebble Mill’.

Marie adds the following information:

‘Cliff was recording ‘Call my Bluff’ and my friends including Royston Horsley, made sure I was in the audience, which I was thrilled about of course. At the end of the recording lovely Royston made sure I stayed in my seat and Cliff came into the audience holding a single red rose and a signed card saying, “Someone is retiring” I squeaked “It’s Me !” He handed me the rose and card – AND a Kiss, took my hand and led me onto the Studio Floor for lots of photos to be taken of me and him. There you are – fifteen years ago and I remember every detail. I still have the rose and card.’

Pebble Mill letterhead

Here’s the ‘BBC in the Midlands’ letterhead for Pebble Mill, courtesy from Giles Herbert.

This version of the BBC logo dates from 1988, and was designed by Michael Peters. The BBC wanted a stronger corporate brand image, for use on and off air. The design harks back to earlier BBC logos, but with slanted boxes. The three colours represent the phosphors of a colour television (the primary colours of light).

Pebble Mill in the Snow

Photos from Gav Yarnold, no reproduction without permission.

Here are some photos of Pebble Mill in the snow from 2004.

The second photo in the Pebble Mill Club includes Sharuna Sagar, Midlands Today weather presenter, Shefali Oza, Karen Kenworthy and Nigel Craze.

The third photo is of Gav Yarnold at work.

The following comments were added on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Jane Ward: ‘Reminds me of my first day at Pebble Mill…. Departmental meeting in Geoffrey Hewitt’s office ( in one of those offices off the front corridor between Reception and the Network Radio complex/foyer…. Looking out to a snowy Pebble Mill Road. 16th Feb 1987…’

Peter Poole: ‘In snowy weather most of the Pebble Mill at One audience did not arrive. A call went out for staff to fill the audience area.’

Alan Bentley: ‘I did a 30 hour shift there as no one could get in or out, can’t remember the date.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Reminds me of a great snow in the early eighties when I walked the 7 miles from Shirley to PM to do my afternoon programme phoning in travel news from call boxes on the way. Must have been mad, they don’t do things like that any more!’

Lindsay Doyle: ‘It is Sharuna in the picture, it was January 2004, the night we were snowed in, Pershore and Bristol Roads blocked. I had filmed the lead story for Midlands Today and had to abandon the car half way down Bristol Road and totter in high heels, slipping and sliding at 1730 in a desperate attempt to get back to edit it, fun times.’

Pebble Mill model

Thanks to Pauline Pearson for making this cutting from Ariel available, and for keeping it safe!

The photo is a model of the Pebble Mill building before it opened in 1971.

Included left to right are: John Grantham (Engineer, Services), Tony Pilgrim (Management, Communication and Engineering Services), Pauline Pearson (Producer’s Assistant, ‘The Doctors’), P. Hodges (Engineer, Services), E.R. Deighton (Head of Programme Services and Engineering), Ruth Taylor (Secretary to Head of Regional Television Development), Alan Rees (H.N.P.C.)(pointing out areas of the building), J.M.N. MacQueen (Head of Personnel and Finance).

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

Ruth Barretto: ‘Collette Foster (who became a series producer on The Clothes Show) used to work for Tony Pilgrim and then George Henson took over the job of Manager Communication & Engineering Services (MCES). I used to work for John Grantham – (not in 71 but back in 83).’

Mike Workman: ‘Points of note, multi-storey carpark on the left of that image wasn’t completed, Studio C not shown in that image wasn’t built due to the substation and the front entrance didn’t protrude as much from the building!’

Stuart Gandy: ‘My goodness, they all look so young. John Grantham was one of the first people I ever met at Pebble Mill. This was early in 1979 when I went for my preliminary interview for the post of Technical Assistant. I remember he recommended a particular book to read on electronics. It must have worked because later that year I met him again on the formal selection board which got me the job. Then when I first started at Pebble Mill in early 1980, in TV ops, Peter Hodges was by then a Vision Super who I worked with for a while, always ensuring that high standards of picture output were maintained.’