Pebble Mill Studios
Pebble Mill Studios was the BBC's television studio complex located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, which served as the headquarters for BBC Birmingham from 1971 until 2004. The nine-acre site was opened by Princess Anne on 10 June 1971, and in addition to the studios contained two canteens, a post office, gardens, a seven-storey office block, and an outside broadcasting base.
As well as being the home of Midlands Today and BBC Radio WM, programmes produced at Pebble Mill included Pebble Mill at One, The Archers, Top Gear, Doctors, Telly Addicts, Howards' Way, Juliet Bravo and Gardeners' World.
Pebble Mill Studios closed in 2004 and was demolished in September 2005; BBC Birmingham is now located in The Mailbox shopping complex in Birmingham city centre.
Early history
In the 1950s, BBC Midlands was based in offices on Carpenter Road, Edgbaston. The news studio was in a separate building in Broad Street, which remained in operation until 1971. In the same complex, the studios also recorded drama productions in the former Delicia Cinema in Gosta Green. Over time, these studios were too small for the expanding region and were hampered by being spread out across Birmingham.A change in BBC policy created the BBC Regions, based in Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast. These locations were created as 'National Production Centres', to produce television and radio productions for the areas in which they covered. Pebble Mill was designed to be an addition to London's Wood Lane Television Centre.
The lease for the site was acquired from the Calthorpe Estate on a peppercorn rent by the BBC. Plans for Pebble Mill were approved in 1967. This followed construction of the studios, which was designed by John Madin, founder of the John Madin Design Group.
The site was built by Taylor Woodrow Construction.
Television facilities
The original plan was to have a light entertainment studio a regional news studio and a drama studio which was to be similar in size to TC6 at Television Centre.Studio A
Studio A was the main studio in size, with three separate control rooms looking onto the studio floor: a production gallery, a joint vision/lighting gallery and sound control gallery.The studio opened with EMI 2001 cameras and was host to many programmes from London and locally produced programmes. Around 1982 the studios were rebuilt with more modern equipment and A was equipped with Link Electronics Ltd five 125 colour cameras and a pair of Ikegami HL79D portable cameras. The studio also found itself with a Grass valley Group 1600 series vision mixer and a Rank Strand Galaxy lighting console.
During the early 1990s, the BBC technical resource department toured the UK's other BBC, ITV and Channel 4 studios to find new cameras to replace the ageing Link Electronics Ltd 125 colour cameras. Sony Broadcast BVP-370 and 70Isp's were chosen following a side-by-side shoot-out from all the big-name manufacturers and against the advice of the London head of engineering. Also, during this period all asbestos was removed from the studio, gallery spaces and the air plant.
In November 1997, work began again on a major refurbishment of the studio, which included a production control room and a re-equipped sound control room. This £2.2 million upgrade took nine weeks and Studio A re-opened by the end of February 1998 as a fully digital widescreen facility – one of the first in the BBC.
Studio B
Studio B was for local news and sport programmes and was 40 × 25 ft in size. It had a combined control gallery with lighting, vision, production and sound all sited next to each other. This studio was used primarily for Midlands Today but also produced Network East and other regional programmes.Studio B was located on the first floor looking out over the central quadrangle. There was a cargo lift close to the studio doors but there was a very tight right-angle turn to get into the studio.
Next to the studio was the presentation suite that was used for short morning and evening news opt-outs. Originally control facilities were provided by Studio B's galleries but in the early 1990s a new presentation suite was built into spare space and provided an island studio with its own full production/lighting/sound control gallery.
Studio C (proposed)
Part of the original plan for the complex was for a second large Drama Studio with the same size as Television Centre's TC6 Studio. It would have had dimensions of 70 feet by 92 feet. It was intended to have it sit next to Studio A with the original TAR /Dimmer Room separating them and a slightly wider scenic workshop behind.When the circular multi-story car park, with its entrance from Bristol Road, got axed due to costs the BBC had decided not to add the extra studio space as well.
The Foyer/Studio C
The studio complex was originally intended to have a third 'drama' studio – but this never materialised. Instead, the main foyer became Studio C, as space was needed for the daytime magazine programme Pebble Mill at One.The new studio was built into the real life 'foyer' which had to have its suspended ceiling removed and a scaffold lighting rig installed. Audience seating replaced the reception desk and interview seating installed by the main windows. Pebble Mill at One ended in 1986 but in 1988 its almost identical replacement Daytime Live was launched. It used the same format as Pebble Mill at One and used similar content.
In 1992, Good Morning with Anne and Nick replaced Daytime Live. Construction of a conservatory studio within the courtyard area was completed and was used for cooking items and interviews. The series ended in 1996 and Nick Owen became the main anchor on Midlands Today.
The daytime drama series Doctors was made between 2000 and 2004. The windows of the foyer were blacked out which was used to record the series; by then Studio A had closed. Doctors also used an additional space – radio Studio 1.
Presentation Suite
Next door to Studio B was the presentation suite that was used for short morning and evening news opt-outs. It could be entered directly by either a door from Studio B or from the outside corridor.Original control facilities were provided by Studio B's galleries but in the 1980s re-fit it gained its own control console and lighting. In the early 1990s a new presentation suite was built into spare space next pres. and provided an island studio with its own full production/lighting/sound control gallery and could operate a full daytime programme lineup of Studio B, C and Pres.
CAR/TAR (Central Apparatus Room/Technical Apparatus Room)
During the 1970s until the general refit in 1983 TAR was part of the technical rooms suite on the first floor adjoining Studio A. This area housed the 'Line Up' desks for Studio A and B, as well as a maintenance area, the dimmer room for the studio production lighting systems and TV signal generation equipment.When the 1983 refit began it was decided that a Central area should be built combining both Studio A and B's island desks and the new Studio C area. The new CAR/TAR was in the comms area which had shrunk due to new technology making switching even more compact. Around the late 1980s early 1990s Comms Centre moved again giving Services Department a new centralised service centre in the old vacant comms centre. The new services area contained work benches for all the disciplines, a camera test area and a small mechanical workshop.
Rehearsal space
At the rear of the Outside Broadcast base was a small studio space called BORIS. This space was used as a rehearsal room and for a brief period of time using Studio C's gallery, was used for the early Sunday morning Farming programme which later on became Countryfile, presented by John Craven who had just stopped presenting Newsround and latterly as office space and storage.Green room
The green room was part of an extension into open space by the driveway to the rear car park. This new extension included workshop space for the TV lighting department, an extension to the graphics department, production design and the green room for the daytime programmes produced at Pebble Mill.Post production, design, costume and make-up
Post production
The centre was also home to the largest and most advanced BBC post-production departments outside London, including six VT edit suites, two dubbing suites, a small viewing screen and a multitude of Avid non-linear suites. Following the 1983 refit a vast Graphics centre was opened in the old site of TAR and contained Aston caption generators, Rank Cintel Slide Files, Quantel Paintbox and Harry's and other graphic systems.Costume
The Wardrobe/Costume department had its home in the studios central basement area just below the long glazed front window. There was a large work room with another work room containing cutting tables and sewing machines. There was also an office with several dressing rooms either side. There were also several large extras dressing rooms in the basement.Design
Production Design Department had design offices in the central tower block until moving in the early 1990s to a new extension on spare land next to the road to the rear car park.There were offices and work rooms for set and prop design located to the rear of the extension near to the construction workshop. On the ground floor were several props cages which contained all manner of items, even a Dalek.