How I Learned to Love Pebble Mill at One

The three-year old version of myself would be horrified by this...

When I was a pre-schooler, there was nothing I looked forward to more than watching the children’s programmes which came on at lunchtime. This, of course, was in the days before children’s television channels ran continuously for a dozen hours a day. Therefore, when the lunchtime SeeSaw slot came round at 1.45pm on BBC1, I was always overjoyed. But it was always tinged by a sense of injustice, mostly that I first had to sit through Pebble Mill at One.

Yes, for around 45 minutes every weekday, before I got to watch Bric-a-Brac and Chock-a-Block, I had to sit and watch Pebble Mill at One as my mother was quite the fan. Obviously, I was being a whiny little brat who thought the world should revolve around them, but what else are three-year-olds supposed to be? And, besides, when you’ve only been alive for a few years, 45 minutes feels like a lifetime.

But that was then (1985/6ish) and now, all these decades later, things have changed. Ever since I started digging through old VHS tapes, I’ve discovered that Pebble Mill at One was a rather cracking piece of daytime television. It all started when I dug up this ancient clip dating from around 1981 of The Flying Karamazov Brothers. Sure, if I’d seen it as a three-year-old, I may have been mildly diverted by it but there’s not quite enough in there to fully charm a child.

Nonetheless, as a man in my late 30s, it appealed to me much more. Taking into account that this was the era of four channels, Pebble Mill at One with its insane embrace of variety (seriously, any programme which features the last ever interview with Arthur Lowe and Morrissey reviewing the latest VHS releases is variety to a tee) was spectacular in what it offered viewers.

And, 35 and a bit years on, it makes for equally intriguing viewing, especially if ephemeral cultural nuggets are what you get up for in the morning. Not only are there looks at ‘cutting edge’ technology, but also celebrity appearances and musical performances by Tom Jones. Truly, there was something for everyone.

Pebble Mill at One made its last broadcast on 23rd May 1986 (the revived Pebble Mill from the 90s wasn't the same, and wasn’t on at 1pm) and, sadly, many editions of the programme are missing from the archives. The three-year-old me would, no doubt, have delighted at all this, but now it feels like a massive shame as, yes, I now love Pebble Mill at One.