February 2015 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Vote for Them group shots

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen (Gus), no reproduction without permission.

These publicity stills are from the BBC2, 1989, three part drama, Vote For Them, by David Edgar and Neil Grant.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider, for sharing the photos.

Here is the Radio Times entry for the second episode, transmitted on 9th June 1989, from the BBC Genome project, which almost certainly contains some of the scenes shown here: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e9decff99d7e467786837144615f5319

‘by DAVID EDGAR and NEIL GRANT
The ‘Music for All’ Forces
Parliament is a great success. A general election is held to decide who should be the Government and who the Opposition. Government
Opposition
Speaker
Civilians
Drama Club
Backbenchers
Present Day
Sound ANDY REDFERN
Lighting BARRY CHATFIELD Executive producer MICHAEL WEARING
Producer CAROL PARKS
Director JAMES ORMEROD BBC Pebble Mill’

If you can add more information about the scenes that these stills are from, please add a comment.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:
Neil Grant (referring to the 3rd photo): ‘David Cardy front row, on the left, and Billy Hartman, the sergeant in the foreground facing away. From an early meeting of the ‘Music for All Parliament’.’
Ian Barber (also referring to the 3rd photo): ‘Looks like Jane Gurnett in the 2nd row’

Maggy Whitehouse joins Radio WM

This cutting is from the March 1984 edition of the Pebble Mill News – the internal Pebble Mill newsletter. It describes presenter Maggy Whitehouse joining the Radio WM drive show, from Hereward Radio, in Peterborough.

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

Maggy Whitehouse: ‘Oh my! Thanks for posting this. God bless the perm!’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Maggy is now a priest , author and stand up comedian and lives in the West of England.’

Louis Robinson: ‘Age shall not weary them – go on, a Mags, what’s a good punchline?’

Maggy Whitehouse: ‘But programme controllers shall wither them…’

Tom O’Connor Roadshow – prop making

Photo by Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

Blue Peter like prop making on the Tom O’Connor Roadshow,
1987.

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

Sarah Dunning: ‘Teresa Olds is the lady on the left but I can’t remember the name of the other. She also worked in the newsroom!’

(The other lady is possibly Vinette Lynch)

‘They Who Dare’

This titles grab is from the extreme sports series, They Who Dare, transmitted on BBC2, in the early evening in 1995-6. The producer was Tony Rayner.

The BBC Genome archive project contains the following Radio Times billing for the first episode:

‘A series of extreme sports – activities as diverse as free falling from the world’s highest waterfall to diving without air or equipment to a world record in the depths of the Red Sea. The first programme features world canoeing champion Shaun Baker jumping his kayak 45 feet into a swirling pool just three feet deep as he pits himself against the torrential Sorba Rapids in the Alps.’ http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/aad16a5e59dd44068971248710ea993b

Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing this titles grab.

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

Sarah Dunning: ‘I think I designed the logo? Gosh forgot all about that one!’

Early editing of drama on videotape

Early drama editing on videotape from pebblemill on Vimeo.

The video above was recorded by Colin Fearnley on 23rd November 2004, which was the last night of editing at Pebble Mill before the building closed. In this video, Steve Critchlow talks about the early editing of drama on videotape. Thanks to Colin for having the foresight to record the editors reminiscing amongst the emptying of champagne flutes.

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

Keith Brook (Scouse): ‘It’s Steve Critchlow. He saved my glittering career a few times. He moved into management in the early 80s and was my boss after I went back to cameras.’

Ray Lee: ‘Sadly now deceased. He and John Lannin pretty much were VT at Pebble Mill in the early 70’s. John amazingly is still alive and I was at a lunch gathering with him yesterday, reminiscing about old times.’

Herbie Donnelly: ‘A gent of the first order and a pleasure to deal with.’