Drama – Page 94 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Days at the Beach – photos by Willoughby Gullachsen

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission.

‘Days at the Beach’ was a BBC 2 Playhouse drama transmitted in 1981. It was produced by David Rose at BBC Pebble Mill, and written and directed by Malcolm Mowbray. It was filmed on location in Wales. Set in 1920, the story follows three soldiers: Sergeant Major Globe, Corporal Mumford and Private Tobe as they guard an unexploded mine washed up on the beach.

The film was edited by Chris Rowlands and Bob Jacobs was the location manager, and John Kenway the Director of Photography.

It starred Mark Aspinall as Private Tobe, Sam Kelly as Sergeant Major McGlobe, Stephen Wale as Corporal Mumford and Julie Walters as Mrs Morgan.

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Thin Air – photos by Les Podraza

Photos by Les Podraza, no reproduction without permission.

Thin Air was a 5 part thriller which went out on BBC 1 in 1988. The story follows a young investigative reporter, Rachel Hamilton, who works for a local radio station. Rachel stumbles into a world of new money, new drugs and new buildings down by the river as birthday celebrations at her radio station are violently disrupted.

The serial starred Linda Robson, Philip Croskin, Brian Bovell, Sam Kelly and Kevin McNally. It was written by Peter Busby ad Sarah Dunant, produced by Caroline Oulton and directed by Antonia Bird. Andy Roberts wrote the music for the serial.

The serial was produced in London but hosted out of Pebble Mill. Steve Saunderson was the lighting cameraman, Simon Passmore the script editor and Amanda Atkinson the designer. Les Podraza was a member of the scene crew.

Thin Air TX Card

Shalom Salaam – photos from Gus and Bev Dartnall

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen (Gus), with team photo from Bev Dartnall. No reproduction without permission.

The drama was written and directed by Gareth Jones, and produced at Pebble Mill by Chris Parr. The 1989 series follows the story of two culturally different families who become intertwined when a Jewish boy (John Cater) and a Muslim girl (Mamta Kaash) fall in love whilst at college. Much of the filming was on location in Leicester. Zia Mohyeddin, Charlotte Cornwell and Buki Armstrong also featured.

The crew photo features: left-to-right Elson Godbolt (Vision Engineer), Don Cooper (Camera Supervisor), Tim Everett (sound), Colin Fearnley (VT Engineer), Dave Bushell (Lighting Director) and Bob Jacobs (1st AD).

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Artemis 81

Photos from Bob Jacobs (production manager) and Jenny Brewer (production assistant), no reproduction without permission.

Written by David Rudkin, produced at Pebble Mill by David Rose and directed by Alastair Reid, Artemis 81 was an epic drama lasting over 3 hours. It was broadcast on 29th Dec 1981 and follows a paranormal writer, Gideon Harlax (Hywel Bennett) who becomes involved in a cosmic battle for the future of mankind between an angel of light and an angel of death.

It was a star studded cast with Hywel Bennett, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sting, Dinah Stabb, Dan O’Herlihy and Anthony Steel.

The drama was originally conceived as a Danish co-production, which is why there was location filming in Denmark, as well as on a North Sea ferry and in Oxford.

Artemis 81 is available on DVD.

Cast and Crew of Artemis 81

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The Heart of the Country 1987

Photos by

Willoughby Gullachsen and others, no reproduction without permission.

The ‘Heart of the Country’ was a four part series by Fay Weldon set in Somerset which was broadcast in spring 1987. It was produced at Pebble Mill by Roger Gregory and directed by Brian Farnham and starred Jacqueline Tong as Sonia, a mother struggling on her own with two young children. The cast also included Christian Bale. The climax of the series comes at the Glastonbury Carnival (shown in the last photo), with a fire and the death of one of the characters. Bob Jacobs was 1st A.D., Dave Doogood was the DOP, with Dave Evans assisting (shown in the photo with the paddling pool) and Chris Reynolds did special effects.Save