Bob Chaplin – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

The Pickwick Papers

Photo by Neil Wigley, no reproduction without permission.

The Pickwick Papers was a twelve part BBC London drama serial, hosted at Pebble Mill, and transmitted in 1985. The interiors would have been recorded in Studio A.

The series featured Ray Brooks, Nigel Stock, Clive Swift, Jeremy Nicholas, Alan Parnaby and Phil Daniels (shown here, whispering).

The director was Brian Lighthill, Bob Chaplin was lighting director, Myles Lang the designer, Sue Peck the costume designer, and Gill Hughes the make-up designer.

Thanks to the BBC Drama Village for sharing the photo.

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

Ray Holman: ‘This was my very first job at Pebble Mill. I was a dresser in the costume department through the filming and then all the studio days, I looked after Phil Daniels, pictured here.’

Patricia Hodge Robinson: ‘Ditto, Ray! I helped to dress the female extras on studio days or Supporting Artistes as they were called then. My first telly job too!’

Oliver Twist

Photo by Neil Wigley, no reproduction without permission

This publicity still is from the 12 part 1985 BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, which was a London production, hosted at Pebble Mill. The series was directed by Gareth Davies, and produced by Terence Dicks. Alexander Baron was the script writer, with Brian Wright the script editor. Bob Chaplin was the lighting director, Michael Edwards was the production designer, Al Barnett the costume designer and Alastair Askham the sound supervisor, with Mike Bloore the VT editor.

Ben Rodska played Oliver Twist, with Eric Porter as Fagin, and Michael Attwell as Bill Sikes.

Thanks to the BBC Drama Village for making the photo available.

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

Terry Powell: ‘Great show I looked after a young actor playing Olive who now is a pilot for Easy Jet with 2 grown up kids – time does fly’

Carole Haysom: ‘Make up assistant Carole Haysom……Made up Eric Porter, in fact I still have his Fagin teeth’

Carol Churchill: ‘Makeup designer was Susie Bancroft’

Break time on CMCR9

This photo is of break time on the outside broadcast scanner, CMCR9 – Pebble Mill’s first CM1.

The liquid refreshment seems to be beer, as opposed to tea!

Sitting on the stool is Engineering Manager, Bob Chaplin. Bottom left may be Steve Searley. Sitting on the ground, possibly John Allinson. The other man may be Peter Hodges.

Thanks to Janet Collins, John Duckmanton and Jane Maclean for identifying the heads!

Studio Operations (part 2) – Ray Lee

TM’s and EM’s

The studio engineers all worked to the TM’s (Technical Manager). Each studio day had a TM1, who was senior and looked after the studio lighting, and a TM2 who dealt with all the other technical issues, and liaised with the producer and director.

The TM1 was always in the lighting gallery, and the TM2 in the production gallery. Between them they were the final arbiters of technical quality during the production. TM2’s quite often acted as TM1’s and there were quite few movements in the early days, so I cannot be exactly sure who was in post at the time (mid 1970s). Bob Gell and Barry Hill were the main TM1’s, joined soon by Dick Bentley together with TM2’s who I think were Bob Chaplin, Derek Price, John Jevons and later Ron Irvine. They were joined later by George Allen and Barry Chatsfield. (who moved from being a Cameraman to TM fairly early on as I recall).

The two EM’s (Engineering Managers) at that time were Gordon White and John Endall. They were in charge of all technical planning of O.B.’s . Normally only one EM would be allocated to an OB. as there was rarely any major lighting to be done.

Ray Lee

Studio A lighting gallery

Pickwick Papers – photos by Tim Savage

Photos by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

‘Pickwick Papers’ was a BBC drama series from 1985. It was hosted at Pebble Mill. The director was Brian Lighthill, the producer was Barry Letts and the script was written by Terrance Dicks. Bob Chaplin was the lighting designer, Sue Peck and costume designer, Gill Hughes the make-up designer and Myles Lang, the production designer.

The series starred Nigel Stock, Clive Swift (gardening presenter Joe Swift’s father), Jeremy Nicholas, Alan Parnaby, and Colin Douglas.

The first photo features Paul Higton from costume. The subsequent photos show a horse drawn carriage hired for the shoot. The location was a stately home near Telford.

In the carriage photos (l to r): John Couzens (camera) in navy jumper, centre in blue short-sleeved shirt, Elson Godbolt, Dick Bentley, second from right, it is probably David Robinson, to the right of Dick.