Caroline Oulton – What Was Pebble Mill?

Inside Out 1985

Photos by Bhasker Solanki, no reproduction without permission

Jim Gray, being assisted by Simon Bennett, on the jib camera in the first and third photo.

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

Gareth Williams: It’s Inside Out from 1985 – Floor Assistant yours truly. Directed by Pedr James and Tony Smith. Costume by Janice Rider and Sally Nieper, produced by Sally Head, Script Ed a very young Caroline Oulton , theme tune Phil Collins. It all goes a bit hazy from there…!

Janice Rider: Lou Wakefield ( bottom R ) seated with back to us , played the lead

Gareth Williams:And Gwyneth Strong, standing, later ‘Cassandra’ in OFAH.

Rachel and the Roarettes

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Above is a press release for Rachel and the Roarettes, which was transmitted on 13th June 1985, at 22.10 on BBC2. It was a musical play, set in a pub, with the time period switching between the 18th Century and the present day. It was Josie Lawrence’s first TV appearance.

Below is the entry from the Radio Times, care of the BBC Genome project:

“A musical play by JUDE ALDERSON continues this
Summer Season of new drama.
A rollicking fantasy with songs and robberies, motorbikes and stagecoaches. A story of wild women in the 18th century and where they are now … !
Musicians RICHARD WOLFSON
ANDREW SAUNDERS
DAVID ADAMS. JULIA PALMER
SIANED JONES
Music by JUDE ALDERSON
Choreography by STUART HOPPS Sound IAN RAE
Lighting BOB CHAPLIN
Script editor CAROLINE OULTON Designer SALLY ENGELBACH Producer ROGER GREGORY Director ROB WALKER BBC Pebble Mill”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/bc24e3d464f74a429200613ab3f300da

Thanks to Roger Gregory for sharing the press release.

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Antonia Bird (1951-2013)

Director, Antonia Bird sadly died last week. She directed the BBC 1, 1988 5 part series, Thin Air from Pebble Mill, a London Hosted production; it stared a young girl called Kate Hardie who is Bill Oddie’s daughter. The drama told the story of Rachel Hamilton, a radio reporter who investigates corruption in the community. It starred James Aubrey, Cristina Avery and Brian Bovell. It was written by Peter Busby and Sarah Dunant, produced by Caroline Oulton, with Steve Saunderson as the lighting cameraman, Amanda Atkinson the designer, and Simon Passmore the script editor.

Antonia Bird was 62 years old, and died of thyroid cancer. She began as a theatre director at the Royal Court and went on to direct Spooks, Cracker and The Village, as well as films: Priest, Face, and Ravenous, all starring Robert Carlyle. She won a TV Bafta for the 1993 single drama Safe, and Care, which was broadcast in 2000.

Below is the transmission card. Thanks to Maggie Humphries for sharing it.

The Fall Out Guy – TX Card by Dave Bushell

TX Card from lighting director Dave Bushell.

“The Fall Out Guy’ was a spy thriller, produced at Pebble Mill by Caroline Oulton and transmitted in 1991. It was a studio drama recorded in Studio A.

The script was written by John Random, with Tony Dennis as script editor. It was directed by Phil Tickell, with Josephine Ward as production associate and Rob Hinds the designer.

The play featured Lou Hirsch, Amanda Boxer, Eugene Lipinski, Maria Charles, Joe Melia, Lex Van Delden, Nicolas Colicos, Mitch Webb, and James Tillitt.

The BFI database summarise the storyline thus:

“Raymond is an overweight, immature chemical engineer, aged 39 and still living with his parents. He is also a spy, and when the FBI begins to close in, he makes a run for it with Danica, a dental receptionist.”

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