David Short – What Was Pebble Mill?

When the Queen visited Pebble Mill

With the sad death of the Queen, I was reminded of her 1981 visit to Pebble Mill. This was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the building. Here are a couple of shots of her visit to Pebble Mill at One. Pebble Mill at One deputy editor, Jim Dumighan showed her around.

The Queen visiting the Pebble Mill at One foyer studio in 1981. Photo from Keith Brook.

The Queen visiting Pebble Mill in 1981

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

Stephen Hawkins: My Mother, Joyce Hawkins, who was Head of the Costume Department, has asked me to state that “In advance of the Queens visit HM named one person she would like to meet. That person was George Collins, a dresser in the costume dept. Much to the genuine surprise of everyone. They had a private conversation.

David Short: I had just joined Pebble Mill as a camera assistant and worked on the Royal visit.

Norman McLeod: Fortunate to be presented in Radio Studio 1. Charmed as everyone was. Palpable memories still treasured together with the pictures, which I am still searching for! Requiescat in Pace.

Harold Rich: As she passed me and my musicians she turned and said “Are you the backing?”

Gillian Lynne

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission. Gillian Lynne directing Barbara Kellerman, with Bob Jacobs floor managing behind.

Gillian with cameraman David Short

The choreographer and director, Gillian Lynne has died aged 92.

“Quite a lot of us will remember working with her at Pebble Mill. I was her Production Assistant on MORTE D’ARTHUR, an extraordinary piece produced by Robin Midgley and performed by John Barton, RSC, with Jeremy Brett and Barbara Kellerman in the leads. A strong mix of narration with the tableaux painted by a mixed bag of actors and dancers including Sir Anton Dolin.”

Jenny Brewer

Here is a link to Gillian Lynne’s obituary on the BBC website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44677722

Here is the entry for Morte D’Arthur from the Radio Times (transmitted 5th May 1984), from the BBC Genome project:

Morte D’Arthur

by SIR THOMAS MALORY edited by JOHN BARTON
Malory’s prose masterpiece was written in 1470 while he was imprisoned in Newgate Jail. He wove together the many legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and created the great romantic story of Arthur, the sword Excalibur, the treachery of his son Mordred, and the love of Lancelot for Arthur’s Queen Guenevere, which has inspired painters, poets and writers throughout the centuries. and Music composed by STEPHEN OLIVER Costume ANN ARNOLD
Make-up SUSIE BANCROFT Lighting PETER BOOTH Designer GAVIN DAVIES
Produced by ROBIN MIDGLEY
Devised and directed by GILLIAN LYNNE

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/14c0be58416840708647d6087c2fb6af

Dead Head

The BBC Pebble Mill drama series Dead Head is released on DVD on 15 April 2013. The film was edited by John Rosser with the video edited by Ivor Williams.

Dead Head was a four part thriller, with Denis Lawson as a small time criminal who gets mixed up with a grizzly murder. It was originally transmitted on BBC2 from 15 Jan 1986- 5 Feb 1986. The four parts were, Episode 1: Why Me?, Episode 2: Anything for England, Episode 3: The War Room and Episode 4: The Patriot.

The team included: Rob Walker (director), Robin Midgley (producer), Howard Brenton (script), Dave Bushell (lighting), Gavin Davies (designer), Kathryn Ayerst (costume), Vivien Oldham (make-up), Richard Hartley (music).

Thanks to Neil Roberts for spotting the release.

The following comment was added by camerman David Short on the Pebble Mill Facebook group: ‘Remember working as a camera assistant on it. I think Keith Salmon was the Senior Cameraman. Possibly the last thing I worked on before moving to TV Centre.’

Malcolm Carr demonstrates the EMI 2001 camera

Cameraman Malcolm Carr demonstrates the EMI 2001 camera from pebblemill on Vimeo.

Specially shot video with cameraman Malcolm Carr demonstrating the EMI 2001 studio and outside broadcast camera. The camera dates from the 1970s, and was a favourite amongst cameramen.

The camera was on display at a history of communication technology exhibition held at Salford University in October 2012.

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

Peter Poole: ‘I used these cameras when on attachment to Norwich as a Tech Op. Like most of their equipment they were in poor condition. I spent hours trying to line them up. But the pictures still looked poor. I was glad to get back on sound!’

Alan Griffiths: ‘Nobody seemed to mind if you spent two days lining them up properly. Nowadays there would be an inquisition if it took that long!’

David Short: ‘Used this camera at TV Centre. A cameraman’s camera, if ever there was one. Everything in the ‘right’ place. A joy to operate.’

Keith Brook: ‘Well done Malcolm, good demo. If I may add a comment.

Probably because of time, he missed an important point about the shot box and its use on drama.

There were six buttons, with the ‘middle’ four generally set-up to represent ‘natural’ lens angles, 9deg, 18deg, 24deg and 36deg which gave you CU, MCU, MS and MLS. All the cameras, each day, were set up on the same chart.

In a fast cutting sequence, this was the only way to accurately change shot sizes and still match the other cameras.

Without that shot box, we wouldn’t have been able to shoot drama anywhere near the standard we did. For example, we did Poldark, a 50′ costume drama, in 50′. Yes, really. Manually zooming would have created so many retakes that the rhythm of the drama would have been lost, the momentum would have gone and we’d have been there all night.

Incidentally, those lens angles, 9deg etc, were exactly the same angles as the four lenses on the old black and white cameras thus allowing the skills to transfer easily.

Thank you EMI, for understanding cameramen. And thank you Malcolm.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘EMI were very good with TV camera design.In Southampton news we had the little brother of the one Malcolm was demonstrating , the 201… we had two operators there working three cameras so they had to be literally ‘handy’!’

cameraman Malcolm CarrSave

Save

‘Best of Brass’ – photo by Tony Swift

Best of Brass crew photograph

This photo, by Tony Swift, is of the Best of Brass crew. David Short (cameraman) who made the photo available thinks it was taken at the Derby Assembly Rooms.

Best of Brass was a knockout competition where brass bands competed against each other. The finals were sometimes held at the Assembly Rooms, Derby, so this photo is may be from one of those occasions. Ken Griffin was the producer, and Gerald Harrison the presenter.

Best of Brass went out between 1979 and 1988.

The photo includes Chris Harris in the middle towards the right with the dark beard, along with Ian Collins (VT editor) at the back, John Allinson (lighting director) and Phil Vaughan centre left and Dave Ballantyne and Bob Meikle centre right. Next to Chris could be Andy Mosedale and is it James French (camera) bottom left? Possibly Mahendra Chauhan? in the centre and Pete Eggleston on the left. Kay Alexander is next to James bottom left. Terry Powell (costume) is next to Shelley Webber (make up). Possibly Norman Steemston with the beard next to the Camera bottom right. AFM Debbie Hood is also in the picture. (Thanks to Stuart Gandy, Dave Bushell, Lesley Weaver, Julian Hithcock and Terry Powell for identifying people).

Please add a comment if you have more information to add.