Dawn Trotman – What Was Pebble Mill?

Asian Programme Unit Producers

The Asian Programme Unit producers: Yousaf Aziz, Waseem Mahmood, Krishan Gould and Bish Mehay. Seated is Ashok Rampal, the executive producer.

Thanks to Waseem Mahmood for sharing the photo.

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

Waseem Mahmood: ‘This must have been about 1984. We all worked on the BBC 1 Asian Magazine programme that went out on Sunday morning, Gharbar that went out on BBC 2 on Wednesday mornings and the Radio 4 programme Make Yourself at Home which also went out on Sunday.’

Lynne Cullimore: ‘I worked there for a while. Worked on many interesting stories and of course the music. I was there when Nahrendra was in charge!’

Dawn Trotman: ‘I worked on the programme. I even sunk up Bish’s feature film in his garage ! Many stories abound about the shooting of the film in Birmingham ! I later worked on Network East some of the old team remained but a new boss.’

Rosalind Gower: ‘So great to see this lovely bunch again. Thanks’

Jane Ward: ‘Wow! Agree with Rosalind Gower – how lovely to see them all in this pic. I worked with them on Gharbar and Asian Magazine – 1986-87. The Midlands Today set would come out of Studio B for filming Asian Magazine and then be put back in again just in time for afternoon news. I used to love the bands that sat on the floor and played great music.’

Mary Sanchez: ‘I worked as part of my secretarial training on Asian Network and Ebony then onto news where indeed we doubled up with Asian Network and News in same studio.’

The Afternoon Play – Turkish Delight

This screen grab is from a drama series with the working title of Popcorn. The series was renamed as The Afternoon Play, and this episode was entitled, Turkish Delight.

Thanks to VT Editor, Ian Collins, for making them available.

Thanks to Neil Roberts and Dawn Trotman for adding information about this production.

Here is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

‘Turkish Delight. Carol turns her mundane life around when she learns belly dancing.
Written by Rowan Joffe ; Producer Carson Black ; Director Adrian Bean

Contributors:

Written By: Rowan Joffe
Producer: Carson Black
Director: Adrian Bean
Carol Haye: Denise Welch
Trevor Haye: Tim Dantay
Brenda: Glynis Barber
Inez: Rae Baker
Suzie: Charlie Hayes
Malcolm: Neil Newbon
Ahmed: Anatol Yusef
Sirous: Michael Tezcan’

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f9e752fdec7e4ad3b3d06e15d8c99f96

John Craven on Countryfile

Here are a couple of screen grabs of John Craven presenting on Countryfile.
Thanks to Ian Collins for making the stills available.

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

Jo Moore: ‘I’ve got half an idea that I was the AP on this item…I think it was an Alan miller shoot – possibly when we were doing something about water/ irrigation etc.
I still see John from time to time and like most people who’ve been lucky enough to work with him – he taught me SO MUCH about all things tv. A total gentleman, generous of spirit and warm beyond measure. Some of my happiest telly times.’

Alan Miller: ‘It rings a bell with me too but I cannot be sure I was the director or merely compiled the programme it was in. That’s the trouble, I made so many films with John that I have lost track.’

Andrea Buffery: ‘The bath scene was for a compilation programme directed by Joanna Brame starring Bob the duck!?! and my old snorkel’

Dawn Trotman: ‘The compilation had Charlotte Smith’s bog snorkelling piece in it I think? The train pix was I think from the scenic train journey items we did just before we left Pebble Mill. John always pulled the whistle! A true legend and one of the nicest men in telly.’

Kulwant Sidhu: ‘I directed JC on a steam train thread for CF on several occasions…that screen grab looks like Severn Valley…but could be mistaken. Great man, great raconteur.’

Roy Thompson: ‘Such a great guy, really helped and guided me during an attachment to Countryfile.’

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Asian Magazine

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Thanks to director Waseem Mahmood for sharing these images about Asian Magazine featured in the book Inside BBC Television.

The series was transmitted on BBC1 on Sunday mornings at 10am in the early to mid 1980s.

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

Dawn Trotman: ‘ I worked with Waseem as an acting editor on the Asian magazine show later to become Network East. I think I cut one of his very first items about a DJ in one of the portacabins in the car park ..happy memories.’

Jane Green: ‘I worked on many an Asian Magazine. Great fun. Bish Mehay was a lovely guy to work with. Loved the bands we squeezed into Studio B – loved learning what all the various instruments were. Sat in the corridor on one occasion waiting for the set to be finished – with Benazir Bhutto. Great programme.’

Colin Pierpoint: ‘Yes, I remember, but I also remember the start of radio and television from the Midlands for Asians. The first step was to separate AM and FM Radio 4 on a Sunday morning (I think the management was afraid of loosing listeners if it went out on both!) In 1965 AM did “Make yourself at Home”, a programme on which I worked in Studio 1 Broad Street several times. (FM had the previously scheduled programme). I also did a bit on the television programme from Broad Street studio 4, in black and white, although I may only have been on attachment. Presenters: Saleem and Mahendra, directed by Gerry (surname?)’

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Syncing film rushes with Dawn Trotman and Oliver White

This video was recorded in August 2015 as part of Royal Holloway’s ADAPT project. The aim of the project is to recreate how television programmes used to be made, before digital technology. The project reunited Pebble Mill film editor, Oliver White, with former film assistant editor, Dawn Trotman. Oliver had a long and illustrious editing pedigree, cutting dramas like Nuts in May, The Red Shift, A Touch of Eastern Promise amongst many others. He retired as Avid editing came in. Dawn is now a freelance Avid editor, cutting programmes like Countryfile for many years. The ADAPT team asked Dawn and Oliver to demonstrate how film and sep-mag audio were synched up using a Picsync and Steenbeck. This film cutting room was in the London Film School.

Dawn Trotman with Oliver White in the London Film School cutting room

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

Roy Thompson: ‘Remember teaching all of these film techniques, sound transfer, syncing up, track laying and dubbing to the ITO course (Introduction to Technical Operations) at Wood Norton after being taught by Henry Fowler formerly of Pebble Mill. A great exercise in logic, and creativity, for the students who, in a group of 3 or 4, were given 200 foot of 16mm reversal to make a short film. Great learning even though by then single electronic cameras were making inroads into production and news gathering. Great memories.’

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