Fiona Stennett – What Was Pebble Mill?

Wrong Car, Right Car

This screen grab is from the series, Wrong Car, Right Car, which was transmitted in 2002-3. Here is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

“A six-part guide to buying the right car, presented by Top Gear’s Jason Barlow and used-car merchant Dominic Littlewood.
In the first programme the duo advise a man on finding the perfect replacement for his ageing sports car.
Director Nicola Silk ; Series producer Abigail Harvey”

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/f10396fef0b149d4a170d4fa3c210106

Oliver Clark was the assistant producer and Russell Peers was the researcher.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the screen grab available.

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

Paul Vanezis: ‘I believe it was originally called ‘Carjacked’. But then several more sensible people pointed out the folly of such a name, especially after a very recent and fatal carjacking.’

Nicola Silk: ‘yes originally the misjudged, but snappier Carjack as Paul says. Dominic Littlewood’s big break alongside Jason Barlow (Top Gear) Involved secret filming, earpieces and lots of chat about buying cars. Think there were two series? I directed on the first.’

Oliver Clark: ‘I went to meet Dom on his car lot in Essex to persuade him to shoot a taster with us for the series – he regaled me with all sorts of dodgy dealing in the car industry. In addition to me, the other AP was a guy called Steve. We both were sent on advanced driving courses by the Beeb. Subsequently I wrote off an Impreza (ended up backwards in a hedge driving it to location (sorry Nicola) but more spectacularly Steve drove a Lambo of some type out of a carpark and straight into the central barrier of Park Lane – caused at 3 hour traffic jam. Made the national news.’

Fiona Stennett: ‘Thats was a brill little programme. A resultant phase of car purchases asking for a full tank of fuel and mats and flaps thrown in to seal the deal.’

Merseybeat

Merseybeat was a police drama series which dates from the early 2000s. There were at least four series.

Thanks to VT editor Ian Collins for sharing these screen grabs.

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

Steve Saunderson: ‘I was DOP on a few episodes up in Runcorn.’

Fiona Stennett: ‘It was filmed in Runcorn and edited on site by Adam Trotman and John Rosser.
I tracklaid this with Kate Davis. Dave mason and Andy Freeth I think were the mixers.’

Janet Collins: ‘Ian Collins and Mike Bloore were also on site editors The exec producer was Mal Younge. Two of it’s stars were Haydn Gwynne & Leslie Ash.’

Ian Barber: ‘I did the first episodes with Michelle Fairly, later Hayden Gwynne, producer Ken Horn, originally titled Silver Command. Shot in and around Runcorn.’

Barrie White-Miller: ‘I was a regular PC ‘Extra’ way back then, had a chat with Chris Walker about Merseybeat a few months ago. The Police Station set was in Runcorn. Great memories, thank you for posting the photos.’

Anne Sweeting: ‘Celex provided alot of the extras it was filmed in Runcorn’

Daniel Klarfeld: ‘I was a runner on it for a bit’

Dave Rhodes: ‘Leslie Ash joined in series 3 – me and Russell Parker assistants.’

Paul Shuttleworth: ‘It was shot on location in Liverpool logged as a Pebble Mill production.’

Debbie Mitchell: ‘also shot in Widnes and Runcorn. The ‘police station’ was filmed in the old Golden Wonder crisp factory.’

Paul Shuttleworth: ‘I was an extra in a few eps at the crisp factory.’

Islamophobia

These screen grabs are from the documentary Islamophobia, it went out on BBC 2, 18th August 2001 at 19.25. Here is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

“Concluding the week-long season of programmes reflecting contemporary life for Muslims in the UK.
Jeremy Bowen investigates, by means of personal testimony, secret filming and a nationwide survey, the extent to which racism affects the lives of Muslims in Britain. Specific examples which may point to a deep-seated historical prejudice in the west towards Islam include an arson attack on an east London Islamic centre, a British National Party statement referring to a “Muslim problem” rather than an Asian one, and the detention and humiliation of an innocent Muslim man in the USA in the wake of the Oklahoma bombing. Producer John Das : Editor Ruth Pitt.”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3bf7ebe93e8e47dd8eb3c9efe8f029bc

Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing these stills.

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

Fiona Stennett: ‘I was the dubbing assistant on this, with Ben Peissel mixing. I remember it being a very tense day!’

Adam Trotman: ‘I cut it… if I rememeber it was Tx’d just weeks before 9/11

What the documentary showed at that time was Britain wasn’t actually Islamaphobic…just ignorant about the religon really… Then Two Buildings fall in USA ….

John and I and the amazing researcher of the show often talked of doing a sequel to it alas never came to pass.’