Gareth Williams – 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.

Joy Hugh obituary by Joyce Hawkins

obituary from Prospero

Obituary for dresser, Joy Pugh, from the BBC retirees’ newsletter, Prospero, written by costume designer, Joyce Hawkins. Joy Pugh worked as a dresser on drama series like Nanny, with Wendy Craig, and Howards Way.

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

Susan Astle: We had many great evenings at The Sparrowhawk working on Juliet Bravo. She was great company and very good at her job. Susie Bankers ex Make up

Gareth Williams: Joy was always upbeat, always working. I remember her blushing once in the canteen queue as she couldn’t resist tucking my shirt collar label in!

Karen Bevins: What a lovely lady to work with in costume. A friend and colleague who helped me a lot when I first started in the department.

Fighting Back – Radio Times

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Fighting Back, was a 5 part drama on BBC1, transmitted in 1986, starring Hazel O’Connor, as Viv. It featured on the front of the Radio Times, as well as a feature inside.

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

“Fighting Back by GARETH JONES
The first of a five-part serial based on an idea by VICTORIA HINE
Viv Sharpe hurtles down the motorway, kids in tow, towards the Bristol she used to call home. Not only has
Bristol changed, but Viv finds no one wants to know her and there’s nowhere to go. Is this the start of Viv the vagrant? Or can she keep fighting back?
Incidental music PAUL JONES, Script editor BETH PORTER, Lighting DICK BENTLEY, Designer ROB HINDS, Producer CHRIS PARR, Director PAUL SEED. BBC Pebble Mill”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/d3665caef0db4a94a441b93945661e10

Thanks to Beth Porter, who was the script editor, for sharing the stills.

Beth Porter’s (long and amusing) autobiography Walking on my Hands, is available for a couple of pounds on Kindle, on the link below. Chapter 12 includes Beth’s adventures with the BBC.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-My-Hands-responsibility-Streisand-ebook/dp/B01DUWNSRQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1460027101&sr=8-3&keywords=kindle+Beth+Porter

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

Jane Green: ‘This was the first thing I ever worked on – as a work experience floor assistant with Gareth Williams I think. I had to look after Hazel. Can’t print what she did here !!! But goodness me. What memories. Feb 1986.’

John Greening: ‘I was assistant floor manager…’

Susan Astle: ‘I was the make up designer on it, goodness so long ago! And before Derek Thompson became so famous!’

Les Podraza: ‘I think the filming was in Bristol for a month. I was on the crew. Fab times!!!’

Save

The Last Pebble Mill at One – photo from Mark Kershaw

This photo was taken just after the last ever ‘Pebble Mill at One’ on 23 May 1986. In fact you can just see the last few members of the audience leaving on the left hand side of the photo.

Included in the photo are:

Back row: Michael Smith (celebrity chef), David Lancaster (glasses), Caroline Marshall, Steve Weddle.

Next to back: Julian Hitchcock (with pink balloon), Chris Wright, Roger Sutton (just behind the others), possibly Barrie Edgar peeking out behind, Tony Rayner, Peter Urie, Peter Hercombe, Claire Chambers, Norma Scott, Mary Clyne, Mark Kershaw, Trudy Stanton, Steph Silk, Richard ?.

Third row from back: Girl in red dress below Tony Rayner is Jacqui Goodwin, Fran Groves, Ann Varley, Di Reid (red dress), Margaret Allen (with belt), John Westcott (FM), Annie Gumbley Williams (standing purple dress)

Back seated row: Sue Ashcroft, Debbie Hood, Caroline Matthews, Denny Hodge , Paul Coia

Middle seated row: Gareth Williams, Jo Buchan, Magnus Magnusson, Marian Foster, Bob Langley, Bev Wildman (Thompson), David Weir

Fron row: Tom Ross (standing), Eileen Bayliss just behind Tom, Maggy Whitehouse, Jane Clement, Viv Ellis, Peta Newbold, Colette Foster (central short brown dress), Nicky Barfoot, Claire Stride, Jane McLean, Jo Dewar

Please add a comment if you can fill in any of the people not identified.

Thanks to Mark Kershaw for making the photograph available.

‘Master of the Marionettes’ – John Greening

These photos are from the 1989 ‘Play on One’ drama: ‘Master of the Marionettes’, produced by Michael Wearing at Pebble Mill. It was written by Guy Hibbert, directed by Pedr James, with Hilary Salmon the script editor.

The Radio Times billing read: “Teddy Rose’s passion is security – selling alarm systems to prosperous yet fearful suburban homes, one of which he and his family inhabit with conspicuous success. Then one Saturday morning a violent street encounter starts a chain of events which calls into question his every assumption and changes his life for good.”

The play starred Kenneth Cranham, as Teddy; Kenneth Colley as Tennyson; Carol Drinkwater as Maggy; John Duttine as Tim; and David Bradley as Harry.

The first photo includes, left to right: Pedr James (director), Terry Ford (props), John Greening (1^st AD), Paul Woolston (camera).

The second photo includes, left to right: (partially hidden) Peter Potter (props), (partially hidden) Terry Ford (Props) Gareth Williams (AFM), John Greening (1^st AD), Pedr James (director).

Thanks to John Greening for making the photos available.