Gary Jordan – What Was Pebble Mill?

Daily Live

Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing this titles grab.

Daily Live was a BBC 1 Daytime show, which went out in autumn 1998, at 10.30am. It was presented by Paul Ross, and included chat, celebrity guests, consumer advice and topical features.

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

Andi Campbell-White: ‘1998 is about right. It was around the same time as The Really Useful Show… possibly between series. A John Daly was one of the reporters… he regularly treated me to large bottles of Jameson whiskey in return for showreels. The programme was rubbish.’

Dave Bushell: ‘I wonder if it’s one of the programmes we did in Studio 1. I had a lighting grid put in there in the late 90s for something which was obviously not memorable!’

Gary Jordan: ‘Tx Date:24/08/1998 Had some good guests on as well: Ben Elton Brian May etc. The annotation says Celebrity chat, guests and topical features, presented by Paul Ross. Plus more entertainment news from Francine Lewis Image courtesy of the BBC Photo Library.’

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

French report about Pebble Mill

The fame of Pebble Mill obviously spread far and wide; this grab is of a French reporter filming a piece about industry in the Midlands – including BBC Pebble Mill. It must date from the early 1970s.

Thanks to Gary Jordan, who found the film in the French INA archive, two years ago, and took the grab.

Pebble Mill at One 1976

This photo of the Pebble Mill at One presenters was taken on the area just by the bridge at the front of the foyer studio, on September 7th 1976. Included, left to right are: Donny Macleod, Marian Foster, Bob Langley, Jan Leeming and David Seymour.

Thanks to Gary Jordan for sharing the photograph.

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

Robert Greaves: ‘What a great picture. Pebble Mill at One was always a good reason to miss first period of afternoon school! Marian was always the most professional yet homely – I often wonder what she did after Pebble Mill.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Such memories of those days and lovely Donny who died.’

Sue Westwood: ‘I loved Pebble Mill at One. My neighbour made the cake for the final programme.’

Steve Weddle: ‘That was the year I joined the production team as a researcher on PM at One. I was lucky to work with a really great line-up of presenters, and a brilliant editor called Terry Dobson, who virtually invented the daytime magazine show.’

Cruel Train

Cruel Train was a drama transmitted in 1996. Chris Parr was the producer, with Malcolm McKay as the director, and script adaptor, from the novel by Emile Zola. Sean Van Hales was the director of photography, and Michael Pickwoad was the production designer.

The drama featured: Adrian Dunbar, Saskia Reeves, Alec McCowen, David Suchet, Jonathan Moore, and Minnie Driver.

The BFI database includes the following synopsis:

‘Drama set in wartime Britain. Rueben Roberts a deputy railway station master, discovers that he owes his job, marriage and home to the sexual favours that his wife Selena has been forced to grant to Arthur Grandrige, her godfather and the railway chairman. Rueben vows revenge and kills Arthur on the Brighton express train. The murder is witnessed by a railway worker, Jack Dando. When the police investigate, Rueben pursuades Selena to seduce Jack to buy his silence. However things soon spiral out of control.’ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/516788

The budget is listed in the BFI database as £1.25 million, and apparently it was also known as Beast in Man. The shoot lasted from 25th November to 22nd December 1994.

Thanks to the BBC Drama Village for giving me the photos for sharing and safe keeping.

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

John Greening: ‘The station was a built set at an old Electric works ( which had some rail lines) by the Aston Expressway -Bill Hartley was the First AD.’

Gary Jordan: ‘Part of Screen two: SCREEN TWO – CRUEL TRAIN A dark & stylish drama set in wartime Britain, based on ‘La Bete Humaine’ by Emile ZOLA. Ruben ROBERTS discovers his wife has been sexually abused by her godfather since her early teens & coerces Selina to help him kill GRANDRIDGE. Sp s film
——————————————————————————
BBC Cprd Name: WORLDWIDE
BBC Item Type: Programme
BBC SubCatalogue: LONPROG TX DATE 22 Dec 1996′

Ian Barber: ‘And I was the AFM. Peter Lloyd was the 2nd Ad. Probably one of the best projects we ever worked on. The set was amazing. Built from scratch in a disused warehouse. We all had to wear masks because the air was black with soot from the steam engines. Alec McGowen was also in it, along with Sheila Reid and Brian Pringle.’

Mark Smithers: ‘Filmed at the GEC turbine and transformer works. The factory was pulled down shortly afterwards.’

Tom O’Connor Roadshow

Photos by Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

These photos are from the Tom O’Connor Roadshow from the 1980s, and include Les Dennis, Bernie Winters, Keith Harris and Orville!

The variety show travelled round the country, and went out live each weekday at lunchtime.

Thanks to Jane Mclean for sharing the photos.

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

Keith Brook (aka Scouse): ‘I wasn’t on this because I’d left by then, but I’ve done several programmes with Tom O’Connor since then.
He always made a point of thanking the crew individually. Maybe a handshake, maybe a wave, but always a thank you. That’s a real celebrity.’

Stuart Gandy: ‘Keith Harris and Orville was the first ‘celebrity(s) that I saw when I first visited Pebble Mill for my first interview back in 1979. He was on Pebble Mill @ One that day, and I got a sneak look into the foyer on my way to the interview.’

Gary Jordan: ‘Had some great musical guests on including the mighty Slade who performed, Still The Same.’

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