Gavin Davies – Page 5 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Vanity Fair

Photo by Neil Wigley, no reproduction without permission

This press photo is of Sian Phillips, playing Miss Matilda Crawley, in William Makepeace Thackery’s: Vanity Fair.
The sixteen part series was was transmitted in 1987.

The drama series was a London production, hosted at Pebble Mill. Terrance Dicks was the producer, Michael Owen-Morris the director, with Gavin Davies as the production designer, Joyce Hawkins the costume designer, and Lesley Perry as make-up designer.

Thanks to the BBC Drama Village for sharing the photo.

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.’

Fellow Traveller – poster from Ann Chancellor-Davies

Fellow Traveller was produced at Pebble Mill in 1991 by Michael Wearing. It was directed by Philip Saville (who also directed Gangsters and Boys from the Blackstuff), written by Michael Eaton and edited by Greg Miller. Gavin Davies (who was Ann Chancellor-Davies’s husband – who supplied this photo) was the production designer. It was the only TV film produced at Pebble Mill, and was a co-production with HBO.

The film is set in the McCarthy era in the United States. It follows a writer forced to work in England on the ITV serial – Robin Hood, to avoid the witch hunts in America.

It stars Ron Silver as Asa Kaufman, Imogen Stubbs as Sarah Aitchison, Hart Bochner as Clifford Byrne, Daniel J. Travanti as Jerry Leavy and Katherine Borowitz as Joan Kaufman.

Fellow Traveller is one of the Pebble Mill dramas to be screened at the archive screening event being held at the School of Art, Margaret Street, Birmingham on Saturday 5 March. It will be introduced by writer Michael Eaton, and producer Michael Wearing. For more information about this free event go to: http://homeidentityandcitizenship.posterous.com/ .

Thanks to Ann Chancellor-Davies for making the poster available.

Dead Head – photo by Willoughby Gullachsen

Gavin Davies on Dead Head

Photo copyright Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission.

Dead Head was a four part thriller produced at Pebble Mill. It went out between 15th January and 5th February 1986. It starred Denis Lawson as a minor villain who becomes linked to a gruesome murder, when he discovers a severed head in a hat box he is meant to deliver.

The series was produced by Robin Midgley, directed by Rob Walker and written by Howard Brenton. Dave Bushell was the lighting director, Vivien Oldham the make-up designer and Kathryn Ayerst the costume designer and Keith Salmon the camera supervisor. Gavin Davies, shown spraying down a traffic mirror in the photo was the production designer.

The series also featured George Baker, Simon Callow, Peter Attard, Lindsay Duncan and Norman Beaton.

Vanity Fair – Dave Bushell’s photos

Sidmouth 1 Tracking shot on Sidmouth seafront, Paul Woolston on camera, Diarmuid Lawrence (director) at left. Sidmouth is deputising for Brighton in the book.

Sidmouth 2 Sidmouth beach scene, Paul Woolston and trio of soundmen (Chris Rea, Paul Willcox, David Hughes) ready for action. Make-up and electricians also enjoying the late April sunshine.

Edinburgh 1 Shooting in Edinburgh, a late substituted location for Bath following an injunction by a resident there prevented filming. L-to-R, Roger Willcox (sound), John Alison (electrician), Ronnie Fleet (grip), Paul Woolston (camera)

Edinburgh 2 Diarmuid Lawrence directs Paul Woolston on a crane shot in Edinburgh

Edinburgh 3 Ronnie Fleet and Bob Few take the strain on a tracking shot in Edinburgh

Edinburgh 4 Another short tracking shot in Edinburgh, Paul Woolston on camera, unknown First Assistant shouting action.

Edinburgh 5 Some sort of sound ritual – Roger Willcox and Alistair Askham

Blickling 1 Gavin Davies (designer), in characteristic pose, watches the building at Blickling Hall, Norfolk, of the set for Vauxhall Gardens.

Blickling 2 Set built in the gardens of Blickling Hall, Norfolk. Four nights of shooting until the sun came up, in freezing weather. So much artificial light on that the birds got confused and started the dawn chorus at about 1 am.

Blickling 3 Set built to represent Vauxhall Gardens

Heydon 1 John Bradley fettles up an LDK14 camera at Heydon Hall, Norfolk

Heydon 2 Tracking shot from a specially adapted Citroen 2CV with Rob (?), engineer and Michael Owen Morris, director, in the back

Heydon 3 Freddie Jones, playing Sir Pitt Crawley

Heydon 4 Paul Woolston and First Assistant Director shelter while rain sweeps all the set dressing material into the Heydon rains.

Thetford 1 Lesley Perry (makeup designer) photographs while Tracy Southam (makeup assistant) put the finishing touches to Simon Dormandy. Location is Thetford, the setting for the Battle of Waterloo.

Photos by Dave Bushell (lighting director), no reproduction without permission.