Ian Ashurst – What Was Pebble Mill?

Gangsters Series, Episode 3, 1976

This photo is from episode 3 of Gangsters series 1. It features Maurice Colbourne as John Kline and Saeed Jaffrey as Rafiq. Gangsters series 1 was a 6 part crime serial set in the Midlands underworld. It was shown on BBC1 on Thursday Sept 23 1976.

Here is the entry from the Radio Times:

“A series of six programmes by PHILIP MARTIN with Ahmed Khalil , Elizabeth Cassidy, Paul Antrim, Paul Barber, Alibe Parsons, Saeed Jaffrey and Maurice Colbourne as John Kline. Incident 3 –
A missing consignment of heroin, an abandoned railway station. Surveying the scene are Rafiq, the sophisticated gangster, and Khan, the double agent. How will Kline escape the factions ranged against him at the Battle of Snow Hill?
Music composed and directed by DAVE GREENSLADE
Script editor PETER ANSORGE Designer IAN ASHURST Producer DAVID ROSE
Director ALASTAIR REID. BBC Birmingham”

Roger Slater was a boom operator on the series, with John Gilbert the recordist. Murray Laidla was part of the audio crew in Studio A when the barge was built in the studio.

Joyce Hawkins was the costume designer.

The Rum Runner nightclub was taken over by Gangsters and turned into a strip club.

England’s Greens and Peasant Land – press cutting

This cutting is probably a Radio Times listing. It dates from January 1982 and gives a synopsis and cast list for the Play for Today: ‘England’s Greens and Peasant Land’, which was produced by John Norton at Pebble Mill. It was Yorkshire’s take on a Watergate like scandal, where a dirty battle is played out in the local government elections over whether the motorway extension goes through the golf course, or the allotments!

John Kenway was the cameraman, with John Parker on sound, Chris Rowlands: film editor, Ian Ashurst: designer, Jim Hill: director, Janice Rider was the costume designer.

Thanks to Janice Rider for making the cutting available.

England’s Greens and Peasant Land

Photo copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

These publicity shots of the 1982 Play for Today: ‘England’s Greens and Peasant Land’ were probably taken by Willoughby Gullachsen. The drama was transmitted on 5th January 1982. Set in South Yorkshire during local government elections, a motorway is planned, and the route will either go through the golf course or the allotments! Yorkshire’s version of the ‘Watergate’ scandal.

The cameraman was John Kenway, sound: John Parker, film editor: Chris Rowlands, costume designer: Janice Rider, production designer: Ian Ashurst, producer: John Norton, director: Jim Hill.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider for making these photographs available.

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England’s Greens and Peasant Land

Photos by Janice Rider, no reproduction without permission.

‘England’s Greens and Peasant Land’ was a 1982 Play for Today about the local government elections, written by Rita May. It was set in South Yorkshire. A motorway extension is going to be built, and the route will either go through the golf course or the allotments – a Yorkshire interpretation of ‘Watergate’.

The director was Jim Hill; the producer, John Norton; the designer, Ian Ashurst; the film editor, Chris Rowlands; cameraman, John Kenway; sound, John Parker; costumer, Janice Rider.

The cast included Ron Delta as Ron, Maggie Lane as Mavis, Geoffrey Andrews as Horace, Teddy Turner as Old Tom, Peter Martin as Sid, Johnny Leeze as Jim, Bill Lund as Les, Dickie Arnold as Joe, Anthony Addams as Lol, Joe Belcher as Arthur, Peter Russell as George, Sean Glenn as Frank, Mary Wray as Eileen, Rita May as Pat, Ted Beyer as the barman, Marlene Jarvis as the barmaid, Tom Harrison as Sam.

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Salt on a Snake’s Tail – Come to Mecca

Photo by Tim Savage, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is from a drama outside broadcast, probably from one of the ‘Come to Mecca’ dramas, called: ‘Salt on a Snake’s Tail’. The Traffic Warden, with the rigger driver, Bob Few, is writing out a ticket for the scanner, CM2 – despite it having a parking permit!

‘Salt on a Snake’s Tail’, was transmitted in 1983, it was written by Farrukh Dhondy. Franco Ross was the director, Peter Ansorge the producer, and Ian Ashurst the production designer.

The cast included: Zia Mohyeddin, Andrew Johnson, Gill Dharminder.

The following comment was posted on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Andy Bentley: ‘Last time I saw Bob (Few) was a number of years ago, I had just parked the car on Barmouth Sea front when someone shouted ‘Oi what the F*** are you doing here. It was Bob driving a coach full of passengers.’