John Greening – Page 3 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Scarlet Pimpernel – publicity card

‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ was a 3 part BBC 1 drama starring Richard E Grant in the title role. It was transmitted in January 1999. Elizabeth McGovern played Grant’s character’s wife, with Martin Shaw as Chauvelin, the head of the revolutionary French police, and the Scarlet Pimpernel’s chief adversary. It also featured Christopher Fairbank, Anthony Green, Ronan Vibert, Emilia Fox, Denise Black, Gerard Murphy, James Callis, Peter Jeffrey, Suzanne Bertish and Jerome Willis.

The director was Patrick Lau; with producer, Julian Murphy.

The production was a co-production between BBC Birmingham and London Film Productions, and the Arts and Entertainment Network.

Thanks to John Greening for making the publicity card available.

Kinsey series 2 – photo from John Greening

The photos is from the second ‘Kinsey’ series. It features John Greening (1^st AD) and Anthony Garner (director). It would have been taken from either the third or fourth episodes in the series – ‘Heads and Tails’ or ‘Drop Shot’, as the other episodes were directed by Richard Standeven.

The series was transmitted from 1992/11/03 – 1992/12/08 on BBC 1. It followed the maverick solicitor Neil Kinsey, played by Leigh Lawson. Barry Hanson was the executive producer, Carol Parks the producer, with Peter Gibbs writing the script.

Run for the Lifeboat – photo from John Greening

L to R: Noel Paley (cam), John Greening, Douglas Livingstone (director)

The 1988 Screen Two drama was based on the Penlee lifeboat disaster, seen from the point of view of those left on the shore. It was shot on location on Anglesey. Carol Parks was the producer, and Douglas Livingstone wrote the script and directed it.

Kinsey, series 2 – photo from John Greening

Photograph from John Greening, no reproduction without permission.

The photo shows production manager, John Greening in the Bull ring in Malaga, Spain in 1992. The Malaga shoot featured in episode 4 of the series, entitled ‘Drop Shot’.

‘Kinsey 2’ was a six part series which went out on BBC 1 in Nov/Dec 1992. It starred Leigh Lawson, Peter Davison and Meera Syal. It was a Pebble Mill drama series about a Birmingham solicitor. Minnie Driver also had a small part in it.

Richard Standeven and Anthony Garner were the directors, Barry Hanson the executive producer and Carol Parks the producer. The script was written by Peter Gibbs.

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

Midlands Today reporter, and now Head of Compliance at BBC Birmingham, Liz Munro remembers having a small part in ‘Kinsey’: ‘I was in Kinsey! Played myself as a tv reporter. Waited around all day to say my lines, but the pay was good. It was fab. I still have a copy of the script.’

Terry Powell (costume): ‘I loved this show, one of the best I worked on. I looked after Leigh Lawson for 2 years and still keep in touch after all these years!’

Ruth Kiosses (costume):’Remember Kinsey costumes very well. Wasn’t Minnie Driver in it before Hollywood beckoned? I bought some clothes she had worn at the end of filming (sure it was Kinsey).’

Dawn Trotman (film editor): ‘Remember Kinsey very well. Its where I meet my husband! But loads of people got sacked as I recall. At Eliot road where we edited it we had tape in the shape of bodies over the floor! As each person went down. Still enjoyed it though and got to know Carol Parks who was lovely. The cast were good as well.’

Ian Barber: ‘I remember sitting in a cottage in front of a log fire with Minnie Driver, whilst shooting Kinsey 2. Mark Williams (fast show & harry potter) was also in it as an office bod.’

Melissa Hallworth (nee Feather): ‘I remember there was an earthquake in LA where Leigh Lawson’s wife was staying (Twiggy) with their friend Dustin Hoffman, so I had to fax Dustin’s house to make sure Twiggy was ok on behalf of Leigh! great series, loved working on it! x’

Mark Heslop (editor): ‘Had fun on Kinsey. Mixed it at the old Ladbrokes theatre in Notting Hill with Aad Wirtz and a young Adrian Rhodes. Remember having a lovely meal with Carol in Covent Garden, had escargot for the first (and last) time. Made a great team with Dawn and Adam Trotman.’

Diana Lester (costume): ‘Kinsey had a very dramatic effect on my life !!! Met my husband whist filming it, and now nearly 20 years later….still happily married!!’

‘Fighting Back’ – photo from John Greening

Photograph probably taken by Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission.

‘Fighting Back’: TX 1 4 Aug 1986, 5 part series

Actress and singer Hazel O’Connor stars and sings the title song of ‘Fighting Back’.

Hazel plays Viv Sharpe, a young mother who just walked out on her current man – father to her youngest child – and lands up back in her home town, Bristol. Her mother’s dead, and she didn’t know, and no one wants to know her because of her past history. She has no money to feed her kids, and to top it all she gets nicked and the children are put into care …… and her troubles are only just beginning.

‘Fighting Back’ also features Cheryl Maiker and Tont Carney as Viv’s children – Yvonne and Neil; Derek Thompson as Viv’s husband, Bruce; and Malcolm Frederick as Viv’s ex-lover.

John Greening

Jane Green remembers working on ‘Fighting Back’ well: ‘My first ever BBC day on work experience – in at the deep end – looking after Ms O’Connor. A right baptism of fire. I was supervised by Gareth Williams who was the FA on the studio floor. Pebble Mill made fab drama.’