Joyce Hawkins – Page 5 – What Was Pebble Mill?

The Playmates 1962

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Thanks to costume designer, Joyce Hawkins, for sharing this photograph of the 1962 drama: The Playmates, which was produced at Gosta Green. The play was transmitted on 16th July, at 21.25. It was written by Johnny Speight and produced by Gilchrist Calder, with Charles Carroll as production designer.

The Radio Times entry only lists two characters: ‘The Man’ played by Michael Caine and ‘The Woman’ played by Sheila Burrell.

Please add a comment if you have any information to add about this production.

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This Year, Next Year

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

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This publicity photograph is from a BBC Midlands drama produced in 1962 at Gosta Green in Birmingham. It was transmitted on the BBC on 29th June 1962 at 21.25.

Thanks to costume designer, Joyce Hawkins for sharing the photograph.

The drama was networked, and below is the Radio Times entry, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/38fa043c5d0e47ce9a1319f1f15a0258

Synopsis
by JACK RONDER starring
ELIZABETH SELLARS and BRENDA BRUCE
Produced by Peter Dews Cast in order of appearance:
Designer, Donald Homfray
From the Midlands
Margaret and Louie, two sisters, are on the shelf, but then one of them has a chance to escape.

Contributors
Writer: Jack Ronder
Margaret: Elizabeth Sellars
Louie: Brenda Bruce
Produced By: Peter Dews
Designer: Donald Homfray
Charlie: Frank Jarvis
Joe Charlie’s father: Noel Johnson
Bert: James Grout
Joyce: Jane Merrow

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Gosta Green Revisited photos

Lez Cooke introducing the screenings. Photos from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

Lez Cooke, Peter Booth and Joyce Hawkins. Photo from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

Photo from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

Audience for Gosta Green screenings. Photos from Izzie Archer of Flatpack, no reproduction without permission

These photos are from the Gosta Green Revisited screenings, held at the Midlands Arts Centre on the 15th October 2016.

The photos are from the Flatpack Film Festival organisers, who arranged the screenings.

The screenings included: Rainbow City, The Newcomers, and Sinking Fish Move Sideways and were followed by a question and answer session with cameraman Peter Booth, and costume designer Joyce Hawkins, interviewed by academic researcher, Lez Cooke.

In the audience photo you can see Ann Chancellor-Davies in the front row, and in the second row, towards the right, Jenny Brewer, Peter Ansorge, and me (Vanessa Jackson).

Please add a comment if you can identify others.

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Gosta Green Revisited event photos

Lez Cooke introducing the Gosta Green revisited screening

Lez Cooke, Peter Booth, Joyce Hawkins

Screen shot from The Newcomers

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These photos are from the recent Gosta Green Revisited screening held at the Midlands Arts Centre on 15th October 2016. The screening was introduced by academic Lez Cooke, who has been researching the seemingly forgotten dramas from the BBC Birmingham studios which preceded Pebble Mill. Three dramas were shown, and episode of Rainbow City, an episode of The Newcomers (shown here in the bottom photo), and a 30 min drama called Sinking Fish Move Sideways. These 1960s dramas were still surprisingly watchable.

The screening was followed by a discussion with costume designer Joyce Hawkins, and cameraman Peter (whose surname I’ve forgotten).

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The Alchemist – Tony Garnett

Roger Shannon and Tony Garnett in conversation. Copyright Flatpack.

Last night I went to Tony Garnett’s book signing event at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Tony was in conversation with Roger Shannon, and when asked why he wrote his memoirs, The Day the Music Died, he said, because he had to. He described it as a very painful process, where sometimes he had to stop writing because he couldn’t see the page through his tears! Tony certainly seemed to have experienced more than his fair share of tragedy, especially early in his childhood, when he lost his mother. He told the audience that until he wrote the book, that he hadn’t realised how much his childhood experiences had shaped his approach to the dramas he later produced. Tony was born in 1936, in Erdington and remembered the war in Birmingham well. He was brought up in a large family, with many uncles and aunts, and lots of cousins. He began his working life as an actor, and had a promising career, appearing in a number of stage and television plays. One television play he acted in was The Alchemist, produced by Peter Dews, which was a live drama from Gosta Green, BBC’s Birmingham drama studios before Pebble Mill was built. Also appearing in this production was Topsy Jane, who Tony described as the love of his life, who sadly later suffered from mental health issues.

Here is the Radio Times entry for The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson, transmitted on 29th May 1961, at 21.20. You’ll notice Tony’s credit towards the bottom of the list, playing ‘Kastril, the Angry Boy’:

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/90d4bd2d1ff14e8b8724dc8bbfe8419b

“starring
AI.AN DOBIE
PATSY ROWLANDS
JOHN WARNER
Produced by Peter Dews
Neighbours, Officers:
Colin Campbell , Mary Chester
Roser Croueher , Murray Gilmore Timothy Harley , Loelia Kidd
Henry Manning , Monica Stewart Isobel Swan
Face and his confederates, Subtle and Doll Common, get up to every trick, squeezing money out of the gullible and the greedy. These lead to outrageous complications which resolve only as the play ends.
Designer, Charles Carroll From the Midlands
See page 21

Contributors
Unknown: Patsy Rowlands
Unknown: John Warner
Produced By: Peter Dews
Unknown: Colin Campbell
Unknown: Mary Chester
Unknown: Roser Croueher
Unknown: Murray Gilmore
Unknown: Timothy Harley
Unknown: Loelia Kidd
Unknown: Henry Manning
Unknown: Monica Stewart
Unknown: Isobel Swan
Designer: Charles Carroll
Face, the Housekeeper: Alan Dobie
Subtile the Alchemist: John Warner
DoH Common, their Colleague: Patsy Rowlands
Lovewit Master of the House: William Mervyn
Dapper, a Lawyer’s Clerk: Edward Petherbridge
Abel Drugger, A Tobacco Man: Terry Scully
Sir Epicure Mammon, a Knight: Thomas Gallagher
Pertinax Surly, a Gamester: Jerome Willis
Ananias, a Deacon: David William
TribulationWholesome, a Pastor: Peter Duguid
Kastril, the Angry Boy: Tony Garnett
Dame Plianthis Sister, a Widow: Topsy Jane”

Unfortunately this production seems to have been Tony’s only work for BBC Birmingham, although he was friendly with David Rose, so it was a little surprising that he never produced any of the English Regions Drama Department plays from Pebble Mill.

Tony Garnett in The Alchemist, copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission. Thanks to Joyce Hawkins for sharing the photo.

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