Maggie Humphries – What Was Pebble Mill?

Peggy Lee Entertains 1981

Photos by Bhasker Solanki, no reproduction without permission

These photos of the US performer, Peggy Lee are from a show called ‘Peggy Lee Entertains’ from 1981.

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

Maggie Humphries: That’s me in the middle audience with Aunt and Uncle, it was an amazing night and I was just talking about it a couple of days ago, great music, great memories.

Jane Mclean: I PA-ed it. THINK Bob Langley presented it.

Annette Martin: I Vision Mixed the show. It was a wonderful evening in the 80s. Peggy had difficulty walking so she rehearsed in a wheelchair with an assistant moving her to the various positions on the stage! It was surreal but come the show she moved superbly- what a pro and her voice was fabulous- a VM highlight for me and everyone involved. I think John Smith Directed and Jim Dumighan was involved.

David Ian Bellinger: Worked with Pete Moore, her MD all week – first in the radio studio for Radio 2 and then that weekend – one of my most memorable times in 25 years at the Mill, No band could have been more prepared for that diamond of a TV Music Show ….. Oh – so many memories of this. When Pete asked me to add strings to a Paul Whiteman original arrangement I nearly passed out – finished it with minutes to go – yes the ink was still wet! Didn’t sleep for three days. My time at the Mill? I’d have paid the Licence Payers (Bless’Em) for the honour and spending my time with my second family every day at work.

Carole Haysom: Yvonne Brockbank was the make up designer.

Howards’ Way 30 years anniversary

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission. Thanks to Les Podraza for making the cast and crew photo available.

(This iPlayer link is to an item by South Today about the making of Howards’ Way)

The end of 1st September 2015 marked the 30 years anniversary of Howards’ Way, the sailing drama series, which was likened to a British version of the US drama Dallas.

The series was hosted at Pebble Mill, and recorded on location in Southampton, with some of the interiors being recorded in Studio A.

Here is the Radio Times synopsis for the first episode, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

“A serial in 13 parts devised by GERARD GLAISTER and ALLAN PRIOR
Episode 1 written by JILL HYEM
‘I’m sorry, Jan … It may be selfish, but I intend to spend the rest of my working life doing something I want to do.’
Title music
SIMON MAY and LESLIE OSBORNE Film cameraman JOHN KENWAY Designer MYLES LANG
Script editor JOHN BRASON Director PENNANT ROBERTS Producer GERARD GLAISTER”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/14bd8b49c7524441b9e9a278e19e74d7

Thanks to Paul Burton for pointing out the anniversary, and the South Today piece.

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

Dawn Trotman: ‘I think it is John Kenway yet it was John Willey who shot the first and second series.. I edited the first series with Nigel Pardoe-Matthews and the second on location with Sharon Pemberton and Lynne Hawkins..great fun.. We always knew it would be successful..It was our Dallas..’

Maggie Humphries: ‘Not John Kenway,, it’s Jimmy Monks, Grips who worked on the series.’

Lesley Weaver: ‘Maggie Humphries is right, it is the lovely freelance grip Jimmy Monks near left of camera and far right is David Evans a lovely freelance Camera operator. Can’t really work out who’s behind camera. I worked on the second series so I ought to remember. In the clip I remember Tony ‘O’ sparks from Lee North and Susie Peck is the designer talking about the costumes, lots of others I remember too.’

The Archers’ stairs

Photo by Martin Fenton, no reproduction without permission.

This photo was taken in 2003 in Radio Studio 3 at BBC Pebble Mill. It shows three differently textured staircases – carpet, concrete and metal, so that the sound effects on The Archers and other radio dramas were authentic.

Martin tells me that it was usually the technical staff doing ‘spot’ sound effects on radio drama who would walk up the stairs, rather than the actors themselves, but sometimes the actors also used them.

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

Richard Abraham: ‘Once did spot for a single episode of the Archers. When you’ve jiggled four belts to emulate bridle noise behind Sara Coward & Judy Bennett then you’ve really lived. Largely because to get their voices right for riding they shifted from one Foyt to the other. Their bottoms were a joy to behold!’

Carolyn Davies: ‘Definitely both the spot fx person and actors used them….think there was a fake door at the top….and it wasn’t just the Archers, ST3 did tonnes of radio drama..’

Peter Wild: ‘It was a bit of both. If you can it’s always best to get the actor to do it for real. Sometimes that just isn’t practical. I directed many scenes on those stairs – which offered four surfaces. Take the carpet off and you have bare wood.’

Maggie Humphries: ‘My claim to fame is my ‘laughing’ dubbed onto a girl in a market in Israel with Topol for a documentary made by the Pebble Mill at One team…….’

Hedli Nik: ‘My great claim to fame is being Juliet Stevenson’s feet running down the stairs in Jane Austen! I did have a part as well…’

Arthur Haywood

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is from a rock and roll party, held at Juliet Deane’s, (from Film Unit) house. It is of film sparks, Arthur Haywood.

Thanks to Peter Poole for sharing the photo, and to Bill Bohanna, Maggie Humphries and Jane Mclean for identifying Arthur!

PAs Leaving Party – more photos

Photos from Jane Mclean, no reproduction without permission.

The photos were taken on 17 Dec 1998 at the PAs leaving party. The Production Assistants at BBC Pebble Mill took redundancy, although many came back as freelancers with the BBC.