Martyn Friend – What Was Pebble Mill?

The Daily Woman TX Card

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This TX card is from the 1986, BBC1 drama, The Daily Woman.

Below is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project.

Thanks to Ann Chancellor-Davies, widow of designer, Gavin Davies, for sharing the card.

“Liz O’Prey, daily woman and mother of two, gets some cash – and uses it to fulfill a dream.

by BERNARD MAC LAVERTY
Music NIGEL HESS
Film editor OLIVER WHITE
Photography MIKE WILLIAMS, Designer GAVIN DAVIES, Producer CHRIS PARR
Director MARTYN FRIEND

Contributors
Writer: Bernard Mac Laverty
Music: Nigel Hess
Editor: Oliver White
Unknown: Mike Williams
Designer: Gavin Davies
Producer: Chris Parr
Director: Martyn Friend
Liz O’Prey: Brid Brennan
Mr Henderson: Denys Hawthorne
Max Callisher: Christopher Malcolm
Eamonn O’Prey: Colum Convey
Mrs Henderson: Doreen Hepburn
Liz’s mother: Trudy Kelly
Dinner guests: Oliver Maguire
Dinner guests: John Keyes
Dinner guests: Linda Wray
Dinner guests: Olivia Nash
First security woman: Carole Scanlan
Second security woman: Sarah Jones
Taxi driver: Dick Holland
Receptionist: Eleanor Methven
Housemaid: Brigid Erin Bates
Barman: David Coyle
Babysitter: Tracey Lynch
Ciaran O’Prey: Claran Fenton
Susan O’Prey: Susan Dorothy”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/36f28753fb7c4f5a80c0bf5850446e07

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Survival of the Fittest – photo from John Greening

‘Survival of the Fittest’ was a 1990 Screen One drama, produced at Pebble Mill by Carol Parks, written by Julian Mitchell, and directed by Martyn Friend. John Greening was the production manager.

The drama starred Timothy West as Geoffrey Cowper, Jean Anderson as Molly Cowper, Nerys Hughes as Betty Trinder, Elizabeth Spriggs as Eileen Blackett, Timothy Davies as Chris Trinder and Joanna Brookes as June Trinder.

L to R: Martyn Friend (director), David Bell (focus puller, blue jacket), Ian McNulty (grip), Steve Saunderson (camera), Jane Barton (script supervisor).

‘Survival of the Fittest’ – photos Willoughby Gullachsen

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission. Survival of the Fittest was a Screen One drama, produced at Pebble Mill by Carol Parks, directed by Martyn Friend and written by Julian Mitchell, transmitted in 1990.

The BFI Database describes Survival of the Fittest as a:

‘Dark comedy that looks at what happens when a fiercely-independent 80-year-old widow becomes too frail to live alone. Molly Cowper is determined to stay in her own home, even though she has recently had a mild heart attack. Not wanting to be alone at night, she makes elaborate plans to ensure that neighbours will sleep in her house. Supervised by her long-suffering son Geoffrey an agreement is drawn up so that Chris Trinder and Eileen Blackett will stay there at agreed times. Her arrangements begin to fall apart however, when Chris dies of a heart attack and her dog is run over. Although Geoffrey tries to sort things out Molly still tries to enforce her wishes, riding roughshod over all of them with devastating consequences. http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/446261?view=synopsis

The second photo shows members of the crew including l to r: Sound Recordists Kirsten Jones, Roger Slater; Production Assistant, Jane Barton; and Production Manager, John Greening.Save

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‘The Daughter-in-Law’ – TX Card from Dave Bushell

TX card

‘The Daughter-in-Law’ was an adaptation of D.H.Lawrence’s play about the 1912 coal strike. It was produced at Pebble Mill in Studio A and transmitted in 1985. It was directed by Martyn Friend and produced by Carol Parks. Dave Bushell who has kept this TX card since 1985 was the director of lighting. Michael Edwards was the designer and Ian Rae sound supervisor.

It was a star studded cast including Sheila Hancock, Cherie Lunghi, David Threlfall, Mick Ford, Carmel McSharry and Wilfred Grove.

Gareth Williams, adds the following comment: ‘I was the floor assistant on this show. It was recorded over four days in Studio A in story order. This meant that however much or little attention they paid in the preparation period, every single member of the crew got to see the story unfold before their very eyes, played out by a fantastic cast.

The final scene between David Threlfall and Cheri Lunghi (the Daughter in Law) after Carmel McSharry’s character had died, left the whole studio moist eyed – and then Martyn Friend asked for another take, and we all cried again!’