Michael Williams – What Was Pebble Mill?

Dreams of Leaving

This publicity photograph, of Kate Nelligan and Bill Nighy is from the Play for Today: Dreams of Leaving, transmitted on 17th January 1980.

Below is the entry from the Radio Times, from the BBC Genome project:

‘A film by DAVID HARE
William came to work in Fleet Street in 1971. London meant girls, as many girls as he could find. Then he met Caroline and so it began, that very strange summer … Caroline said the best of her life.
Music NICK BICAT
Film cameraman MICHAEL Williams. Film editor MIKE HALL
Designer MICHAEL EDWARDS. Script editor ROGER GREGORY. Producer DAVID ROSE. Written and directed by DAVID HARE
BBC Birmingham

Contributors:
William: Bill Nighy
Caroline: Kate Nelligan
Andrew: Andrew Seear
Xan: Mel Smith
Stievel: Johnny Shannon
Mrs Alexander: Helen Lindsay
Aaron: Julian Littman
Colin: Charles Dance
Robert: Hilton McRae
Gallery owner: Tony Mathews
Keith: Gary Holton
Keith’s lawyer: Raymond Brody
Drunken journalist: David Ryall
Miss Collins: Annie Hayes
Doctor: George Raistrick
Laura: Maria Harper’

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/bb14c4a2d19c4195a6367a2812da9221

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Steve Saunderson: ‘I was Focus-Puller on this and did a bit of Operating too. DOP was Mike Williams ( RIP ) and John Kenway was the main Operator. Mainly all night shoots in Soho. I think it was Bill Chesneau on Sound from Ealing Studios. Remember playing “air-guitar” with Bill Nighy to “My Sharona”, he never could get the right chords.’

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Nuts in May article

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This interview with Alison Steadman about the 1976 Play for Today, Nuts in May, must have taken place in 2009 (which is when the Alan Bennett play mentioned at the end of the article was on), but I’m not sure of where it appeared, or why. Perhaps it was simply an interesting article with Alison Steadman, which promoted Alan Bennett’s, Enjoy? David Rose gave me a photocopy of the cutting a few years ago, but it doesn’t say where it’s from.

Please add a comment if you can add any more information.

Here is the synopsis of the improvised drama, Nuts in May, from the Radio Times, from the BBC Genome project. It must be one of the strangest synopses ever, and tells the reader nothing, and everything, about the drama – which was no doubt the point:

Synopsis

“Camp Rules:
1: No open fires.
2: No music after 11.0 pm.
3: Positively no drains to be dug around any tent.
4: No crockery or cooking utensils to be washed up in toilet block.
5: These rules are imposed for the benefit and enjoyment of all during their holiday.
BBC Birmingham

Contributors

Film Cameraman: Michael Williams
Film Recordist: John Gilbert
Film Editor: Oliver White
Producer: David Rose
Devised and directed by: Mike Leigh
Keith: Roger Sloman
Candice Marie: Alison Steadman
Ray: Anthony O’Donnell
Honky: Sheila Kelley
Finger: Stephen Bill
Miss Beale: Richenda Carey
Quarryman: Epic Allan
Farmer: Matthew Guiness
Farm girl: Sally Watts
Policeman: Richard Ireson”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/6ba7ee595baf45749dd2742c67e47055

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

David Crozier: ‘I was the Designer on this superb film, Nuts in May. Tim Dann (then Design Assistant) and I had to have our wits about us to keep up with Mike Leigh’s ever developing improvisation. A thoroughly enjoyable experience which I constantly recall with warm thoughts!’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I thought it was fantastic. Never to be forgotten and the brilliant Alison Steadman who has gone on to do more brilliant things. Thanks to all those people who were involved in it.’

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The Other Woman

‘The Other Woman’. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

The 1976 Pebble Mill produced Play for Today, The Other Woman, is going to be released on BBC Store soon, meaning that viewers will be able buy, download and keep the drama.

The researcher on the release would like to make contact with anyone who has memories of working on the programme, to contribute to an article which will be published to tie in with the release.

If you worked on the drama, or have memories of it being produced, then please add a comment, and I will forward your details to the researcher.

The drama was transmitted on BBC1, 6th January 1976. Here is the entry from the Radio Times, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

“The Other Woman by WATSON GOULD
Kim, an angry young artist, disrupts the lives of Robin, a family man, and Niki, a temp sec- for whom she is the other woman.’
Film cameraman MICHAEL Williams Film editor HENRY FOWLER Designer GAVIN DAVIES
Script editor WILLIAM SMETHURST Producer DAVID ROSE
Director MICHAEL simpsox BBC Birmingham

Contributors

Unknown: Watson Gould
Editor: Henry Fowler
Designer: Gavin Davies
Editor: William Smethurst
Kim: Jane Lapotaire
Robin: Michael Gambon
Niki: Lynne Frederick
Aunt Darnley: Barbara Atkinson
Miles Darnley: Leon Sinden
Rose: Rosalind Adams
Louise: Eve Pearce
Ben: Benedict Taylor
LoiS: Martyn West
Barman: John Joyce”

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/6f977b764a6f401399dfb414fda0b503

Nuts in May title cards from Oliver White

These stills are of the original title cards for the 1976 Pebble Mill, Play for Today, ‘Nuts in Play’. The title cards are hand painted on individual sheets of acetate. They have been kept safe by Film Editor, Oliver White.

Mike Leigh was asked by Producer, David Rose, to set a television drama in his home county of Dorset. Mike then wrote and directed ‘Nuts in Play’, which starred Roger Sloman as Keith and Alison Steadman as Candice-Marie. Keith and Candice-Marie are a politically correct home counties couple on a camping holiday in Dorset. They have a frustrating encounter with a Brummie motorcycling couple whose loud music and uncivilised behaviour offend them.

Mike Williams was the cameraman, John Gilbert the sound recordist, and Dave Baumber the dubbing mixer. The costume designer was Gini Hardy, make-up was by Gwen Arthy, the production designer was David Crozier. The production unit manager was Dawn Robertson, with production assistants Cyril Gates and Gerard Patterson.

Thanks to Oliver White for making the title cards available.

Dawn Trotman (nee Mears) left the following comment about ‘Nuts in May’: ‘Just such a wonderful and very funny film. Pebble Mill at its height, and Oliver White a brilliant editor. He taught so many of us lowly assistants our craft. Who will teach the Tech ops, as they are called, now? There is no training.’

Poldark Cast and Crew

Thanks to Paul Balmer for this photo of the cast and crew of Poldark, taken in Pebble Mill Studio A circa 1975. Pushing the sound booms around on Poldark was Paul’s first job in television; he is on the back row on the extreme right. The series was filmed on both location and in studio, where it was recorded ‘as live’. It was produced in London, but ‘hosted’ by Pebble Mill, using Birmingham crews and facilities. The crew included designers Gavin Davis and Michael Edwards, cameraman Michael Williams, John Gilbert on sound and make-up artist Maggie Thomas.

The series went out between 1975-77, and starred Angharad Rees, Robin Ellis, Jill Townsend, Paul Curran, Mary Wimbush, Judy Geeson, Ralph Bates, Clive Francis, Hugh Dickson and Richard Morant. The drama was set in Cornwall and included mining, smuggling and shipwrecks!