Tag: Nuts in May

Paul Balmer – Memories of working at Pebble Mill

I worked at Pebble Mill for 17 years from 1974.

I initially worked as a sound guy on many of the continuing dramas including many Second City Firsts and Classic Serials.

I also worked developing the soundscapes for the BBC’s first stereo drama serial – Juliet Bravo.

As a musician I was the ‘off screen’ guitarist for Alison Steadman in ‘Nuts In May’ – Mike Leigh’s direction was “No! No, worse much WORSE!” (difficult for a trained classical guitarist). I was in the dubbing suite for ‘The Boys From The Blackstuff’.

Alan Platers ‘Curriculi Curricula’ was also a major undertaking – the first lightweight on location electronic drama also with stereo sound – ‘hand synced’ by Roger Guest and videoed on location at Birmingham University!

I stood next to the writer on the very first ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ as the horse produced copious manure and the props guys argued over whether poo was an action prop or litter?

I also wrote music for Pebble Mill at One films – McClouds Mysteries – re enacted ghost stories! – Great fun. I have VHS copies somewhere!

I became a radio producer for Radio 1/2/3 and 4 and eventually a TV director having moved to Television Centre writing and  directing multi camera drama for BBC Schools TV.

At Pebble Mill In 1976 I had met Stephane Grappelli  – the great violinist and wrote his biography, produced a 1 hour biog on Radio 2 and a two hour DVD which was nominated for a BAFTA in 2002.

I also directed the multi award winning ‘Africa I Remember’ – shot on location in Africa.

Pebble Mill was an amazing place to work – in the same day you could work on Radio 3, The Archers and the local news!

One day I staged a ZULU charge on the front lawn.

Faintly bizarre in hindsight! But truly wonderful.

I now work as a full time writer.

All the best

Paul Balmer,

Author ‘The Haynes Guitar Manuals’, Penguin Encyclopaedia of Music, Julian Bream etc

Oliver White (Editor) – His Unreliable Memoirs – ‘Nuts in May’

Nuts in May by Mike Leigh

Did Mike Leigh know this was going to be a knock-out success umpteen years later??  I didn’t!   ‘The famous CHEWING sequence!  We tried several lengths.  I now think it would be even funnier 4-5 seconds longer.  I’ve always been a great believer in the ‘perfect stranger’.  You grab someone passing the door, show them a one minute section and say, ‘Does it work?’  Yes, a fresh pair of eyes!  The chap who played the quarry man did it for a MONTH, with Mike’s P.A. making notes!  Then Alison and Roger turned up, and it lasted say an hour.  And finally whittled down to what you now see.  The chap loved doing it so much, he gave up acting and became a palaeontologist.

Two or three years later Alison was doing something that required her to walk across a ‘real’ school playground.  ‘It won’t work’, she said, ‘They’ll recognise me’.  ‘Go on’, said the director, ‘Give it a try.’  Well, all the kids rushed at her calling, ‘Candice-Marie, Candice-Marie!!’  (Mike heard the name on a bus).

I believe ‘Nuts in May’ had a remote genesis in a little two-hander upstairs at the Royal Court, called something like ‘Holy Glory’, about veggies.