Oliver White – What Was Pebble Mill?

Great Expectations photos by Bhasker Solanki

Photos by Bhasker Solanki, no reproduction without permission

‘Great Expectations’ 1981, made at Pebble Mill. It would have been recorded in Studio A, for the interiors and on 16mm film on location, for exteriors. Actor Philip Joseph playing Joe Gargery the blacksmith. The editor was Oliver White, assisted by Ian Bellion.

Here is the link to more information on the BBC Genome project: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=Great+Expectations++Phillip+Joseph#top

Below is the listing for episode 1 from the Radio Times

‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens, dramatised in 12 parts by James Andrew Hall
Starring Gerry Sundquist as Pip, Stratford Johns as Magwitch, Joan Hickson as Miss Havisham, Phillip Joseph as Joe Gargery, John Stratton as Uncle Pumblechook

A lonely little figure hurrying home across the marshes… The sudden terrifying appearance of a brutal escaped convict – and Pip is launched on an adventurous journey that changes him from blacksmith’s apprentice to snobbish young gentleman.

Author:Charles Dickens

Dramatised by:James Andrew Hall

Music composed by:Paul Reade

Film Cameraman:John Kenway

Script Editor:Terrance Dicks

Designer:Michael Edwards

Producer:Barry Letts

Director:Julian Amyes

Pip:Gerry Sundquist

Magwitch:Stratford Johns

Miss Havisham:Joan Hickson

Joe Gargery:Phillip Joseph

Uncle Pumblechook:John Stratton

Pip, aged 9:Graham McGrath

Mrs Joe:Marjorie Yates

Compeyson:Peter Whitbread

Mr Wopsle:Peter Benson

Mr Hubble:Walter Sparrow

Mrs Hubble:Christine Ozanne

Sergeant:Adrian Bracken

Orlick:Linal Haft

Estella:Patsy Kensit

Pip, aged 12:Paul Davies-Prowles

Camilla:Janet Henfrey

Raymond:Edmund Kente

Sarah Pocket:Mollie Maureen

Oliver White and his encounter with Grace Wyndham Goldie

Specially shot video of film editor, Oliver White, talking about his encounter with the legendary Grace Wyndham Goldie, whilst a trainee at Ealing in the late 1960s. Grace Wyndham Goldie was the Head of BBC Television Talks, and later Head of News and Current Affairs, she was a formidable producer and executive. Oliver is talking about the obituary of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who died in 1969. Oliver White worked as a film editor at BBC Pebble Mill for many years, he edited dramas like Nuts in May, Gangsters, Kiss of Death and Red Shift, amongst many others.

This video was recorded at the London Film School, and is part of Royal Holloway’s ADAPT project, which engineers re-encounters between television practitioners and the historic equipment they once used habitually. I think that the editing machine next to Oliver is a moviescope – can anyone confirm that?

Oliver White with a Moviescope

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

Ieuan Franklin: ‘A fearsome lady by all accounts – Bel Rowley from BBC drama The Hour is based on Grace Wyndham Goldie but the character is a bit too meek for GWG I think! Great to see Oliver, he’s looking well.’

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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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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Syncing film rushes with Dawn Trotman and Oliver White

This video was recorded in August 2015 as part of Royal Holloway’s ADAPT project. The aim of the project is to recreate how television programmes used to be made, before digital technology. The project reunited Pebble Mill film editor, Oliver White, with former film assistant editor, Dawn Trotman. Oliver had a long and illustrious editing pedigree, cutting dramas like Nuts in May, The Red Shift, A Touch of Eastern Promise amongst many others. He retired as Avid editing came in. Dawn is now a freelance Avid editor, cutting programmes like Countryfile for many years. The ADAPT team asked Dawn and Oliver to demonstrate how film and sep-mag audio were synched up using a Picsync and Steenbeck. This film cutting room was in the London Film School.

Dawn Trotman with Oliver White in the London Film School cutting room

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

Roy Thompson: ‘Remember teaching all of these film techniques, sound transfer, syncing up, track laying and dubbing to the ITO course (Introduction to Technical Operations) at Wood Norton after being taught by Henry Fowler formerly of Pebble Mill. A great exercise in logic, and creativity, for the students who, in a group of 3 or 4, were given 200 foot of 16mm reversal to make a short film. Great learning even though by then single electronic cameras were making inroads into production and news gathering. Great memories.’

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