Steve Saunderson – Page 3 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Gangsters series in Pakistan

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This photograph is of the arrival of the cast and crew of the drama series Gangsters, when the end of the series was filmed in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Included in the photograph are Andy Meikle (production co-ordinator, far left, beard), Heather Storr, Ann Arnold (costume designer 3rd from the left next to Heather), David Rose (producer – centre front row, black top and sunglasses), Arthur Heywood (sparks, back row, to the right of David), Saeed Jaffrey (actor, next to David), Richard Ganniclift (camera asst/operator to the right of Saeed Jaffrey), Alex Christison (sound recordist, last but one on right, with beard and sun glasses), far right Ken Morgan ( lighting cameraman). Also there, but not included in the shot were: Alastair Reid, director; Philip Martin, writer.

Thanks to Jane Mclean, Steve Saunderson, Janice Rider, Susan Astle, Janet Collins, and Bill Bohanna for helping identify people.

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Broad Street

These photographs pre-date Pebble Mill. They show the studio and newsroom when the BBC regional news operation was in Broad Street, Birmingham.

Included in the top photo are: L to R – Cyril Wilkinson, Gwen Smith, Jock Gallgaher on the phone, ?, but on the extreme right with back to camera is Barney Bamford (I think). It is taken in the newsroom at Broad Street. (Thanks to Gillian Thompson for identifying almost everyone!)

It’s interesting to see the caption card with the Midlands Today title on the stand, and the monitor with ‘Nottingham’ on.

Thanks to Stuart Gandy for sharing the photographs, which were originally posted on the Pebble Mill Engineers’ Facebook group.

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

Steve Saunderson: ‘There was little studio in Derby Road, Nottingham above the Jaegar shop. I first worked for a crew that was based there. It had 2 black and white cameras which Terry used to operate remotely in a tiny studio which Les Dawson described as a “technological broom cupboard” when he came in to do an interview down the line to Pebble Mill. They later moved into the bigger “sound” studio and I think actually went to colour and then into their present home.’

Peter Greenhalgh: ‘I moved to the Nottm studio in 83 as an engineer, not long after Terry left. It was colour by then (EMI 2001 cameras). The next move was to York House in 1989 think. That was where Radio Nottingham was and has now been demolished. We are currently in the London Road studios, which opened for radio and TV in 1999.’

Colin Pierpoint: ‘Nottingham television studio was in Black and White at the Broad Street time. I don’t remember if it was an outside source to BM or did a separate opt out, but I do remember at that time I saw a fault on the Notts insert, so I rang the control line to query it and heard a “Tingaling” on the sound off air! The telephone communication was to a field telephone on the studio floor with no ringing mute on TX. The change to colour was while I was at Pebble Mill, so between 1970 and 1980. Malcolm and I were sent to Bardon Hill with a standby generator in case the mains failed.’

Malcolm Hickman: ‘The mains was OK, but the standby generator failed.’

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Sir Terry Wogan 1938-2016

Dave Baumber (sound) with Terry Wogan (photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission)

Vanessa Jackson (producer) with Terry Wogan (photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission)

Steve Saunderson (camera), Vanessa Jackson, Gail Herbert (PA), Michelle Furey (AP) with Terry Wogan (photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission)

Dave Baumber (sound, crouching), Michelle Furey (AP) Steve Saunderson (camera), Vanessa Jackson, Gail Herbert (PA), ?, ?, with Terry Wogan (photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission)

Terry Wogan, Vanessa Jackson (photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission)

Terry Wogan, Dave Baumber, Vanessa Jackson (photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission)

Terry Wogan died today (31st January 2016) after a short battle with cancer.

“It’s very sad that Terry Wogan is no longer with us. I remember an old BBC special, an hour of watching fireworks and fronted by Tel! He actually made it sound exciting. I only worked with him once in 2002, but I took these in September 2004, when the BBC opened Europe’s most modern, state of the art studios, promising the people of the Midlands broadcasting security for the next 25 years at least. Of course, that was a lie. But none of us knew that then, not even Terry who was presenting here a Points of View special. On camera, Steve Saunderson, producer Vanessa Jackson. Sound is by the late, great Dave Baumber. Gail Herbert is in there as well, as is Michelle Furey. Just 11 years ago.”

Paul Vanezis

“I remember this shoot well, especially how patient and generous Terry was with members of the public who were continually asking to have their photo taken with him – the rest of the production team certainly weren’t as patient about that! I used to really enjoy writing the Points of View script for Terry, it was very easy to get his voice in your head as you were writing. I also loved the way he would look over the script in a couple of minutes, and ‘Terryise’ it – changing the odd phrase, so that it sounded like he’d written it in the first place. I also remember Gail Herbert, who was the production assistant on Points of View for many years, saying to me that Terry Wogan was someone she considered a real star – and she was right, he really was!”

Vanessa Jackson

Survival of the Fittest – front page and cast

Here is the script front page, and cast information for the 1990, ‘Screen One’ drama: Survival of the Fittest.

Here is the synopsis from the BFI Film and TV Database:

‘Dark comedy that looks at what happens when a fiercely-independent 80-year-old widow becomes too frail to live alone. Molly Cowper is dettermined 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 adn 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 script was written by Julian Mitchell, Martyn Friend was the director and Carol Parks the producer.

The drama starred Jean Anderson as Molly Cowper, Timothy West as Geoffrey Cowper, Nerys Hughes as Betty Trinder, Timothy Davies as Chris Tinder, Elizabeth Spriggs as Eileen Blackett, Ben Porter as the young Chris Tinder, Joanna Brookes as June Trinder, Andrew Groves as Richard Blackett, Steven Sherwood as Mr Towse, Doc O’Brien as the taxi driver.

Thanks to Willoughby Gullachsen (Gus) for keeping the pages safe all this time.

The following comments were added on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Terry Powell: ‘Again another show I worked on really enjoyed it can’t believe how menu shows a year we did now only really work on 2 or 3 a year. As home life is now so important.’

Annie Toy: ‘Goodness, that brings back memories. I used to catalogue all Gus’s pictures after they’d been up on the board on the downstairs corridor. They were brilliant.’

Victoria Trow: ‘Andy Netley won a Bafta last year.’

John Greening: ‘Brilliant -especially as I’m currently directing Tim West on EastEnders!’

Steve Saunderson: ‘Gus, what a talented artist, I try day by day to achieve great images but great images just poured out of his camera. Not a bad line-up is it?…and yes John a great cast including Timothy West…the last time I bumped into Dir. Martyn Friend, I was on a massive night shoot (lots of lights and sparks) for Midsomer Murders and he passed by and assured the producers that they were in very good hands, v. kind of him.’

Ampex VR2000 2″ Videotape machine

Photos by John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.

These photos date from 1976, and show Ampex VR2000 2″ editing machines in VTB, with a 1/4″ machine between them for lifting off the audio when about to make an edit. In the top photo there is a 2″ editing block, used for cutting and splicing the tape. This was a difficult process, involving a microscope and iron filings, and just to complicate matters the audio and video were on different parts of the tape.

In both photos there is the obligatory VT pint of beer – meaning that the photos were probably taken after or during lunch!

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

Keith Brook: Lannin was the edit-block hero. Iron ‘powder’ was used to ‘see’ the frames, and thus the edit points. The beer was needed to wash down those particles that were inhaled. Apparently, water didn’t work at all. This was obviously a long edit because the beer’s flat.

Stuart Gandy: Lubrication of the working parts was essential in these machines. Beer was found to be the perfect substance.

Steve Saunderson: Can’t identify the machine, but it looks like a pint of Ruddles.

Jayne Savage: This is an Ampex VR2000 in VTB with a half drunk pint spoiling a perfectly good shot of a splicing block – Tim says. The splicing block lives on at the Drama Village.