Vote for Them – What Was Pebble Mill?

Ian Brindle

Ian Brindle, who was a 1st Assistant Director, and then Production Associate on several drama productions at Pebble Mill, sadly died earlier in March, after a long illness. Ian worked on dramas like the 1989 serial,Vote for Them, and was on location in Egypt with the rest of the cast and crew.

Maggie Harwood a former costume designer at TVC, and Ian’s partner, wanted news of Ian’s death sharing here.

Thanks to Janice Rider for passing on this sad news.

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

Lesley Weaver: ‘Very sorry to hear this, worked with Ian on many occasions… My condolences to his family’

Allan Hughes: ‘Such a great person to work with many happy memories’

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Vote for Them group shots

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen (Gus), no reproduction without permission.

These publicity stills are from the BBC2, 1989, three part drama, Vote For Them, by David Edgar and Neil Grant.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider, for sharing the photos.

Here is the Radio Times entry for the second episode, transmitted on 9th June 1989, from the BBC Genome project, which almost certainly contains some of the scenes shown here: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e9decff99d7e467786837144615f5319

‘by DAVID EDGAR and NEIL GRANT
The ‘Music for All’ Forces
Parliament is a great success. A general election is held to decide who should be the Government and who the Opposition. Government
Opposition
Speaker
Civilians
Drama Club
Backbenchers
Present Day
Sound ANDY REDFERN
Lighting BARRY CHATFIELD Executive producer MICHAEL WEARING
Producer CAROL PARKS
Director JAMES ORMEROD BBC Pebble Mill’

If you can add more information about the scenes that these stills are from, please add a comment.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:
Neil Grant (referring to the 3rd photo): ‘David Cardy front row, on the left, and Billy Hartman, the sergeant in the foreground facing away. From an early meeting of the ‘Music for All Parliament’.’
Ian Barber (also referring to the 3rd photo): ‘Looks like Jane Gurnett in the 2nd row’

Vote for Them in Egypt

These publicity photos were almost certainly taken by Willoughby Gullachsen on location in Egpyt. They are from the 1989 three part drama series, Vote for Them, written by David Edgar and Neil Grant. The series was produced by Carol Parks.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider, for sharing the photos.

Below is the synopsis from the Radio Times entry of the series from the BBC Genome project http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3bc1b6954a074ae7af03e2e03cf40739:
‘First of three episodes.
Egypt. 1943: Rommel has been kicked out of Africa and the fighting has moved on to Italy. The Allied troops still based in Cairo have time to think about what sort of world they want when the war is over.
Script editor ESTELLE DANIEL Designer NIGEL JONES Executive producer MICHAEL WEARING
Producer CAROL PARKS
Director JAMES ORMEROD BBC Pebble Mill’

Vote for Them – Army photos

These publicity photographs were almost certainly taken by Willoughby Gullachsen, who was employed on many Pebble Mill dramas to take stills used for press and publicity.

The photographs show the army top brass in the three part 1989 drama, Vote for Them, written by David Edgar and Neil Grant.

Thanks to costume designer Janice Rider for sharing the photos.

The following comment was left on the Facebook page:

Neil Grant: ‘The officers in the foreground are Colonel Raymond Pugh, left, played by John Rowe, and the Brigadier, played by the late James Grout.’

Vote for Them – aircraft shots

These publicity photos were almost certainly taken by Willoughby Gullachsen, and were used to publicise the three part drama serial: Vote for Them, written by David Edgar and Neil Grant. The show was transmitted in June 1989. Carol Parks was the producer, Michael Wearing the executive producer, and James Ormerod was the director.

This link to the BBC Genome project gives more information about the drama from the original Radio Times: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3bc1b6954a074ae7af03e2e03cf40739.

Thanks to costume designer, Janice Rider, for sharing the photos.

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

Neil Grant: ‘The aircraft is a Supermarine Spitfire, though not one of the earliest Marks as it has a four bladed propeller. Simon Adams is on the left – he played Aircraftsman “Nobby” Clarke – together with, I think, Peter Llewellyn Williams, who played Aircraftsman Bill Beatty.’

Diane Lester: ‘An early example of a supermarine spitfire. ..we filmed these scenes at an airfield just north of Salisbury, and had a hurricane and other planes there, including an American one. All the planes flew in, and on the last day we filmed with them,the spitfire and hurricane took off and did a victory roll over the airfield ….very spectacular.’

Mary Sanchez: ‘This was my first drama I worked on as a floor assistant (runner) . Having to identify about 100 extras and main characters all in uniform was quite a tall order! A really lovely bunch though.’

Gary Hudson: ‘I’m guessing a Mk IX Spitfire, but experts will know. In 1989 hardly any of the Battle of Britain-era ones were still flying, and I’m assuming this one is authentic (not a replica) and was airworthy, or else how did it get there? Mary, Diana? There were only a couple of Hurricanes flying then, I believe, but again someone will know.’