These photos are from the 1983 regional TV series Day Out produced at Pebble Mill. The first three photos feature Derby; the next four Tewksbury; and the last two the Peak District. The cameraman in the first photo is Chris Weaver, in the Tewksbury photos the cameraman is Jim Knights, and soundman Keith Conlon, with Gail Herbert P.A.; the cameraman in the Peak District photos is Pete Smith, Trina Bond the P.A and Mike Derby the director.
Jim Knights & Gail Herbert
'Bugs Bunny' cartoon by Chuck Jones
This sketch was done by Chuck Jones… the inventor, producer, director of Bugs Bunny and many other cartoon characters. He was on Pebble Mill at One in 1979, being interviewed by, I think, Bob Langley….. and while being interviewed, he was sketching and throwing them on the floor. After the show, he signed this one and gave it to me. I have been offered £500 pounds for this sketch, but I’m keeping it for now.
Kevin Lakin
David Short – Cameraman at Pebble Mill from Sept. 1981 until May 1985 (when I transferred to TV Centre)
(The producer of this episode was Stephanie Silk, the director Tony Rayner, and the PA probably Jane McLean)
'Pebble Mill at One' - Running Order
Here is a crew photo from Morte D’Arthur and a shot of me operating an EMI 2001 camera with Gillian Lynne looking on. Morte D’Arthur was the first time that I had a chance to operate a camera on a major drama production. I had a lot of encouragement from fellow cameraman, Jim Gray, who encouraged me greatly. Drama became my favoured type of production to work on.
David Short – Cameraman at Pebble Mill from Sept. 1981 until May 1985 (when I transferred to TV Centre)
In the first photo l to r: Toby Horwood, Phil Thickett, Gillian Lynne (seated centrally), Bob Meikle (back right)
Crew of Nike
David Short on the EMI 2001 with Gillian Lynne
(Photo copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission)
The following comments were added on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:
Steve Dellow: ‘I’m sure that the last EMI2001’s were in Studio B during autumn ’83….? Then it was Link 125’s all round….and of course the old EMI in Pres?
Dave Bushell: ‘Looks like a 2001 – nasty things!’
Steve Dellow: ‘When I arrived in Sept ’83, Studio A was being refurbished and I was assigned to Colin Speirs to do acceptance testing. So maybe the recordings were done earlier in the year before it was stripped out?
Nasty things? From what I heard,once they were lined up they stayed lined up, not like the Links that needed realigning twice a day! However, they didn’t like being left pointing at a line up chart for an excessive period – like Doug (Services) did when he left it while he went for his dinner! New tube please!’
Dave Bushell: ‘Just stirring it, Steve! I never liked the tinted-monochrome feel of the EMIs but I was a voice crying in the wilderness when I arrived at Pebble Mill in 1984. Criricising the EMI 2001 was not a move guaranteed to endear me as the new boy.’
Steve Dellow: ‘No worries – I was coming from an engineer’s direction! ;-)’
Dave Short: ‘Ask any cameraman who worked during the 70’s or 80’s what was the best camera to operate, and the EMI 2001 would come out tops.’
Copyright for these photos resides with the original photographer, no reproduction without permission.
John Greening who was the First Assistant Director on this mammoth Dickens adaptation comments that:
‘Pete was a force of nature – along with Keith Allen and Paul Schofield. Generous to a fault, he even offered to perform for free in my BBC drama directors course project. What a gent. I also got very drunk at his house once with designer Rob Hinds and production manager Alastair Duncan – but that’s another story…’
Pete Postlethwaite in Martin Chuzzlewit