Blog – Page 354 – What Was Pebble Mill?

The Master of Innocence – photos by Lynda Kettle

Master of Innocence studio set

Master of Innocence dining room set

Photos by Lynda Kettle, no reproduction without permission. Lynda Kettle was a Production Designer at BBC Pebble Mill, working on factual, entertainment and drama shows in studio and on location. The photos were taken as records of the Sets.

The Master of Innocence was a BBC 2 contemporary military drama recorded at Pebble Mill in Studio A. It probably dates from the early 1980s, and was probably a hosted show. Mechael Taylor was the costume designer, and Lynda Kettle the production designer. I think actor Peter Cellier starred in the series, but I cannot find many details about the drama.

Production Designer, Lynda Kettle also worked as a theatre designer and an artist, and now runs courses from her art studio http://www.lynda-kettle.com. She is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham Water Colour Society. Midland Pastel Society and Birmingham Art Circle . She exhibits her paintings several times a year at selected galleries.

Please add a comment if you can add more details about this drama.

Look! Hear!

'Look Hear' Badge

Look! Hear! was a regional television music and arts show produced at Pebble Mill in the early 1980s which went out in the Midlands on BBC 1. The series featured genuinely live popular music performances with a studio audience. It was presented by Toyah Wilcox plus local radio presenters Ann Butler, Liz Cotton, John Holmes and Chris Phipps, who sat around on odd-looking chairs talking about the arts.

Copies of many studio programmes in the 1970s and 80s were not kept by the BBC; they were seen as disposable. Three episodes of Look!Hear! had been lost, but fortunately presenter John Holmes had kept VHS copies of the shows, and so Paul Vanezis from the BBC was to transfer them, and create copies for the BBC programme library.

Thanks to Ian Collins, VT Editor, who worked on the series, for making the badge available.

Lizzie’s Pictures – TX Card from Dave Bushell

Transmission Card for the 1987 4 part drama Lizzie's Pictures

Lizzie's Pictures TX Card

Lizzie’s Pictures, four-part drama series shot in Studio A and on location in Birmingham, Warwickshire and London. Directed by Nick Renton.

Transmitted in 1987. Critically well-received but unfortunately got lost as it was aired alongside ‘Porterhouse Blue’ which was very popular. Starred Lisa Harrow, Robert Stephens, Sheila Ruskin, Philip Jackson and Pam Ferris amongst others. Crew included myself on lighting, Sally Engelbach (designer), Al Barnett (costume), Gill Hughes (make-up), Dave Doogood (camera supervisor), Dave Baumber (sound) and Ivor Williams (VT editor).

Dave Bushell

Script front page for Lizzie's Pictures

Dub 2 – photos by Ben Peissel

Photos by Ben Peissel no reproduction without permission.

These photos are of Dubbing Theatre 2 at Pebble Mill. Dub 2 was mainly used for dubbing factual programmes like Gardeners’ World and Countryfile. It was smaller than Dub 1, but still had the comfy sofas at the back for members of the production team to sit on, whilst Ben Peissel and his colleagues made the programmes sound as good as they could. There was a voice over booth at the back, where presenters or voice over artists could record voice over to pictures. You can also see the turntable and tape deck for playing in music and sound effects from different sources.

Pity in History – photos by Willoughby Gullachsen

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission.

Pity in History was part of the 1985 ‘Summer Season’ of dramas, it went out on 4th July. It was produced at Pebble Mill by Chris Parr, the executive producer was Robin Midgley and Sarah Pia Anderson the director. The play was performed in Studio A.

The play by Howard Barker starred Norman Rodway, Anna Massey, Alan Rickman, Patrick Malahide and Ian McDiarmid.

Set in the Civil War, the story is about a sculptor working to finish a memorial to the Royalist years, as Cromwell’s men break down the surrounding cathedral walls.

The first photo has Alec Robson (TM1) on the left, setting lights and a back view of Keith Schofield with camera; the photo of the rehearsal featuring the crew includes: camera supervisor Dave Doogood, P.A. Bobbie Chapman, Dawn Robertson, cameraman Keith Schofield (crouched), Kevin Heffernan (design), Chris Parr (prod on left), George Allen (TM2) is in the centre with the dark sweater, on his right is cameraman Doug Smith.

John Greening comments: “Gareth Williams is b/g in white trousers. I was AFM and the rehearsals were at Five Ways in an empty office block. Actor in f/g is Roger Frost, husband of Pam Ferris. Howard Barker wrote the play as a vehicle for Ian McDiarmid – he was at the RSC at the time and I had to play his part during rehearsals when there was a matinee..”

Thanks to Dave Bushell, David Short and John Greening for adding to the information.

Pity in History rehearsalSave