Dave Baumber

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dubbing mixer, Dave Baumber, sadly died on Wednesday 6th August, of a brain tumour.

Dave was a legendary dubbing mixer, and one of the best in the business. He had great skills, and if he said something couldn’t be done, it couldn’t be done. Anyone working in any production team was always delighted if Dave was available to mix their programme. Dave worked originally for the BBC in London, and was head hunted, when Pebble Mill opened, to move up to Birmingham and work primarily on drama.

I was talking today to Phil Thickett and he told me a story of working with Dave. Phil, was seconded from cameras to find out more about different departments and spent a couple of weeks with Dave, in dubbing, on Boys from the Blackstuff. Apparently what used to happen at the beginning of each day of the mix was that director, Philip Saville, would come in to the dubbing area and run his hand along the entire collection of BBC sound effects on disc, and select one at random. He would then hand the disc to Dave, and give him a side and track number. The challenge was for Dave to incorporate the chosen sound effect into the final mix. Dave was extremely creative about how to use the sound effect – sometimes slowing it down or speeding it up, or even playing it backwards, but he always managed to get the effect in, and for it not to stand out to anyone listening to the mix – the sign of a real professional!

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

Peter Poole: ‘Dave was at the top of his craft. He was a lovely man and a perfect gentleman. I will never forget his help when I joined the BBC. He was an inspiration to me. He will not be forgotten.’

Andrew Godsall: ‘I worked with Dave on and off between 1978 and 1981. He was a positive, ‘can do’ person who had that great mix of positive criticism of the institution we all worked for. He was forward thinking and looking, and respected by all his colleagues. He knew about team work and knew when to work and when to play. The dubbing theatre at Pebble Mill was a creative and fun place to be around.
Around that time Dave had just moved out to the country and loved growing veg and living the Good Life. What a great guy. May he rest peace.’

Philip Morgan: ‘I was honoured to work in the record room for Dave at Pebble Mill and at Oxford Road when he came up to mix a dub there as well. He was a real professional and always helpful and (reasonably) tolerant of my mistakes and lack of knowledge. In the 1970’s film dubbing was very much a mechanical and analogue process. The bays (Perfectone) would rock’n’roll and stop and start with a “graunching” sound – the Assistant Recordist in the record room hoping that all the splices on the mag tracks held and that ‘drop-ins’ on the record track would be imperceptible. When Dave was faced with inferior soundtrack materials he would grumble that editors would go out with the same standard they came in with – but then he would somehow work his mixing magic and raise the standard anyway!’

Ray Lee: ‘I first met Dave at Lime Grove when I was in Film Maintenance, and I believe Alan Dyke was the senior dubbing mixer. Dave one day rang down to say the fuses had blown in the “Keller” a flatbed 16mm trnasport with 6 sepmag tracks and two optical tracks. It was a 50min programme due to be aired later, that day, and about half way in. I went armed with a pocket full of fuses, powered down and replaced them. Fortunately when repowered all appeared to be well, and the tracks still appeared to be in sync when the transport was relocked. If they had had to wind back to the top and resync on the leaders, there was some doubt as to whether the programme would be ready in time for transmission.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I remember particularly working with Dave on location in Morecambe bay. He was fun and professional. Great guy.’

Eurwyn Jones: ‘I also worked with Dave in the Dubbing theatre as a projectionist along with Stan Treasurer. He was a true professional and perfectionist and tackled heavy drama dubbing with such skill. Film editors came from different regions just to have him dub their productions. If Stan was still with us I’m sure he would agree with all the comments here wholeheartedly . It was a pleasure to know him.’

Murray Clarke senior: ‘So very sad. On my first television drama All Creatures Great and Small, Pebble Mill gave me Dave as a BOOM SWINGER – just to keep an eye on me and advise me!!! He’d been a Dubbing Mixer for years by this time. A lovely gentle man.’

 

Pebble Mill Cleaning Ladies

Pebble Mill cleaning ladies Judith Markall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is of the Pebble Mill cleaning ladies in the early 1970s.

Elsie Brown was the only full time ladies cloakroom attendant and did so for about 20 years.

Please add a comment if you can name others in the photo.

(Thanks to Judith Markall for sharing the photo).

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

Keith Brook: ‘This may have been the moment when Sidey did his famous quote ‘From the cleaners downwards ……’

That lovely play on words earned him an annual invite to the girl’s Christmas canal barge party!!

They were a great crowd.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘They were fantastic and so dedicated. Who remembers murial with the beehive hairdo? She took part in the barmaids arms series.’

Dharmesh Rajput: ‘Memories of cleaners – so in the final years of Pebble Mill – who remembers Sharon? She was lovely, but god help you if you were still working late when she needed to clean!’

Judith Markall: Elsie Brown was my mom and she loved working there. We were able to catch up during the day when I worked in Planning Office. She was the only lady that was there all day as the others only worked early mornings. Yes Keith they were a great bunch !

[Included are] Elsie Brown, Elsie Lloyd, Edie Harrison, Olive Taylor, Edna Cuneen, Also ladies I have no surnames for – Betty, Anne, Pat, Doreen. I see Phil Sidey is there and I can’t remember the name of the other Manager.

Vision of a Nation: Making Multiculturalism on British Television

Gavin Schaffer bookCopyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

This newly published book by Gavin Schaffer, from the University of Birmingham, explores the development of multiculturalism on British television. It includes several mentions of programming from Pebble Mill and BBC Birmingham. Gavin’s research for the book included a detailed interview with Stephanie Silk, who was a PA in the Immigrants Programmes Unit in the late 1960s, as well as interviews with English Regions Drama Department producer, Peter Ansorge (producer of Empire Road , Britain’s first black soap opera, written by Michael Abbensetts).

It is Steph Silk on the front cover, with Saleem Shahed on the left, and Mahendra Kaul in the middle, from the Immigrants Programme Unit. The photo is from summer 1968, at a charity dinner in London, arranged by the Indian High Commission.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vision-Nation-Gavin-Schaffer/dp/0230292984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401910435&sr=8-1&keywords=vision+of+a+nation+gavin+schaffer

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

Julian Hitchcock: ‘Many, many memories…. Mahendra (who was also a restaurateur) was rather grand. Saleem gave off an air, not only of pipe tobacco, but of a university vice-chancellor.

Studio B! Ah, the glamour!

I was always proud of Pebble Mill’s role in the policy. There were ups and downs, as well as hours of incomprehensible chat shows, but you felt that it was engaging its audience keenly and in a vital way. Year on year, you felt it responding to social developments as, in the other direction, the rest of BBC programming caught up.

Before that happened, there was a period in which the Unit was thought by all too many as a silo for people whose epidermis was insufficiently French. I recollect being mortified with embarrassment by the “helpful” suggestion of a senior producer to a bright new graduate [of Asian complexion] who was gaining work experience at Pebble Mill and who was interested in getting into production. Fag in hand, she advised the girl to try Asian programmes.

The remark was simultaneously offensive and very good advice. I’m delighted that those days are behind us. That they are is in no small part due to the efforts of the Asian Unit.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Yes, remember all that. I worked in what was called The Asian Unit at one time and have to say I never went hungry because there was always a restaurant of a relative somewhere near where we were filming. I worked on Black Christmas too – John Clarke being the producer. There was also a couple of series called “Together” which was about ethnic minorities living in the Midlands. It was interesting and I learnt such a lot.’

Planning Office 1970s

photoCopyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

This photo of the Pebble Mill Planning Office dates from the early 1970s. In the photo are Janet Collins, Margaret Barton, Harvey Frost, Julie Knee, Ruth Taylor, Carol Bond, Marjorie Bailey and Judith Markall. Pat Childs, Keith Ackrill, Jill Chatfield, Yvonne Williams, Gloria Smith, and more.

Please add a comment if you can identify any of the others.

(Thanks to Judith Markall for sharing this photo).

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

Jane Green: ‘Harvey gave me my first contract – (interview in the canteen) and was my first boss. Lovely guy. Chain smoking was compulsory in those days I think!’

Judith Markall: ‘Martina Baggott,Paula and Jean ( can’t remember their surnames). It was taken during a planning office farewell to Sally who was leaving to have her first child.Harvey Frost had a beautiful singing voice. He sang at a lot of working mans clubs over in Stoke area where he lived. He was a fantastic guy.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘David Shute on end extreme left. All so very young!’

Eurwyn Jones:’ Wasn’t Harvey Frost a singer? Anybody remember Sally Taplin?’

Jeremy Clarkson’s – Motorworld

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Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

Jeremy Clarkson’s Motorworld was a lighthearted series on BBC 2, about the culture of the car in different countries. It was a spin off programme of Top Gear. There were two, six part series, with an additional special programme going out as a Christmas special in 1996, about motoring in the United Kingdom. The first series went out in January and February 1995, and the second series going out in January and February 1996.

The countries visited included: Series 1: Japan, Vietnam, Detroit, Iceland, Italy, India; Series 2: Monaco, Cuba, Switzerland, Australia, Texas, Dubai, UK.

There was a DVD made of the highlights, and book, written by Jeremy Clarkson, accompanied the series.

Dennis Jarvis was the series director, and the title music was written by David Lowe.

Thanks to Ian Collins for sharing this grab from the titles.

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

Lynn Cullimore: ‘I was the production assistant. Dennis is lovely and great to work with.’