Beverley Dartnall from Peter Lloyd

Photo from John Greening, of Bev's party before getting married

Photo from John Greening, of Bev’s party in Drama before getting married

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The following tribute to Bev Dartnall was written by Peter Lloyd, the current Series Producer of Doctors, and a friend of Bev’s.)

It’s with great sadness that we heard of the death of our dear friend Beverley Dartnall, former Series Producer of Doctors and an all round wonderful woman.

She really set the tone for the way we work here at Birmingham Drama – honest, respectful and fair, with a flair for the ridiculous and a great bullshit detector.

We can only take comfort that she made that leap and lived her dream, taking redundancy and moving to Majorca – and finding a new group of people who loved her and were there when she passed.

Peter

Farewell ‘poor girl from Nechells’, you were one of the best

 

Pebble Mill Peelable

 

Two Point 4 Children, photo and design by Lynda Kettle

Two Point 4 Children, photo and design by Lynda Kettle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A special paint was developed to paint on the floor of Studio A, the television drama studio – it was called ‘Pebble Mill peelable’ and was available commercially.

The following comments were posted on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page, about this special paint, what it did, and whether it was a good thing – or not!

Raymond Lee: ‘Before Pebble Mill peelable the studio floor was painted in water based paints, which ran if anything got spilt on them. Also it required a day between productions to wash the studio floor and let it dry, before the next painting could take place. One of the downsides of of the peelable paint was that after a number of layers the floor became quite uneven, so tracking shots became increasingly wobbly! I’m fairly sure it was only used in Studio A, and not the foyer. A base coat was put on the studio floor, which involved closing the studio for a couple of days. The fumes were quite pungent. Then the special floor paint was used to create the required floor using rollers, as previously. When a new drama went in the next floor scene was just painted on top. This continued for a number of productions, and then the paint was peeled off a bit like lino back to the base layer.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Yes, I remember it and it was a company headed by a man called Terry Field – I would think he is long retired now. It was really rated apparently. I knew Terry as he was a friend of John Woods in the press office when I then worked. They did use it in Studio A I believe but I am not sure if they did in the foyer.’

Guy Heselden: ‘The paint used at the London studios sounds similar. It goes on with a roller and can be touched up or painted over as and when and then when required gets washed off back to the bare brown coloured studio floor, ready for a new coat of paint!’

Gerry King: ‘Pebble Mill Peelable existed for many years totally dependent on Pebble Mill studios for income. They had premises on the Hagley Road close to the Plough & Harrow. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of their MD.’

Keith Brook (Scouse): ‘It was the most awful invention ever to fall on the lovely lino floors of Studio A. The original water paint system could be sucked up immediately after the sets had been removed and the new floor painted soon after. That system had the added effect of cleaning the floor and so we were left with a smooth surface to do our famous tracking shots. Pebble Mill Peelable often had it’s thick base coat put down without the floor being cleaned first. To add insult to injury, subsequent layers weren’t cleaned off either and the build- up was horrific. Many of the camera crew carried a Stanley knife and cut out the offending items which annoyed the manager who had introduced the paint. A short lecture on camerawork shut him up until the next time he wanted to flex his muscles.’

Bev Dartnall

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev Dartnall, who worked in the Afro Caribbean Unit, and in Television Drama, sadly died yesterday, 17th February, after a battle with cancer. She was only 55 years old. Bev was a producer on Dangerfield, and series producer of Doctors for a number of years, before leaving the BBC and moving to Majorca.

Bev’s funeral is going to be held in Majorca, but it is thought that there will be a memorial service in Birmingham.

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

John Greening: ‘Bev was the first person I met at Pebble Mill on my first day in TV, on the 3rd March 1984 and we worked together at Pebble Mill for nearly 20 years in all sorts of rolls – finally she was a series producer and me a grateful director. I’ll miss you Bev, and thanks for many happy memories -it was a privilege to work with you in the golden days of English Regions Drama.’

Janice Rider: ‘Beverley lit up any set she worked on. She had the ability to keep every member of her crew happy whilst being firm and in control – qualities not many producers manage to achieve. She was a wonderful colleague and friend and Vote for Them was made all the more special for her being in Egypt with us. Khaled and I will never forget her lovely generous soul.’

Dominic Keavey: ‘Was honoured to be a snib. A kinder, more supportive boss we’ll never find. God bless Bev.’

Herbie Donnelly: ‘You meet many friends and you meet many colleagues but Bev was rare she became both.’

Martha Howe-Douglas: ‘I can’t believe it. Bev gave me my job on Doctors, and was always such a support. I’ll miss our yearly birthday wishes to each other, as we shared the same day. A truly lovely lady.’

Roulla Xenides: ‘Beverley got Nigel Havers to attend a Breakthrough Breast Cancer lunch that I organised a few years ago when she was producing Dangerfield. She was lovely, very supportive of the cause and helped raise a lot of money that day.’

Indra Bhose: ‘Fond memories of a lovely, kind woman. Mid 90’s. Very low budget Pebble Mill drama. No catering budget. Night shoot. Crew grumpy to the point of rebellion. Bev in the kitchen , surrounded by jars of Nescafe, single handedly making and bringing drinks round to all the crew. Sad day but happy memories.’

Sharon Pemberton: ‘Bev was a great gal. Many’s the evening she calmed me down and reassured me in ‘Boris’ the portakabin, whilst I tore my hair out trying to be a producer. Always calm, efficient and a genuine pleasure to be around.’

Zoe Goodwin: ‘The first producer I remember meeting at Doctors. And what a first impression. What a memorable, lovely, kind and supportive woman she was.’

Chris Richards: ‘This is very sad news. Bev was one of the very, very best people I have been lucky enough to work with. A terrific Producer, loved and respected by her colleagues, and a wonderful warm and funny person. Like many, I owe her a great deal.’

Tyrone Huggins: ‘Bev played clarinet for many shows we did at Duddeston Manor. I was a year above her. Later we connected up with productions at Pebble Mill and cups of tea at her parents old house in Bordesley Green which I’d once walked her home to after a school disco. A lovely girl, friendly and supportive woman and friend I’ve missed and will miss.’

The Rainbow – Mail on Sunday Preview

Rainbow Mail on Sunday 4 Dec 1988

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

This Mail on Sunday article from December 1988 previews Pebble Mill’s The Rainbow, a three part adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence’s novel. The drama was produced by Chris Parr, directed by Stuart Burge, with the screenplay adapted by Anne Devlin, Chris’s wife.

The serial starred Imogen Stubbs, Martin Wenner and Kate Buffery.

Thanks to Willoughby Gullachsen (Gus), for sharing the cutting.

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

Jo Mainwaring: ‘This was the first thing I remember being in production when I arrived in TV Drama – happy days.’

Terry Powell: ‘I looked after the male cast.’

John Greening: ‘And I was the location manager.’

Vanessa Jackson: ‘And I was the Producer’s Secretary!’

Dawn Trotman: ‘John Rosser cut it . I think Andy Netley was the assistant?’

Neil Roberts: ‘I synched up all the rushes! My first job at Pebble Mill.’

 

Construction of Pebble Mill

Building of Pebble Mill Studio A acoustic work in progress Studio B acoustic joinery News Area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

The photos show the construction of Pebble Mill from 1969 and 1970. They show the television Drama Studio A and the News Studio B, being fitted out acoustically.