July 2014 – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Brian Vaughton – Radio Documentarian

Ian Parr, photo by Sam Coley, no reproduction without permission

Photo by Sam Coley, no reproduction without permission

Ian Parr, the Secretary and Trustee of the Charles Parker Archive, visited the Birmingham School of Media recently to deliver a collection of equipment formally used by Birmingham born radio producer, Brian Vaughton.

“On looking back I find that the majority of my documentaries have been aimed at capturing the past, before it is too late.” Brian Vaughton

Brian worked in both radio and television from the late 1950s – into the twenty-first century. In 1961 and 1962, Brian compiled and wrote two radio programmes which were produced by Charles Parker in the BBC Birmingham studios (Broad Street). These programmes, The Jewellery and Cry from the Cut, became known as The Birmingham Ballads and have become important audio documents, preserving the legacy of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and the commercial boat traffic which used to fill the city’s once busy canals.

It is interesting to note that Brian did not work under the security of full time BBC employment – instead preferring the freedom offered by being an independent producer.

“The beauty of being a freelance is that you can choose the subject of your article, radio programme or documentary film that you want to put up for consideration by the powers-that-be. And if they reject your suggestions, it is not the end of the world!” Brian Vaughton

Brian kindly gave permission for his collection of radio equipment to be permanently displayed in the Radio Suite of the new Parkside Building. This includes an L2 EMI “midget tape recorder”, a Brennell editing deck and anSTC4032 microphone. These are all in pristine condition – which Brian says this is because he paid for the equipment himself – and therefore took good care of it. While BBC equipment at the time was often subjected to more “knocks”.

The School of Media is delighted to announce the naming of a new annual award “The Brian Vaughton Award for Excellence in Radio” which is to be given to the radio student achieving the highest overall mark on the conclusion of their BA in Media and Communication / Radio studies.

For more information about Brian’s achievements, please visit the Charles Parker Archive Trust where there is an excellent series of interviews and notes relating to his work and the “Birmingham Ballads”. http://www.cpatrust.org.uk/oldsite/Bham_ballads.htm

Sam Coley (Degree Leader Radio, School of Media, Birmingham City University)

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

Pete Simpkin: ‘Many the reporter I taught to use the famous EMI L2 recorder….weighed a ton but was portable at last!’

Ieuan Franklin: ‘Hi Vanessa – that’s great about the donation of the equipment, and the naming of a new award after Brian Vaughton. I have listened to both programmes at the Charles Parker Archive, and I really think they do deserve to be included within the ‘official’ series of Radio Ballads (1958-1964). I have never met Brian, but his lengthy article on the Charles Parker Archive Trust website is incredibly informative, and was useful for my PhD research. Seán Street will be interested in this and may be able to comment on the equipment itself!’

The Charles Parker Archive can be found in the Library of Birmingham, Centenary Square, and more details can be found on the Birmingham City Council’s website: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/charlesparkerarchive

Sam Coley (Degree Leader, Radio, Birmingham City University)

Oliver Twist

Photo by Neil Wigley, no reproduction without permission

This publicity still is from the 12 part 1985 BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, which was a London production, hosted at Pebble Mill. The series was directed by Gareth Davies, and produced by Terence Dicks. Alexander Baron was the script writer, with Brian Wright the script editor. Bob Chaplin was the lighting director, Michael Edwards was the production designer, Al Barnett the costume designer and Alastair Askham the sound supervisor, with Mike Bloore the VT editor.

Ben Rodska played Oliver Twist, with Eric Porter as Fagin, and Michael Attwell as Bill Sikes.

Thanks to the BBC Drama Village for making the photo available.

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

Terry Powell: ‘Great show I looked after a young actor playing Olive who now is a pilot for Easy Jet with 2 grown up kids – time does fly’

Carole Haysom: ‘Make up assistant Carole Haysom……Made up Eric Porter, in fact I still have his Fagin teeth’

Carol Churchill: ‘Makeup designer was Susie Bancroft’

Ampex VPR6 1″ and D3 Machine

Photo by Paul Vanezis, no reproduction without permission

The photo shows an Ampex VPR6, 1″ videotape machine, in a stack with a Panasonic D3 machine. The VPR6 dates from the 1980s, whilst D3 machines came in during the early 1990s, and were used in editing and for transmission tapes, rather than for recording on. I wonder if this set up was for transferring 1″ tapes to D3.

Countryfile – John Craven in the bath

Still of presenter John Craven in the bath, during a Countryfile item.

Does anybody know what the item was? Please add a comment if you can add any information.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the still available.

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

Andrea Buffery: ‘I think it was a compilation programme directed by Joanna Brame. JC is wearing my snorkel mask.’

Andrew Chorlton: ‘I’m sure that was me on sound. Probably Foster, B or Evans, D on camera. A long time ago!’

Garry Jordan: ‘COUNTRY FILE, Transmission date: 14 May 1989, Clip #: BBC_253004’

Betti Moretti: ‘Can’t help with the story sorry… but when I worked on The Countryside Hour, the most mortifying thing would occur every Thursday… when I was little, Mum would hoover when Newsround came on – white noise? And I’d immediately drop off on the sofa… every Thursday, John would rehearse his script for Countryfile in my room… and you would not believe the struggle I had to keep my eyes open! Thank god for the Club & Mick Murphy! Happy days!

Rosalind Gower: ‘I directed one on lavender growing for essential oils in Norfolk which ended with John in a bath, but I don’t recognise the bathroom or the duck and snorkel! On my shoot we did this as a last minute idea and asked one of the farm workers if we could borrow their cottage bathroom for a short time. When she saw it was for the famous John Craven she readily agreed. To save John’s modesty we asked if she had any bubble bath…no…so we used washing up liquid instead but had to use loads of it to make any sort of decent bubbles. By then the hot water had run out so poor JC has to do his PTC in gloopy lukewarm water, trying not to shiver and pretending he was having a luxuriously scented relaxing bath. What a trooper! When we’d finished the woman asked for John’s autograph as she thought otherwise none of her friends would believe she’d had John Craven in her bath that afternoon!’

Under the Skin polaroids

Photos by Janice Rider, no reproduction without permission.

These polaroids are from the 1982, Pebble Mill, Play for Today: Under the Skin, written by Janey Preger. They were taken by costume designer, Janice Rider, for continuity reasons. The director was Tony Smith, and the producer was Peter Ansorge.

Included in the photos are: Jacqueline Tong, who played ‘Deb’; and Bill Nighy, who played the photographer, ‘Dave’.