December 2016 – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Dalziel and Pascoe TX card

Thanks to Ann Chancellor-Davies for sharing this TX card for the 1996 drama series: Dalziel and Pascoe.

Below is the Radio Times entry for the first episode in the series, courtesy of the BBC Genome project:

Synopsis:

A Clubbable Woman
First of three films adapted from Reginald Hill’s crime novels about an old fashioned detective teamed with a graduate police officer. Starring
Warren Clarke , Colin Buchanan
After the wife of a rugby star is found murdered at her Yorkshire home, hard-nosed Detective Superintendent Dalziel and soft-spoken Detective Sergeant Pascoe delve into the murky world of Wetherton RFC. See today’s choices.
Adapted by Alan Plater
Producers Eric Abraham and Chris Parr : Director
Ross Devenish

Contributors
Adapted By: Alan Plater
Producers: Eric Abraham
Producers: Chris Parr
DetSupt Andrew Dalziel: Warren Clarke
DetSgt Peter Pascoe: Colin Buchanan
Ellie Soper: Susannah Corbett
DetSgt Wield: David Royle
Sam Connon: Ralph Brown
Jenny Connon: Kate Farrah
Marcus Felstead: Mark Lambert
Arthur Evans: Steven Speirs
Gwen Ewans: Andree Bernard
Sid Hope: Bernard Latham
Ted Morgan: Robert Hudson
Willie Noolan: Ian Thompson
Jacko Roberts: Peter Martin
Wallis: Danny McGrath
Anthony Wilkes: Patrick Baladi
Dave Femie: Jeremy Swift
Alice Femie: Ingrid Wells
Stanley Curtis: Darren Tighe
Maisie Curtis: Maggie Lane
Sheila: Jane Cameron
Ross Canning, duty sergeant: Claude Close
Mrs Williams: Dorothy Vernon

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a0367d7c6d1f48988b3c112b3e369f70

Save

The Husband, the Wife and the Stranger, Radio Times

Below is the entry from the Radio Times for 1986 drama The Husband, the Wife and the Stranger, from the BBC Genome project: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a0ac4ec29e33434fb1ad17ff13426474

‘Synopsis:

by ADRIAN HENRI after a story by RYUNOSUKE AKUTAGAWA
Sunlight. Strawberries. Champagne. The perfect lover’s tryst. Or is it?
A stranger intrudes. A mysterious business deal.
Passions run high and a man dies. Who is innocent and who is telling the truth? Who do you believe?
Vision control supervisor PETER HODGES
Lighting supervisor ALEC ROBSON
Composers ANDY ROBERTS, JOJI HIROTA Designer MICHAEL EDWARDS Producer BETH PORTER Director GERRY MILL BBC Pebble Mill

Contributors

Author: Adrian Henri
Director: Gerry Mill
Producer: Beth Porter
From Stories By: Ryunosuke Akutagawa: The Roshomon Gate
Vision Control Supervisor: Peter Hodges
Lighting Supervisor: Alec Robson
Musical Supervisor/Composer: Andy Roberts
Designer: Michael Edwards
Husband: Adam Faith
Wife: Sayo Inaba
Stranger: Derrick O’Connor’

Thanks to the producer of the drama, Beth Porter, for sharing her Radio Times copy.

Beth Porter’s (long and amusing) autobiography Walking on my Hands, is available for a couple of pounds on Kindle, on the link below. Chapter 12 includes Beth’s adventures with the BBC.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-My-Hands-responsibility-Streisand-ebook/dp/B01DUWNSRQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1460027101&sr=8-3&keywords=kindle+Beth+Porter

Save

Peter Vaughan 1923-2016

You and Me and Him. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

The character actor, Peter Vaughan, died today (6th Dec 2016) aged 93. He is perhaps best known for his role as Harry Grout, in Porridge, although many people will recognise him as Maester Aemon in Game of Thrones. Vaughan also played the role of Coster, in the 1973 Pebble Mill Thirty Minute Theatre: You and Me and Him. It was written by David Mercer, and directed by Barry Hanson. David Rose was the producer, and the production designer was Michael Edwards.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the screen grab available.

Ironically, I was only messaging director Paul Vanezis last night about You and Me and Him, and he told me the following story about how he saved the TX tape:

“I found the tape in the basement [of Pebble Mill] in 1990; the spool number had been changed, but it was the original TX tape. It still had the VT card inside. John Lannin edited it and Tony Rayner was his assistant. I think they kept it because it was a very complex show to edit. I recall that it had written in red biro on the card 283 edits!!! That would have been a a lot for 1973. It had also been copied for the BFI in 1975, but then sent to be wiped, hence the VT guys intercepting it and changing the number so it couldn’t be wiped. When I found the tape I sent it to Windmill Road, but only when they promised to keep it safe.”

Fortunately the programme does still exist in the archive.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Wendy Critchlow: ‘I remember watching this and Steve talking about the work that had gone into it in VT.’

Save

Second City Firsts and Rainbow City to be digitised

It was announced last week that thousands of British television programmes are to be digitised in order to preserve them. The BFI is investing £13.5 million pounds worth of Lottery funding to carry out the project. Programmes from the 1970s and 1980s are said to be particularly at risk.

A number of Pebble Mill and pre-Pebble Mill dramas have been identified as part of the digitisation, these include, Second City Firsts (1973-8), and Rainbow City (1967). These are considered particularly significant because they include the early work of black and Asian writers.

The digitisation is being prioritised because of the shortage of early video equipment in sound working order, and the growing shortage of technical operators for such equipment.

It’s great to hear that some of the lesser known dramas to be made in Gosta Green and Pebble Mill are now being recognised as culturally important.

Errol John and Gemma Jones in Rainbow City. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Save

Barry Hanson obituary – Lez Cooke

The article below about Barry Hanson’s career was written Lez Cooke. It is published on the Forgotten Drama research project website: https://forgottentelevisiondrama.wordpress.com/.

Save