Television – Page 246 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Golden Oldie Picture Show, Christmas – Gail Herbert’s photos

The Golden Oldie Picture Show was produced by John King at Pebble Mill, and presented by the Radio 1 DJ: Dave Lee Travis. The series ran between 1985 to 1988. The show featured new music videos made for old hit records. Different film makers recorded their own interpretation of the songs. Dave Lee Travis introduced and linked the show.

These photos are from the 1986 Christmas show, which went out on 22/12/86. The first photo shows the ‘links’ set up with Dave Lee Travis, and the others show the location filming of ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’. In the photo with Father Christmas you can see the cameraman Simon King, now well known as a wildlife cameraman, and son of producer John King.

Gail Herbert, who took the photos,was the Production Assistant on the Golden Oldie Picture Show.

Recording the links

‘Dread Poets Society’ – TX Card from Dave Bushell

Dread Poets Society

TX card for ‘Dread Poets Society’

This was a hosted production shot on location at Oxley Carriage Sidings, Wolverhampton. Two railway carriages were rewired by Derek McCulloch and his sparks so that I could reproduce my take on what it would feel like to be in a train during a thunderstorm. The weather was appalling, as I remember, and we had to deal with a number of equipment problems. Still it was interesting to do (and I like trains!).

Producers were George Faber and Estelle Daniel, director Andy Wilson and the cast were Benjamin Zephaniah, Timothy Spall, Alex Jennings, Dexter Fletcher, Alan Cumming and Emma Fielding. Transmission was in 1992.

Dave Bushell

‘The Brothers’

'The Brothers' Cast & Crew

The Brothers was a long running series about a family in the road haulage business.

There were 8 series in all, going out between 1970 and 1976, including 92 x 50 min episodes.

The final series was directed by Mary Ridge, and produced by Bill Sellars.

The drama starred Jean Anderson as Mary Hammond, Richard Easton as Brian Hammond, Robin Chadwick as David Hammond, Jennifer Wilson as Jennifer Kingsley, Derek Benfield as Bill Riley, Margaret Ashcroft as Gwen Riley, Patrick O’Connell as Edward Hammond, Colin Baker as Merroney, Carole Mowlan as Claire Miller, and Kate O’Mara as Jane Maxwell.

It was a hosted drama at BBC Pebble Mill. The final series was recorded at Pebble Mill, I’m not sure if any of the earlier ones were – please add a comment, if you can give more information.

Lynda Kettle was the production designer http://www.lynda-kettle.com and make up artist Maggie Thomas also worked on the series.

‘This is History Gran’

This is History Gran TX Card

This is History Gran was produced by Chris Parr at Pebble Mill, and went out in 1986 on BBC 1. It was written by Robert Holman, directed by Sarah Pia Anderson; John Kenway was the director of photography.

The drama tells the story of Lord Edward Langbaurgh who makes a shocking discovery while taking a stroll in the grounds of his country home, which affects the Chapman family of a nearby town. Christopher Chapman decides to investigate.http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/407698

The film stars Elizabeth Bradley, David Calder, Matyelok Gibbs, Peter Howell, Paul Jesson, Gina McKee, Mark Rylance and Martin Walker.

Thanks to Maggie Humphries from Film Unit for looking after this photograph and the TX Card.

This is History Gran

The Chequered Flag brochure – also known as ‘The Power and the Glory’

‘The Chequered Flag’ (transmitted in the UK under the title ‘The Power and the Glory’) was an eight part documentary series about the history of motor sport, produced at Pebble Mill, with John Gau productions. This brochure was probably produced to promote its being sold internationally (since the title is different from the UK broadcast title). The series went out in 1991. Thanks to Maggie Humphries from the Film Unit for making the brochure available, and to Alan Duxbury for supplying more information.

Please add a comment if you worked on the series or can add more information about it.

The Chequered Flag brochure cover