Category: Television

Protecting the Children – TX Card from Maggie Humphries

Transmission Card from Maggie Humphries for ‘Protecting the Children’

Transmission Card


‘thank you’ note from Chris Wade

This transmission card is from the 1988, 7 part series on BBC 2  following one of the NSPCC’s Child Protection Teams based in Lincoln, as they investigated cases of abuse and neglect towards children. The documentary series was largely observational and involved film crews being on standby to cover emergencies as they unfolded.

Margaret Jay was reporter for the series.  The daughter of Labour leader James Callaghan, she followed her television career as Labour spokesperson on Health in the Lords.  She was married and then divorced from Peter Jay.

The series was produced by Tamasin Day-Lewis (now best known as a television chef and sister of the actor Daniel Day-Lewis),with photography by Mike Fox and edited by Chris Wade; Sally Ann Lomas was the assistant producer.  This thank you note is from the film editor Chris Wade, and thanks the Film Unit office for their helpfulness.  Maggie Humphries scheduled and organised the film crews at Pebble Mill, facilitating the programmes based in Birmingham.

‘Date with Fate’ – Lynda Kettle’s photos

Photos by Lynda Kettle, no reproduction without permission.  Lynda Kettle was a Production Designer at BBC Pebble Mill, working on factual, entertainment and drama shows in studio and on location.  The photos were taken as records of the Sets.

‘Date with Fate’ was a game show, transmitted in 1998, where a top astrologer was put on the spot to see if they could predict the behaviour of two contestants. It was presented by Esther McVey, with astrologer Jonathan Cainer.  There were 28 episodes for BBC 1 Daytime, produced at Pebble Mill by Steve Weddle and Katie Wright; it was directed by Merrick Simmonds.

Production Designer, Lynda Kettle also worked as a theatre designer and an artist, and now runs courses from her art studio http://www.lynda-kettle.com.  She is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham Water Colour Society. Midland Pastel Society and Birmingham Art Circle . She exhibits her paintings several times a year at selected galleries.

Lynda Kettle

Dr Who – photos by Ben Peissel

Photos by Ben Peissel, no reproduction without permission.

These photos show an episode of Dr Who being dubbed at Pebble Mill.  The Doctor in question is Peter Davison, who was the fifth Doctor, and played the role between 1982-4.

Andy Freeth is one of the dubbing mixers shown.

The episode is part 1 of  ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’.  This was shown as 2 double-length episodes rather than the usual four 25 minute ones, due to the scheduling around the 1984 Olympics.  Perhaps all the dubbing facilities in London were busy with the Olympics, where Dr Who would normally have been dubbed, meaning that it came to Pebble Mill instead.

I understand that only one full episode of Dr Who was recorded in Studio A, in 1977, the Horror of Fang Rock, but that would be earlier than these photos.

Dalek in dubbing

Days at the Beach – photos by Willoughby Gullachsen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Willoughby Gullachsen, no reproduction without permission.

‘Days at the Beach’ was a BBC 2 Playhouse drama transmitted in 1981.  It was produced by David Rose at BBC Pebble Mill, and written and directed by Malcolm Mowbray.  It was filmed on location in Wales.  Set in 1920, the story follows three soldiers: Sergeant Major Globe, Corporal Mumford and Private Tobe as they guard an unexploded mine washed up on the beach.

The film was edited by Chris Rowlands and Bob Jacobs was the location manager, and John Kenway the Director of Photography.

It starred Mark Aspinall as Private Tobe, Sam Kelly as Sergeant Major McGlobe, Stephen Wale as Corporal Mumford and Julie Walters as Mrs Morgan.

 

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Pebble Mill at One

Photos by Ian Collins, Jim Gregory and John Burkill, no reproduction without permission.

These photos show various memorable episodes of Pebble Mill at One, and date from 1974 with the drag racing shots.  Notable amongst them are the studio camera which has fallen off the curb and smashed lens first!  Also included are the American College band performing on the front lawn, the arrival of a Harrier jump jet over Pebble Mill, the landing of a Royal Navy helicopter and Tom Coyne interviewing at the front of the building.  There are also a number of photographs of location shoots for Pebble Mill at One.  The skiing ones are a shoot by producer Tony Rayner.

Please post a comment, if you can add to the information here.

Harrier over Birmingham