Julia Smith – What Was Pebble Mill?

Alexander Graham Bell 1965

Francesca Annis and Alex McCowen in Alexander Graham Bell. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Thanks to costume supervisor Joyce Hawkins for sharing the photo. The photo is from a six part series about Alexander Graham Bell, recorded at the Gosta Green studio in 1965, and transmitted weekly on BBC 1 from 28th February 1965, at 17.35. Here is the entry from the Radio Times, c/o the BBC Genome project:

Synopsis

A serial in six parts by LYON TODD adapted by ALISTAIR BELL
PART 2: A Note In Music
Costumes supervised by Joyce Hawkins
Make-up supervised by Gwen Arthy Designer, Michael Edwards
Script editor, Betty Willingale Producer. CAMPBELL LOGAN Directed by JULIA SMITH
From the Midlands

Contributors

Adapted By: Alistair Bell
Unknown: Joyce Hawkins
Unknown: Gwen Arthy
Designer: Michael Edwards
Editor: Betty Willingale
Producer: Campbell Logan
Directed By: Julia Smith
Alexander Graham Bell: Alec McCowen
Jeannie MacEwan: Jean Anderson
Dr Ferguson: Larry Cross
Professor Bell: John Phillips
Mrs Bell: Barbara Cavan
Matthews: Jameson Clark
Ballachey: Hal Galili
MacDonald: Bruce Boa
George Brown: Robert James
Sarah Fuller: Susan Crawford
Mr Sanders: Peter Carlisle
George Sanders: Michael Crockett
Mr Richards: George Woolley
Mrs Connor: Elizabeth Begley
Mr Hubbard: John Wooonutt
Mabel Hubbard: Francesca Annis

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2aa4456c4ad142f58402fe50f7bcf6ed

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‘Angels’ – Janice Rider

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Specially shot interview with Janice Rider, about working as Costume Designer on the hospital soap, ‘Angels’. ‘Angels’ was a London production, hosted at BBC Pebble Mill. It ran from the mid 1970s until the early 1980s. Julia Smith, who went on to produce ‘Eastenders’, was the producer.

Pete Simpkin a producer and presenter from Radio WM remembers getting help from the ‘Angels’ cast: ‘When we relaunched Radio Birmingham two of the Angels’ actresses came with me to the old Moseley Maternity hospital to help publicise Radio WM’s first birth.’

Julian Hitchcock remembers ‘Angels’ well: ‘I worked on Angels from 1978 as a floor assistant and was very friendly with the cast and production team. I often wondered what became of them. In 2001, I was working as a lawyer for Granada factual programmes in Manchester, when I heard that my old friend, Kathryn Apanowicz was presenting a programme downstairs on a regular basis. We meant to meet up, but I was appointed to a firm in Melbourne and it never happened, which was such a pity.’

Pebble Mill, Eastenders Special – Claire Hobbs

The photo is from a Special, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ‘Eastenders’. I think it went out in 1995 and was a Pebble Mill Special (they dropped the ‘at One’ bit when they moved it to midday! That year we also did Specials with David Attenborough, to celebrate his 60th and his latest ‘Life’ series ‘Living Planet’, and with Vera Lynn for the 60th anniversary of WWII. All produced by Helena Taylor and AP’d by me.

The photo features Pebble Millers (left to right) me, Anya Francis, Melissa Feather (behind Ethel), Nick Harris, Helena Taylor and also Julia Smith the creator of the show (behind Alan Titchmarsh’s left shoulder).

We also got the casts of Corrie, Home & Away and Neighbours to record tributes to them too!

Claire Hobbs

Drama director John Greening, added the following Eastenders cast information:

‘Having directed over 150 eps of the show I think you’ll find thats the legendary June Brown (Dot)behind Titchy…I think the woman on the far right near Bill Treacher is actress Louise Jameson who played Rosa Di Marco.Also there are Lucy Speed, Wendy Richard, Anna Wing, Gretchen Franklin and Tommy Eytle.’ I’m working on the others!