Ray Holman – Costume Designer

Pickwick Papers, photo by Neil Wigley

Pickwick Papers, photo by Neil Wigley

'All Creatures Great and Small', photo by Maggie Thomas

‘All Creatures Great and Small’, photo by Maggie Thomas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came to Pebble Mill and ‘trailed’ in costume at weekends on Occupation Democrat, I was still in college in 1984 (Joyce Hawkins took me on) and then I went filming on Pickwick Papers and saw the whole programme through the studio shoot too as a dresser.
I returned to Pebble Mill after working at BBC Wales as a Costume Design Assistant, I came to do All Creatures but then became staff and worked on Parnell, Broke and then designed Specials and The Real McCoy, I stayed for 5 years working on things like A Year in Provence and Skallagrigg. I left in the first round of redundancies in 1993 and went freelance as a costume designer.
My website has my credits

http://www.costume-designer.co.uk/

I did some studio work on and off while I was staff at Pebble Mill but a lot of the programmes I worked on filmed away from Birmingham for long periods of time. I loved my time there and made many lovely friends including Beverley Dartnall who we lost recently. I’m still in touch with some lovely people from costume, it was a great productive and artistic time and always a big learning curve.

I hope that makes some sense. Lots of people will not remember me as I spent a lot of time out of the building, but I just wanted you to know I mentioned PM in my article.

Best Wishes.
Ray.

[This is the link to the article in The Independent, which Ray mentions above, where he talks about his work as costume designer on Wolf Hall, Broadchurch and Dr Who: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/behindthescenes-with-the-costume-makers-for-wolf-hall-broadchurch-and-doctor-who-9981200.html]

Ray Holman, photo copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Ray Holman, photo copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Tribute to Dave Baumber by Paul Vanezis

Dave Baumber, photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

Dave Baumber, photo by Peter Poole, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some sad news. Dave Baumber, ace sound recordist and dubbing mixer has died after a short illness. My Pebble Mill friends will be shocked, as I was, but for those of you who think they don’t know him, well, I’ll remind you of his work. My Doctor Who friends will have heard his work as a grams operator on the 1966 adventure serial The Moonbase.

Dave was a BAFTA award winning sound supervisor for Boys from the Blackstuff in 1983, but fans of cult TV will have heard his work as a sound recordist on Tom’s Midnight Garden and Torchwood and as a dubbing mixer on Artemis 81, Gangsters, Spyship, various ‘Play for Today’ editions including Nuts in May, Red Shift, Penda’s Fen and Licking Hitler.

Dave looked after the sound on many of the major series to come out of Pebble Mill including Anna of the Five Towns, All Creatures Great and Small, All Quiet on the Preston Front, Martin Chuzzlewit, Dangerfield and Dalziel & Pascoe.

By 2004 Dave had itchy feet and was keen to get back to doing more location sound. He was my sound recordist on Casualty Saved My Life. He had stints on the real thing, Casualty in Bristol and then the aforementioned Torchwood.

Apart from being brilliant at his job, he was a really nice guy.

Paul Vanezis

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

Ray Holman: ‘So sad. I worked with Dave on several series, some at Pebble Mill such as All Creatures and the last one was in Cardiff on Torchwood. What a shock and what a lovely man, I’m so sorry.’

Steve Weddle: ‘A true professional who made everything he did seem deceptively easy. Happy times.’

Jeff Matthews: ‘I am devastated and totally saddened by this terrible news. I worked with Dave on Torchwood and had many a ‘soundman’s’ type chat with him. He retired and went to drink wine in France. I hope he had lots of fun. A very sad loss.’

The Pickwick Papers

Pickwick Papers, Neil Wigley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Neil Wigley, no reproduction without permission.

The Pickwick Papers was a twelve part BBC London drama serial, hosted at Pebble Mill, and transmitted in 1985. The interiors would have been recorded in Studio A.

The series featured Ray Brooks, Nigel Stock, Clive Swift, Jeremy Nicholas, Alan Parnaby and Phil Daniels (shown here, whispering).

The director was Brian Lighthill, Bob Chaplin was lighting director, Myles Lang the designer, Sue Peck the costume designer, and Gill Hughes the make-up designer.

Thanks to the BBC Drama Village for sharing the photo.

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

Ray Holman: ‘This was my very first job at Pebble Mill. I was a dresser in the costume department through the filming and then all the studio days, I looked after Phil Daniels, pictured here.’

Patricia Hodge Robinson: ‘Ditto, Ray! I helped to dress the female extras on studio days or Supporting Artistes as they were called then. My first telly job too!’

 

 

 

Costume and Design – photos by Laura McNeill

Photographs copyright of Laura McNeill, no reproduction without permission.

These photos feature various costume and design staff at Pebble Mill, amongst others – mostly taken at parties.  They include: Terry Powell, Paul Gooch, Ray Holman, Peter Lloyd, John Ellis, Jacqui Pratt, Maggie Thomas, Diane Lester, Al Barnett, Tracey, Sally Holden, Cathy Ayerst, Lesley Thomas, Carl Dolan, Conrad Fletcher.