Vanity Fair location, Sidmouth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Chris Glover, no reproduction without permission. These photos are from the 1987 drama serial, Vanity Fair. They were taken in Sidmouth, which was standing in for Brighton. In the second photo is ‘Amelia’ (Rebecca Saire) (L) talking to ‘Dobbin’ (Simon Dormandy). Chris’s wife Wendy Bradfield made this and other costumes for Rebecca.

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

Dave Bushell: ‘On the recce the director and EM (John Abbott) had identified a stretch of concrete hard standing where the beach met the promenade on which to lay a camera track. When we arrived the day before the shoot it had disappeared under heavy shingle. John then organised a caterpillar tracked bulldozer to travel overnight along the road from Exeter. The noise as it came along the prom in the early hours of the morning woke the whole seafront.’

Vanity Fair – Dave Bushell’s photos

Sidmouth 1         Tracking shot on Sidmouth seafront, Paul Woolston on camera, Diarmuid Lawrence (director) at left. Sidmouth is deputising for Brighton in the book.

Sidmouth 2         Sidmouth beach scene, Paul Woolston and trio of soundmen (Chris Rea, Paul Willcox, David Hughes) ready for action. Make-up and electricians also enjoying the late April sunshine.

Edinburgh 1        Shooting in Edinburgh, a late substituted location for Bath following an injunction by a resident there prevented filming. L-to-R, Roger Willcox (sound), John Alison (electrician), Ronnie Fleet (grip), Paul Woolston (camera)

Edinburgh 2        Diarmuid Lawrence directs Paul Woolston on a crane shot in Edinburgh

Edinburgh 3        Ronnie Fleet and Bob Few take the strain on a tracking shot in Edinburgh

Edinburgh 4        Another short tracking shot in Edinburgh, Paul Woolston on camera, unknown First Assistant shouting action.

Edinburgh 5        Some sort of sound ritual – Roger Willcox and Alistair Askham

Blickling 1             Gavin Davies (designer), in characteristic pose, watches the building at Blickling Hall, Norfolk, of the set for Vauxhall Gardens.

Blickling 2             Set built in the gardens of Blickling Hall, Norfolk. Four nights of shooting until the sun came up, in freezing weather. So much artificial light on that the birds got confused and started the dawn chorus at about 1 am.

Blickling 3             Set built to represent Vauxhall Gardens

Heydon 1             John Bradley fettles up an LDK14 camera at Heydon Hall, Norfolk

Heydon 2             Tracking shot from a specially adapted Citroen 2CV with Rob (?), engineer and Michael Owen Morris, director, in the back

Heydon 3             Freddie Jones, playing Sir Pitt Crawley

Heydon 4             Paul Woolston and First Assistant Director shelter while rain sweeps all the set dressing material into the Heydon rains.

Thetford 1           Lesley Perry (makeup designer) photographs while Tracy Southam (makeup assistant) put the finishing touches to Simon Dormandy. Location is Thetford, the setting for the Battle of Waterloo.

Photos by Dave Bushell (lighting director), no reproduction without permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanity Fair – photos by Ian Collins

Photos by video editor Ian Collins, no reproduction without permission.  The photos show the filming of a carriage from a low loader.

‘Vanity Fair’ was a 16 part BBC serial hosted out of Pebble Mill.   It was transmitted in 1987.  Terrance Dicks was the producer, Phillippa Giles the Script Editor, and Dairmuid Lawrence the director.  Alexander Baron adapted Thackeray’s novel.  Dave Bushell was the director of lighting, Gavin Davies was the production designer, Joyce Hawkins the costume designer, and Lesley Perry the make-up designer.

The series starred Eve Matheson as Becky Sharp, Rebecca Saire as Amelia Sedley, James Saxon as Jos Sedley, Benedict Taylor as George Osborne and Simon Dormandy as Dobbin.