I own a large collection of early Milton Keynes documentation and media below is a description of each of the DVD's I own copies of, it's important to point out that a lot of my collection is available on public release due to the relatively low demand.
Space Station Milton Keynes, 1985, Screen Two, BBC
Produced in 1984 as part of the 'Screen Two' series on BBC TWO, Space Station Milton Keynes was partly based on the work of Trevor Jeavons and his work at a special school in Milton Keynes.
The fantasy drama centred around a young Scottish girl called Maria (Sunshine) who came from Weedon in Northamptonshire to live with her foster parents in the then futuristic town of Milton Keynes. While on route to meet her new foster parents her social worker Mrs Small pulls over and allows her to look over Milton Keynes and Maria remarks 'its a space station miss'.
It becomes apparent quite early on that we are seeing both a view of the real world and Maria interpretations of it throughout the film, this is most apparent when she is looking down from the second floor of the John Lewis department store and everyone disappears, then repeats once Donna calls her name.
Sunshine also believes that the statue at the Peace Pagoda is speaking to her, and the outcome of this has some serious outcomes much later. She also interprets what she hears, this is most apparent when she attends a presentational film about the new towns in Middleton Hall (Central Milton Keynes) and the narrator starts refereeing to the Shopping Centre as the largest in the Galaxy, and that the new towns were produced to service nearby planets. This change of narration is very subtle. During the cinema scene, we also see a homeless man entertaining some young children, but when we cut away to Sunshine and back he becomes the subject of a picture on the wall.
Later on in the film on Sunshine is being taken to visit her Mother in hospital when she witnesses the result of a road traffic accident, we are then presented with her standing in the field wrapped in a blanket while a man behind her is clearly upset, her social worker who has been talking to her during this episode asks her a question and she is then sitting back in the car again, though the accident is still in the background. I believe that this perceived flashback explains why she doesn’t want to see her father when he visits the house in Milton Keynes, and how her mother ended up in a hospital. It also explains the history behind her troubled nature. On arrival to the hospital she talks to the machine keeping her mother alive instead of the person in the bed, she keeps asking it questions about people it might have kept alive.
A turning point of the film is when Mrs Small (Sunshine’s Social Worker) announces that Sunshine's dad wants her back, while this is happening Sunshine is at the Peace Pagoda and the statue tells her that
"Angels do not need wings, your wings are in your mind, believe that and you will have no fear of the sun. Become one with the birds, straight line all the way home."
We then return to Donna who asking Mrs Small what they should do with the pigeons, which Mrs Small replies that Sunshine kills them. Which I believe she does after she has been told she is going to live back with her dad.
Locations:
In 1984 when the film was produced Milton Keynes was still very sparse and a lot of the filming locations chosen are actually spread out over a large area, though from watching the film you would think they were within walking distance of each other. Those with a keen eye will notice that during filming at the Peace Pagoda the section of dual carriage (H5 Portway - A509) was which now divides the Willen lake is not there, and you can clearly see both sections of the lake in the same scene, also you clearly see a bus travelling near to the Pagoda, but if you visit the site now that section of road is now part of the Redway network.
The main location used in the film is the former Homeworld 81 housing exhibition site. The house actually has a controversial past as when the exhibition had finished the council decided it didn’t meet fire regulations and either had to be adapted or risk being torn down. The main objection the council had was with the spiral staircase and the open-plan layout of the lower floor. While researching this article I revisited the site to take pictures from the viewpoint of the camera but the child's climbing frame seems to have been removed quite recently because the repaired sections of padding used on the floor still look new and fresh.
Milton Keynes Police Station also makes an appearance though it looks very strange as the building is still under construction and the only visible building to the west is Abbey House or the train station, a complete contrast to the view now.
The school used is the former Sir Frank Markham school, the shot looking down at sunshine was filmed in the now-demolished Secklow Centre building, though both the classroom scene and exterior of the school are the Cottesloe Building which only a short walk away and has recently been redeveloped and repurposed for use by the Milton Keynes College.
The programme closes with a scene shot in Middleton Hall, where Sunshine is stood on a fully extended access platform and is reaching up to the sky, it is then suggested that she jumps and has the feeling of flying, I believe at this point she actually takes her own life and due to the nature of programme the flight sequence is a much better way to show this. During this period of the programme, we are lead to believe that the roof of Middleton Hall has the ability to open, but this is not the case.
Release:
As far as I know, Space Station Milton Keynes was only transmitted on the 3rd March 1985 and it’s never been repeated. When I contacted the BBC to attempt to gain a copy they said they had no plans to release it, so if you are lucky enough to have access to a copy keep it safe.
If you took part or remember in the making of this film please get in touch.
Original Credits:
Sunshine - Penny Murray
Eddie - Peter Jonfield
Donna - Judy Gridley
Mrs. Small - Patricaia Garwood
The Boy - Gian Sammerarco
Teacher - Nigel Baguley
Cinema Voice - Nigel Labert
Father - Robert Walker
Mulet - Carillon-Sortie For organ
Nicholls - Toy Drum Major
Gordon Jacob - Suite for Recorder
The Beatles - Here comes the sun
Hummel - Concerto for trumpet
Faure - Requiem
Mendelssohn - Symphony No.5
Gigout - Toccata for Organ
The Beatles - Let it be
Original Synthesiser Work composed and played by Steve Beeston
Production Managers - Paul Braithwaite and Sue Bennett-urwin
Production Associate - Carol Parks
Production Assistant - Cathy Daniels
Assistant Floor Manager - Sam Hill
Costume Designer - Terry Dawson
Make-Up Designer - Maggie Thomas
Properties Buyer - Norman Riddell
Visual Effects Dersigner - Andy McVean
Graphic Designer - Winnie Hulbert
Sound Recordist - Alex Christison
Dubbing Mixer - David Baumber
Photography - John Williams and Steve Sauderson
Film Editor - Sharon Pemberton
Designer - Mary Spencer
Directed by Leslie Swewart and Colin Rogers
BBC Pebble Mill - MCMLXXXIV (1984)
The fantasy drama centred around a young Scottish girl called Maria (Sunshine) who came from Weedon in Northamptonshire to live with her foster parents in the then futuristic town of Milton Keynes. While on route to meet her new foster parents her social worker Mrs Small pulls over and allows her to look over Milton Keynes and Maria remarks 'its a space station miss'.
It becomes apparent quite early on that we are seeing both a view of the real world and Maria interpretations of it throughout the film, this is most apparent when she is looking down from the second floor of the John Lewis department store and everyone disappears, then repeats once Donna calls her name.
Sunshine also believes that the statue at the Peace Pagoda is speaking to her, and the outcome of this has some serious outcomes much later. She also interprets what she hears, this is most apparent when she attends a presentational film about the new towns in Middleton Hall (Central Milton Keynes) and the narrator starts refereeing to the Shopping Centre as the largest in the Galaxy, and that the new towns were produced to service nearby planets. This change of narration is very subtle. During the cinema scene, we also see a homeless man entertaining some young children, but when we cut away to Sunshine and back he becomes the subject of a picture on the wall.
Later on in the film on Sunshine is being taken to visit her Mother in hospital when she witnesses the result of a road traffic accident, we are then presented with her standing in the field wrapped in a blanket while a man behind her is clearly upset, her social worker who has been talking to her during this episode asks her a question and she is then sitting back in the car again, though the accident is still in the background. I believe that this perceived flashback explains why she doesn’t want to see her father when he visits the house in Milton Keynes, and how her mother ended up in a hospital. It also explains the history behind her troubled nature. On arrival to the hospital she talks to the machine keeping her mother alive instead of the person in the bed, she keeps asking it questions about people it might have kept alive.
A turning point of the film is when Mrs Small (Sunshine’s Social Worker) announces that Sunshine's dad wants her back, while this is happening Sunshine is at the Peace Pagoda and the statue tells her that
"Angels do not need wings, your wings are in your mind, believe that and you will have no fear of the sun. Become one with the birds, straight line all the way home."
We then return to Donna who asking Mrs Small what they should do with the pigeons, which Mrs Small replies that Sunshine kills them. Which I believe she does after she has been told she is going to live back with her dad.
Locations:
In 1984 when the film was produced Milton Keynes was still very sparse and a lot of the filming locations chosen are actually spread out over a large area, though from watching the film you would think they were within walking distance of each other. Those with a keen eye will notice that during filming at the Peace Pagoda the section of dual carriage (H5 Portway - A509) was which now divides the Willen lake is not there, and you can clearly see both sections of the lake in the same scene, also you clearly see a bus travelling near to the Pagoda, but if you visit the site now that section of road is now part of the Redway network.
The main location used in the film is the former Homeworld 81 housing exhibition site. The house actually has a controversial past as when the exhibition had finished the council decided it didn’t meet fire regulations and either had to be adapted or risk being torn down. The main objection the council had was with the spiral staircase and the open-plan layout of the lower floor. While researching this article I revisited the site to take pictures from the viewpoint of the camera but the child's climbing frame seems to have been removed quite recently because the repaired sections of padding used on the floor still look new and fresh.
Milton Keynes Police Station also makes an appearance though it looks very strange as the building is still under construction and the only visible building to the west is Abbey House or the train station, a complete contrast to the view now.
The school used is the former Sir Frank Markham school, the shot looking down at sunshine was filmed in the now-demolished Secklow Centre building, though both the classroom scene and exterior of the school are the Cottesloe Building which only a short walk away and has recently been redeveloped and repurposed for use by the Milton Keynes College.
The programme closes with a scene shot in Middleton Hall, where Sunshine is stood on a fully extended access platform and is reaching up to the sky, it is then suggested that she jumps and has the feeling of flying, I believe at this point she actually takes her own life and due to the nature of programme the flight sequence is a much better way to show this. During this period of the programme, we are lead to believe that the roof of Middleton Hall has the ability to open, but this is not the case.
Release:
As far as I know, Space Station Milton Keynes was only transmitted on the 3rd March 1985 and it’s never been repeated. When I contacted the BBC to attempt to gain a copy they said they had no plans to release it, so if you are lucky enough to have access to a copy keep it safe.
If you took part or remember in the making of this film please get in touch.
Original Credits:
Sunshine - Penny Murray
Eddie - Peter Jonfield
Donna - Judy Gridley
Mrs. Small - Patricaia Garwood
The Boy - Gian Sammerarco
Teacher - Nigel Baguley
Cinema Voice - Nigel Labert
Father - Robert Walker
Mulet - Carillon-Sortie For organ
Nicholls - Toy Drum Major
Gordon Jacob - Suite for Recorder
The Beatles - Here comes the sun
Hummel - Concerto for trumpet
Faure - Requiem
Mendelssohn - Symphony No.5
Gigout - Toccata for Organ
The Beatles - Let it be
Original Synthesiser Work composed and played by Steve Beeston
Production Managers - Paul Braithwaite and Sue Bennett-urwin
Production Associate - Carol Parks
Production Assistant - Cathy Daniels
Assistant Floor Manager - Sam Hill
Costume Designer - Terry Dawson
Make-Up Designer - Maggie Thomas
Properties Buyer - Norman Riddell
Visual Effects Dersigner - Andy McVean
Graphic Designer - Winnie Hulbert
Sound Recordist - Alex Christison
Dubbing Mixer - David Baumber
Photography - John Williams and Steve Sauderson
Film Editor - Sharon Pemberton
Designer - Mary Spencer
Directed by Leslie Swewart and Colin Rogers
BBC Pebble Mill - MCMLXXXIV (1984)