Ten Years of Chaos

I've now been filming stuff for 10 years. When I first started, I was about three stone lighter, wonderfully naïve, completely lacking in cynicism, and I had Leonardo Di Caprio's hair, (stolen from Titanic.)

In 2003, I was beavering away on my first film, Rachael Cruise and the Tibetan Book, when the Media Studies coursework reared its ugly head. It required us to plan and submit a video piece as part of our GCSE qualification, which suited me fine, as my project was well into post-production! So I just sat back, relaxed, and submitted it.

Little did I realise that I would be telling its continuing story ten years later. Because in 2007, myself and Richard Cooper, (later joined by Richard's brother Adam and our friend Mike), formed a student group called Wolfwood Media, and this became the production company for the Rachael Cruise spin-off series, Life on Earth, featuring the further adventures of her chum Spike and his sentient laptop!

In 2009, we upgraded to crisp HD and put the second spin-off into production. Entitled Ken, it was a five-part sitcom about Rachael's former flatmate Kenneth Woolly as he settled into his new life in Ben Rhydding, West Yorkshire.



Spike Ombre in Rachael Cruise and the
Tibetan Book.

The most recent projects, such as Life on Earth Retold and Theo the Mouse, fell under the umbrella of my own independent production company, Skerratt Media, although I continue to work with Richard, Mike and Adam, and - amazingly - the sixth Doctor Who Colin Baker, plus Basil Brush's voice no less! Incredible.

Just so you're updated on the complete catalogue, (because the paps are always asking), here's a rundown of everything we've done. Nearly ten hours of stuff!



Spike Ombre and Ezra Lord in Life on Earth.

2003: Rachael Cruise and the Tibetan Book (1 x 40' film)
Cults. Atom bombs. Gunfights. Our first introduction to Spike Ombre and Kenneth Woolly.

2004: Rachael Cruise: The Claw Mark Operation (3 x 20' radio episodes)
The Terra Obscura plans to release a deadly gas into the Earth's atmosphere, and Spike Ombre must stop them! Also, Rachael Cruise storms off.

2006: Inner Eye pilot (1 x 20' episode)


Rachael Cruise in Life on Earth.

A cop, a crook and a medium team up to fight ghosts!

2007: Life on Earth (Fiends Reunited, Lavalier Rising, Harbinger: 3 x 15' episodes)
Spike Ombre attempts to stop the possessed Ezra Lord from raising a long-lost civilisation!

2007: Life on Earth (Trust in Russian, A Moment in Time: 2 x 15' episodes)
King Arthur's lost dagger - Carnwennan - turns up in Lincoln, along with two bumbling agents who want it back.


Theo the Mouse and Wendy in Theo the Mouse.

2007: Life on Earth (One Moor with Feeling, Regression, The Hidden Land: 3 x 15' episodes)
Rachael Cruise returns!

2008: Life on Earth (Ezra Lord of the Ring, Anya: 2 x 15' episodes)
Ezra Lord's step-daughter shows up. Spike kills her. Ezra's not happy.

2008: Inner Eye (The Worlds Collide, Lest we Forget, Irrational Fears, Darkness has Fallen, A Dirge for Mankind: 5 x 10' episodes)
A cop, a crook and a medium team up to fight ghosts - again! Plus Adam Cooper as a baddie.


Colin Baker records Menston Green.

2009: Ombre's Origins: The Lost Nightingale (1 x 30' radio episode)
Spike and Ezra's university days.

2009: Ken (The STI who Loved Me, Grocery Negligence, Credit Crunch, Come Dine with Glen, The Bag that Broke: 5 x 10' episodes)
Kenneth Woolly and his housemate Glen Wonnacott annoy each other in Ben Rhydding.

2011: The Oldest Life on Earth (1 x 30' episode)
Skerratt Media's first DVD release! Spike and Ezra are reunited, but they're still not keen on each other. Until Ezra saves Spike's life.

2012: By Phylecia: Our Process
A promotional video for my friend's letterpress boutique.

2012: Life on Earth Retold (Paralysis, Genesis: 2 x 30' episodes)
The pendant of Brisingamen makes things difficult for Spike's new flatmate, Sadie Brown.

2012: Theo the Mouse (How it all Began, Science Friction, Bedtime: 3 x 10' episodes)
My first puppet-filming experience!

2013: Menston Green (1 x 50' radio episode)
Visionary Sound and Artificer Audio leap on board to help me produce this quirky comedy starring the sixth Doctor Who.

2013: Tweedy the Clown (1 x 10' episode)
A sample video to show the BBC just how amazing Tweedy the Clown is.

And there's more to come.

Me and a team of writers are currently penning a new web series, and the first Skerratt Media book is moving closer to publication (albeit slowly.) Expect more Theo later this year as well.

"Onwards!"