My 2nd TV Debut...!

In 2001, my dad and his partner responded to an add in the TV Quick to appear in a documentary about why men leave their marriages. Inevitably this meant that they wanted to interview Yours Truly. Not only that! They wanted loads of other little bits of atmospheric footage, that as a filmmaker I totally know the technical name for. All I can remember is that Fred, the French cameraman, wanted them to look "very artistique...!"

So, a few mornings later, I was awoken ridiculously early by my father. "Come on son, up you get!" came the suspiciously chirpy command. I'm nearly 13, I thought. It's very strange that my dad's come to get me out of bed! Then I looked up, and there was Fred, along with his sound man Andy, wide-angledly capturing these precious moments of askew hair and panda eyes in this wholly-realistic, very artisic... documentary...

And thus the art commenced: eating baked beans with my step sister, (artisically), going up onto the Chevin and looking down on Otley, artistically... and some lucious panning shots of me jogging round Garnett's Field, ridiculously, as I was terribly unfit.

Then there came the REALLY big one: the interview! Which they did twice, because "there was a technical fault with the first one." Yes! Read as: "you didn't say anything nearly meaty or discriminating enough for us to broadcast the first time round." Or perhaps it wasn't artisic enough. Who knows. But - it didn't matter. I was going to be on telly. This was terribly exciting, especially for a bashful, naive 13 year-old.

And then it happened. Or rather, it didn't. Gone. GONE! I was edited out. 'Why Men Leave' became 'Why Men are Cheating Layabouts Who Leave Their Poor Wives For a Bit on the Side' (not the official title.) Shots of my dad were regraded to make it look like he was sitting in a dungeon, and my stepmum was dressed as a prostitute in a bright red top with a fag, (guess the gender of the director!!) No wonder they cut me out. Being neither a prison warden or a hooker, Fred's art must have been somwehat lacking when I told the interviewer what great people my parents were.

But I shall not be bitter and twisted! (Haha much, I hear you cry! :P) Because on Thursday, 3rd November 2011, Richard Cadell got one up on 'Why Men Leave' by artisically inserting me into an episode of 'Sooty.' And here it is: the first ever picture of me broadcast on live TV...

Don't pinch yourselves. This is real. Those are indeed my legs! And what an artistic golf swing I've got going on. Thankyou Mr C, I really owe you one :) And if you ever want a documentary making about yourself, your parents, or anything else, then I know precisely the TV company that won't feature you...! (Grrrrrr!)

And okay, here's a slightly nicer picture of me and my chum Wink T:

   Such happy memories of this shoot. An experience I'll never forget - my 2nd TV debut :)

Sooty: Welcome back!

Nb. Skerratt Media hasn't made the new series of Sooty! (I haven't anywhere near that kind of money!!) But I (Alex) was on board as co-writer with Richard C and Wink Taylor.

What a lovely day :) After the Hit massacre of 2004, my feelings towards that yellow bear were, errm, mixed, to say the least! For those who don't know, Sooty did the TV equivalent of getting in with the wrong crowd, 'smoking stuff behind the bike sheds' and allowing himself to be led by a Brazillian cat called Miki, whose intentions were suspect to say the very least.

The writing team! Please note - I didn't take this picture!!
(Thanks Sarah xx)

But today - Monday 5th September at 10.10am... he came back!! Out of rehab and stronger than ever!

I was so excited to see The Wedding up on my screen. And never in a million years did I think I'd have anything to do a single episode, let alone co-write an entire series! I've waited 24 years to see my work broadcast and suddenly, like the proverbial buses, 'two come at once' - two transmissions on the same day!! Brilliant! Thank you :)

Then there's the other wait, the 7 year one, those long, dark years where the airwaves were officially Sootyless, save for the occasional repeat of Robo Richard or similar. They were a painful 7 years Sooty, (although Robo Richard had its moments.) Stay with the good crowd, steer clear of that Miki, but most important: hey, welcome back!

See Sooty every weekday on CITV at 10.10am and 1.25pm - (Freeview 72, Sky 621, Freesat 602!)

More Life on Earth Cast Members

The final cast members of the new Life on Earth! From left to right: Helen West, Nick Blackshaw and Michael Thackray.

May I introduce the final three actors of the next Life on Earth episodes!

Playing the feisty and decorous Assistant we have Helen West, accompanied by the animated Nick Blackshaw as the mysteriously-named Writer. Ooh....!

Finally, lurking in the shadows of an abandoned theatre we have Michael Thackray as The Reaper. Mike has been a Jack-of-all-Trades on this film serving as both willing thesp and production assistant, although he may be better known to 'fans,' (hiya mum!), as the insane Brodrick Denando from The Oldest Life on Earth. 

Helen, Nick and Mike will be appearing in 'Part 2' of the film, Life on Earth Rebooted, which is being aimed at a Spring 2012 release.

Part 1, Life on Earth Retold, will hopefully be with us this Christmas!

Filming wraps on Life on Earth Retold!

So after 3 months of pre-production, 12 days of filming, and with 800+ shots in the can, filming has finally wrapped on the next two Life on Earth episodes!*

The final shot - filmed indoors at the Bradford Playhouse,
can you believe!

*Almost. I still have one more scene to do - a brief exchange between Spike and Mack. Very tiny!

We finished yesterday afternoon in Bradford. We had to move very quickly as there was no mains power at the location, and my 2 camera batteries only have about 100 minutes each. Thus, we captured an incredible 80 shots in 3 and a half hours, which is madness, but a testament to the professionalism of my lovely cast and crew.

I'd like to offer my thanks, therefore, to the following - in no particular order:

Rose Nadin-Pummell (my mum!) and Sarah Skerratt - for letting us film in their home, for their patience, and for all the food and drink they laid on.

Nicole Skerratt and James Billingham - for letting us film in their home, and for being so nice about my ridiculously early arrivals!

Allan Robinson - for welcoming us into his shop, (Discount Stationery in Otley), for a wacky evening shoot.

Doug Thompson - for letting us film at the Bradford Playhouse, three weeks on the trot.

The members of the Bridge Church in Otley - for letting us film in their sanctuary.

Kenneth Barker - of Water on the Rock fame, for the loan of his tripod, and the copious amounts of moral support and encouragement.

Phil Skerratt (me father!) and Sara - for putting up with my antisocial hours, as well as my mood swings.

Adam Cooper - for being a fantastic 'stunt double' and cameraman.

Richard Cooper - for co-creating the whole thing.

Mike Thackray - for juggling production assistant / acting responsibilities so deftly.

Mark Pearson - for chipping in with camera duties.

Waleed Khalid - for being such a calming influence on the set, (and for actually being on the set - so lucky to have him.)

Hannah Robson - for sticking with us for so many shoots, and for being everything I wanted Sadie to be, and more.

Vicki Glover - for stepping in at the last minute and making me question why I didn't cast her in the first place.

Alissa Juvan - another last minute life-saver, who took an extra role with a mere 2 days notice!

Helen West - the third life-saver, and a very talented performer. Thank you!

Nick Blackshaw - a true theatre pro... thank you for being undeterred by the bizareness of out-of-sequence shooting.

Ken Boyter - for all the creative input, and for travelling 3+ hours for each shoot, sometimes for just a couple of scenes. Truly inspiring.

Alex Hewitson - for being so commited and enthusiastic from day 1 and before.

Sam Chipman - for being so flexible and patient. He was with us for one of our toughest shoots, and nothing seemed to faze him.

I hope I haven't missed anyone! It's been a crazy few weeks so my apologies if your name isn't on here, (you're probably one of the most important, but don't take it personally - for one of the shoots I very nearly forgot the camera!!)

Stay tuned for more updates.

Life on Earth: Presenting the Cast!

The cast, from top left to right - Hannah Robson, Alex Skerratt, Waleed Khalid, Vicki Glover, Alissa Juvan, Alex Hewitson, Sam Chipman and Ken Boyter. 

So here we are, after three months of pre-production, may I present to you the fine cast of Skerratt Media's next project. The twin films, Life on Earth Retold and Life on Earth Rebooted, star Hannah Robson as Sadie Brown and Alex Skerratt as Spike Ombre.

Joining them will be Sam Chipman, Waleed Khalid (Enoch), Vicki Glover (Freya), Ken Boyter, (The Counsellor), Alissa Juvan (Lynne) and Alex Hewitson (Baron), with more to be announced.

In Life on Earth Retold, Spike ventures into the mind of Sadie Brown, hoping to uncover the truth behind her nightmares. But as he delves deeper, through a labyrinth of disjointed thoughts and possibilities, an old memory is awoken, and it is watching them both...

Life on Earth Retold is on schedule for a Christmas 2011 DVD release, to be followed by Life on Earth Rebooted in Spring 2012. Both will be available via skerratt-media.co.uk.

Stay tuned to this blog over the next few weeks if you want to hear my thoughts on the filming and see some pics!

Bye for now.

Sooty and Sweep: Filming

Nb. Skerratt Media isn’t making the new series of Sooty and Sweep! But Skerratt Media Captain Alex, (myself), is on board as co-writer.


Monday 27 June 2011 - Matthew Corbett
What a fantastic start to my time with the Sooty gang! Matthew Corbett arrived at Brean very early, and as a fan as I was, erm, mildly interested in meeting him...! Hum. And that I did! Heart pounding, I sat with him during his makeup, desperately fighting to contain my geekish enthusiasm, the obvious "What was your favourite episode??" and "What did you think of Sooty's Amazing Adventures??" being substituted for the more dignified "So how was your journey?" (!) although Mr Corbett did talk quite openly about his father Harry at one point, which was nice to hear. I understand also that, having watched some of the new series' edits the night before, Matthew told Richard Cadell how proud Harry would have been... What a compliment. 

Waited 24 years for this. So how was your journey!

          Then Matthew was whisked down to the park for his scenes! It's worth noting that, when me and Wink Taylor wrote this episode, we had to keep a lot of the dialogue quite 'loose,' as it wasn't certain which celebrity would be featuring. Because of this, said dialogue had been subsequently rewritten for the shoot by Richard and Matthew, and, honestly, it's first class, perfect for Matthew's appearance, and Mr Corbett was clearly having a great time "monkeying around" with the gang once more...!
           Unfortunately, he had to leave us almost immediately after his shots were in the can, but not before giving some time to meet the fans. He was a true pro and a gent and never seemed to grow impatient at the ever-increasing queue. On the contrary in fact - Mr Corbett seemed all too happy to oblige in the signing of autographs, and I for one was eternally grateful, having finally fulfilled a lifetime ambition to shake his talented paws.
           The afternoon was tricky owing to the weather, but Richard and the crew powered on with almost sublime determination, unfazed by the battering wind and rolling thunderclouds! They shot one of my all-time favourite Sooty routines, which I first saw on 'The Adventures of Sooty' VHS way back in 1989. And I am proud to say that Richard Cadell totally nailed it, with Honours.

But who's behind the Glass...?

           This was followed by a stint on the crazy golf course, where I fulfilled another ambition and actually appeared in the show itself as a golfer, a welcome break for me and Wink, our faces a little achy from the pitiful laughing at our own jokes, (we're so easily pleased.) Richard's chosen a fantastic setting for this sequence as well; it's a golf course-cum-safari park crawling with fake orangutans, rhinos and zebras, with a camouflage jungle Jeep to boot! It's going to look ace on screen.
           The day ended with a big stretch and a huge sigh of relief, wrapping around 7.30. They're long days, and I'm ashamed to say I was exhausted from just watching them all! But this crew's energy is relentless.




Tuesday 28 June 2011 - Vacuum Cleaners are Funny! 
Richard was kind enough to show me some of the Sooty rough cuts on Tuesday. I say "rough", although there's really nothing rough about them; what he and his team have achieved is astonishing. One episode was almost cinematic and wouldn't look out of place in Sooty: The Movie, so high was the standard, (thanks to some exquisite scenery and CGI.) Then there was another episode involving a vacuum cleaner that had me in stitches, (mostly my own jokes again, haha!), although it has to be said these jokes would be nothing without the performances. Another lovely thing about this episode was that it remained virtually unchanged from my final draft as emailed to Richard back in March, with even some of my quirkier writing moments making the cut, (I'd asked for a skull and cross-bones button to feature on the hoover, not for a moment thinking they'd include it - but they did!) 
           Filming wise, we were once again up at 6am with the birdies, just in time to film the arrival of a pink stretch Limo and a very special guest artist...

This was a crate moment...

           Next we went down to the beach to finish an episode started the previous week. You wouldn't have thought it was the end of June; overcast, windy and freezing cold, with me standing there in a t-shirt and waistcoat desperately trying to look Hard. In the end I succomed to Dan's, (one of the runners), kind offer of a jacket, and softened as I listened with interest to Brenda Longman's theory that we're currently living through the second Ice Age, evened out by the muggier forces of global warming - intriguing!
           I do love Brenda y'know. Never did I think there'd come a time when we'd be gazing out to sea together sharing our favourite Mo from t'market stories, (you can imagine what this was doing to the Geek Inside Me.) She remembered all the episodes I threw at her - the one with the white elephants, the Rosa Clebbs incident, the Say No to Holes campaign... truly an honour to be the sharing the sand with such a talented thesp. 
           Filming went very well despite the ferocious wind, and once again Richard and the team delivered their scenes with, erm, gusto...! There were some more cracking moments, including Sooty and Sweep on a bouncy castle which, (I don't think), has ever been done before, so I can't wait to see how that turns out.
           Sadly I had to leave at this point, back to Leeds, back to My Other Life as a jobbing filmmaker and bread baker, now a little sorer for the deadly sunburn I'd acquired from the rainy, overcast, FREEZING COLD beach! Made better by global warming! C'est la vie - loved every minute of it. Sincere thanks to Richard for his efforts and kindness, and to Wink and Wendy for their excellent hospitality, (they looked after me during my stay, and very grateful I am too.)
           Look out for the new series on CITV very soon!! :) 

Reflecting on Life on Earth Retold auditions

I had a fantastic time on Monday, seriously. Yes it was knackering, and yes I nearly choked to death in the West Yorkshire Playhouse canteen thanks to a suspicious piece of Feuille de Chene, but that's called Suffering for Your Art...!

"Yes I'd like to have a go at Spike please..."

I just wish it hadn't been so formal. Obviously these things are, to a certain extent, as it's essentially a 'job interview,' but there's a part of me that was, and still is, tempted to hold auditions in the pub, over a tumbler of Advocaat. Without lettuce. That said - I'd probably end up with Mr Blobby playing Spike and Crystal Tips playing Sadie, and then where would we be.

What can I say? Apart from disliking the formality, it was a day of Firsts. And my first First is an uncomfortable First. Two actors both went for the same role, (I understand this is often the case at auditions.) They were both exceptional, and in different ways. A complete dilemma, and an agonising final decision, which I am delighted with, and gutted about, gutted because it meant turning the other person away. This I did not enjoy.

My second First was meeting some new people, (for the first time), one of whom spoke fluent Blake's 7, and another who'd heard of Big Finish, proof, if any were needed, that there is indeed a God. I never thought I could laugh so hard, and so - grr - formally. But it was all good. Butter! Jiggy baby!

I must thank Kenneth Barker and Mike Thackray who were kind enough to help on the day, providing excellent company and moral support. Also a huge thank you to the attending thesps, especially those who came from afar!

So now - I've made my decisions, the actors have confirmed, I'm no longer chocking on lettuce, and we enter the scary, uncertain period of pre-production, where Anything Can Happen. Stay tuned.