Sooty at the Garrick, London

Back in November of this year, Richard Cadell asked me to do something I've never done before: write a theatre script. For Sooty. For the West End! This was scary for two reasons. One - it's the West End. And two - I've never written a proper play before. I would class myself as a TV scriptwriter, who can't bare ('bear' haha!) to have a scene more than a page long. The Oldest Life on Earth for example, (one of my films), had about 70 scenes in 30 minutes. That's some pace! The thought of penning an hour-long stage venture, (effectively, one looooooooooong long scene), didn't, ahum, 'play' to my strengths...!

I don't have a picture of Sooty at the Garrick, so here's a totally fake
one of me doing some writing. Courtesy of Ken Boyter, (left, with
a moustache.)

Only once have I attempted this kind of writing - whilst at University, as part of my degree. Luckily for me, Richard Cadell failed to research this. Admittedly it would have been tricky, given that all copies of Dislocation! Dislocation! had been burnt, with anyone directly related to the project having been hunted down and retconned. So - after a quick phone call one wet Monday afternoon, in the pub of all places, the 'scene was set' for my return to that most 'closet' and clandestine of worlds, where people start sentences with "darling...", where 'Stage Left' and 'Stage Right' are ALWAYS the wrong way round, and where 'Codding' has absolutely nothing to do with fish, (go on though - 'haddock' a guess...!)

Luckily, I wasn't alone in The Creative Process. Once again, like old times, me and that fellow from Doctor Who: A Natural History of Fear gathered around Richard's notepad in Cheltenham and told awful jokes about Mo from t'market and choux pastry, (okay - I told awful jokes.) And after eight hours, Mr C handed me a dozen pages of scribblings and officially commissioned me to tranform them into an hour-long theatre script. "Darling, thank you!"

Credit where credit's due - most of the ideas in it aren't mine. Richard normally comes to me and Wink with a rough idea of what he wants and we help him to 'flesh it out' with meat, bones and, yes, cod. I suppose my main contribution is to the dialogue, ('cracking' word jokes, yep, and bad ones), and I help to give the thing some structure and pace. Yes, this play will move, but hopefully the audience won't. Oh and there are songs too. Original songs 'what we wrote'! See you at Christmas Number One, Mr Cowell, the Facebook campaign starts here.

So, if you find yourselves anywhere near the Garrick Theatre in London this Christmas, do drop in and see our mutual teddy bear friend. There's a present for every child apparently, with Norman Barrett, (the bird man: http://sooty.wikia.com/wiki/Norman_Barrett), Father Christmas, (http://bit.ly/sLMcZs) and a surprise, (http://bit.ly/u5CIAo)!

There are more details on performance dates / times here: http://www.thesootyshow.com/live.php But for now, so long, and thanks for, umm, all the fish...

Life on Earth Retold: Teaser Trailer

I am chuffed to announce the first Teaser Trailer for my biggest and craziest project to date!

Click here to have a look - the first footage from Life on Earth Retold:

The format of this project has evolved since previous blogs. During post-production, I found myself unable to escape the fact that these two films are a pair and that they belong together. So - the proposed two releases will now be one release, one bumper Life on Earth Retold DVD with its two separate episodes, now subtitled 'Episode 1: Paralysis' and 'Episode 2: Genesis.'

I think this will serve the project much better. It's really hard work promoting a film, and my Former Plan meant that I'd have to do all the leg-work twice over, within about three months! That's a lot of trailers / film festivals / networking events. And also, Episode 2 needs Episode 1, quite muchly. Episode 2 resolves the chaos dealt out by its predecessor, including its Game-changing Cliffhanger, (and that's one up to me Who fans, because these plot details have much less chance of leaking their way onto Gallifrey Base!)

So, look out for the complete Life on Earth Retold DVD at skerratt-media.co.uk in Spring 2012! And enjoy the Teaser. Comments and feedback always appreciated and taken on board :) Thanks x  

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.