Brian & Charles filming in north Wales
Filming is underway in north Wales on Brian & Charles, a Film4 and BFI-backed feature film starring David Earl in the lead role. Shooting was due to have begun in the spring, but the project was among the many productions suspended due to the pandemic.
Jim Archer makes his feature directorial debut, calling the shots from a screenplay by Earl and Chris Hayward. The producer is Rupert Majendie for mr box. Damian Jones, Lauren Dark and Ollie Madden executive produce.
Brian & Charles is based on Earl’s comedic alter-ego Brian Gittins, and his unlikely friendship with Charles, a robot. After a particularly harsh winter, Brian goes into a deep depression; completely alone and with no one to talk to, he does what any sane person would do when faced with such a melancholic situation and builds a robot - Charles (Hayward) - for company.
While things start off well, tensions begin to rise, particularly as Charles keeps eating Brian’s cabbages. Lynn Hunter, Louise Brealey, Jamie Michie and Nina Sosanya are among the cast. The feature is based on a 2017 award-winning short film and is co-funded by Film4 and the BFI.
Brian & Charles is filming in North Wales with strict Covid-19 protocols in place, with the production team receiving permission from the local authority ahead of filming commencing and a Covid-19 marshal on set throughout.
Earl said: “We’re delighted to get the show on the road and I’m looking forward to bringing Brian & Charles to the big screen. During the Covid lockdown we wondered if we’d ever be able to make it but here I am stood in North Wales staring at a 7 foot robot.”
Majendie said: “Having been ready to start cameras rolling in March, it’s great to be underway, and we’re thankful to the local authorities and community. Filmmaking during a global pandemic is a different experience and we’re taking every necessary precaution to ensure we do so safely, but we can’t wait to bring this strange and incredibly heart-warming story to life.”
Image: C4/Film4.
Also on The Knowledge
Judd Apatow films pandemic movie in London
Writer/director Judd Apatow’s latest feature, a film set during a pandemic about a bubble of actors holed up together in a hotel while trying to finish a movie, is now shooting in and around London for Netflix.
Bath & Bristol host McDonald & Dodds
Locations in and around Bath and Bristol provided the backdrop for filming on the second series of contemporary detective drama McDonald & Dodds.
KFTV Talk: Alternative and doubling locations
This live KFTV talk, set to take place on Wednesday 3 February at 16:00pm BST, will involve leading production figures talking about how they have helped put together projects in these Covid times at alternative and doubling locations around the world.
Bulletproof – Series 4 confirmed
A fourth series of Bulletproof will shoot later this year in and around London starring Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters.
Christopher Walken films in Bristol
Christopher Walken is among the cast of Stephen Merchant’s new series, The Offenders, currently filming in Bristol.
KFTV Report: Alternative studios around the UK
From old forts, manor houses, schools and airports to medieval theme parks, old breweries and underground theatres, a huge variety of large spaces in the UK are being taken over by film and TV productions to accommodate Covid protocols and social distancing on set.
