Six-part drama The Red King has begun filming in the region as ties continue to grow with production companies, making use of local expertise and resources.
The new police investigation drama, whose cast includes the likes of Marc Warren and Jill Halfpenny, is being supported by the North East Production Fund and is the latest production to use the region as a filming base. Filming, using local crew and a range of locations, is now set to continue until at least September.
Alison Gwynn, chief executive of local agency North East Screen, is delighted about the latest boost to business. She said: "Having this production based in the region not only shows faith in the adaptability of our stunning locations but also supports our highly-skilled crew who are based here, being able to work in the region and sleep in their own homes.”
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The Red King - written by Toby Whitehouse, the creator of TV's The Game and Being Human, and produced by Quay Street Productions - was commissioned by UKTV, which is part of BBC Studios, for crime drama channel Alibi. Starring Van Der Valk's Warren alongside Vigil and The Lazarus Project's Anjli Mohindra and Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh, the crime drama is described by the writer as a character-driven mystery-thriller boasting some of the best actors in TV.
Mohindra plays an inner-city police sergeant who is forced into a ‘punishment posting’ on a small island where she discovers a forgotten unsolved case of a missing teenage boy. The chilling backdrop of the island's past devotion to a pagan god called Red King the cult of the True Way will add eerie atmosphere to the story which is promising a mix of mystery, drama, suspense and horror in its hunt for the truth.
It will play out over six hour-long episodes with a supporting cast also including, besides North East favourite Halfpenny, other well-known TV favourites Mark Lewis Jones; Oliver Ryan; Sam Swainsbury; Lu Corfield; James Bamford and Maeve Courtier-Lilley.
Filming started in the region this Monday, following on from the success of other North East Production Fund pilots such as children’s TV series Cooking With the Gills and feature film Jackdaw. Alison added that the fund will continue to attract more quality TV and films, saying: "For every £1 we give out, we expect productions to spend at least £10 in the region driving inward investment and developing the region’s reputation as a destination for high-level TV and film production.”
Over the past year, North East Screen’s film office has supported the filming of 57 productions in the region, including Ken Loach's The Old Oak - which recently had its official premiere at Cannes and is due for release over here in the autumn - as well as Vera, The Dumping Ground, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes and Danny and Mick and these in turn have spent more than £12m in the region.
They also join a growing list of feature film and TV productions which have filmed in the North East including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; Dungeons & Dragons: I, Daniel Blake; Honour Amongst Thieves; Blue Jean; 1917; The Last Kingdom; Emmerdale and Inspector George Gently. The film office works with all 12 local authorities and helps local and visiting companies with locations, crew, facilities, studios and local knowledge.
Davina Earl, executive producer of Quay Street Productions which is part of ITV Studios, said: “The Red King has been such an exciting project to bring to the screen, working with the team at UKTV. Toby Whithouse has a wonderfully distinctive voice, and his scripts are deeply intriguing, darkly funny and truly scary.
"The cast are a stellar mix of some of our most well-known and beloved actors. Plus, we get to showcase the North East as we create this compelling and atmospheric drama, which, as a North Easterner, is incredibly rewarding.”
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