Stephen Merchant to shoot new BBC One series in Bristol
One of Bristol's most recognised figures is shooting a major new series in his hometown this year. Stephen Merchant, who was born in Hanham, will likely be spotted around the city on numerous occasions as shooting for The Offenders unfolds. The multi-award winning writer and director also co-stars in the series, which will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Amazon Prime in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Here's everything you need to know about the forthcoming series.
About the Offenders
The Offenders follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. At first, they seem like they can be easily pigeonholed but gradually the viewers see behind their exteriors, understand their hidden depths and what made them the people they are today. As the series unfolds viewers are reminded that no-one is all good or all bad, and that everyone has a story.
As their unlikely new friendships intersect with their complicated private lives, The Offenders must unite to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous criminal gang. The show is part crime thriller, character study, and a "state-of-the-nation commentary" - with humour running throughout.
Stephen, aged 45, said he loves "finding ways to bring unlikely groups of people together," ever since The Office - the hit sitcom he wrote with Ricky Gervais which ran from 2001 until 2003. He said: "The Offenders is a long-standing passion project for me. My parents used to work in the Community Service world and I was always intrigued that the many and varied people they dealt with only had one thing in common: they’d committed a crime. Ever since The Office, I love finding ways to bring unlikely groups of people together and watch the sparks fly. As a writer I always include humour but with The Offenders, I also get to add drama, pathos, crime genre thrills and say something optimistic about the common humanity that unites us all, whatever our background."
The Offenders was commissioned for the BBC by Charlotte Moore, BBC Director of Content; Shane Allen, BBC Controller, Comedy Commissioning; and Kate Daughton, BBC Head of Comedy.
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The final roles are being cast for a new, six-part comedy series which will be filmed and set in Bristol - and those behind the production are looking for people to fill the parts. The Offenders has been written and will be directed by Hanham actor and comedian Stephen Merchant, and will eventually be broadcast on BBC1.
As the series unfolds, viewers are reminded no-one is all good or all bad, and everyone has a story. As their unlikely new friendships intersect with their complicated private lives, The Offenders must unite to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous criminal gang. The show is part crime thriller, character study, and a "state-of-the-nation commentary" - with humour running throughout, according to Stephen Merchant.
While the main parts have been cast, there are a number of smaller roles, with an age range of 18 to 55, which are being cast. And earlier this week, one of the casting agents, Amy Hubbard, put out a call for a teenage girl to play the part of Esme, a black or mixed race girl aged 14 to 16.
Stephen Merchant said the series has been a longstanding dream of his to do - his parents worked in the community service world.
'Long-standing passion project'
"The Offenders is a long-standing passion project for me," he said. "My parents used to work in the community service world and I was always intrigued that the many and varied people they dealt with only had one thing in common: they’d committed a crime. Ever since The Office, I love finding ways to bring unlikely groups of people together and watch the sparks fly. As a writer I always include humour but with The Offenders, I also get to add drama, pathos, crime genre thrills and say something optimistic about the common humanity that unites us all, whatever our background."
Anyone interested in the part should email tobristolcasting@gmail.com
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This from BBC website:-
The series is a co-production between BBC One and Amazon Studios. The series was commissioned by BBC Comedy and BBC One, produced by Big Talk (Mum, Cold Feet, Defending The Guilty) with Stephen Merchant’s Four Eyes. Big Talk is part of ITV Studios. Filming will take place in Bristol, UK. The series will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, Canada and Australia.
The Offenders follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. At first, they seem like archetypes we can easily pigeonhole, but gradually we see behind their façades, understand their hidden depths and what made them the people they are today. We are reminded that no one is all good or all bad. Everyone has a story.
As their unlikely new friendships intersect with their complicated private lives, The Offenders must unite to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous criminal gang. The show is part crime thriller, character study, and a state-of-the-nation commentary - with humour and heart.
The series was commissioned for the BBC by Charlotte Moore, Director of Content; Shane Allen, Controller Comedy Commissioning and Kate Daughton, Head of Comedy.
Stephen Merchant, who also directs and co-stars in the series, says: "The Offenders is a long-standing passion project for me. My parents used to work in the Community Service world and I was always intrigued that the many and varied people they dealt with only had one thing in common: they’d committed a crime.
"Ever since The Office, I've loved finding ways to bring unlikely groups of people together and watch the sparks fly. As a writer I always include humour, but with The Offenders I also get to add drama, pathos, crime genre thrills and say something optimistic about the common humanity that unites us all, whatever our background.
"The Offenders’ mix of light and shade, dark and comic, middle-class angst with inner-city grit, reflects the unlikely partnership of me and Elgin. I grew up in suburbia, whereas Elgin spent his early life building a national street gang until a police investigation landed him in prison. Despite coming from different sides of the tracks, Elgin and I share a love of convincing characters and authentic, engaging, human stories."
Kenton Allen, Big Talk Chief Executive, says: "Having long admired Stephen’s phenomenal work as a writer, director and actor we’re thrilled to be working with him on his first one-hour TV series, and to continue our long relationships with the BBC, who have been incredibly smart and supportive from the moment we mentioned the idea. We’re also equally thrilled to be working with Amazon for the first time on an original production and can’t wait for UK and US audiences to see what I think will be a very distinctive and eye-catching show."
Kate Daughton, Head of BBC Comedy, says: "The BBC One audience is in for an absolute treat with Stephen Merchant’s gripping world, rich with heart, humour and stand out characters. Among the deftly woven plots, high jinks, unlikely friendships and big belly laughs are very human stories about loyalty, truth and family."
Brad Beale, Vice President, Worldwide Content Licensing for Amazon Prime Video, says: "We’re so excited to work with Stephen on a series with his signature razor-sharp wit and distinctive, delightful characters. Stephen is such a gifted actor and creator, and we know our Prime Video customers will love The Offenders."
The Offenders is a Big Talk and Four Eyes production created by Stephen Merchant and Elgin James. Executive Producers are Stephen Merchant for Four Eyes, Luke Alkin Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice for Big Talk, and Kate Daughton is the Commissioning Editor for the BBC.
The Lead Director for the series is Stephen Merchant and the Producer is Nickie Sault (The Virtues, World On Fire). The U.S, Canada, and Australia deal with Amazon was brokered by Phil Sequeira, BBC Studios. Global distribution will be handled by BBC Studios.
I wonder if any of the offenders will have committed a sexual offence. No one is all good or all bad. Everyone has a story. True, but for some offenders there is no forgiveness.
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DeleteIn other performing arts news:
ReplyDelete"BBC Radio Wales presenter Wynne Evans should be sacked or resign for hosting a Conservative fundraiser, an MP said.
Mr Evans, also an opera singer who fronts adverts for an insurance firm, was pictured helping to host an auction for the Conservatives.
Labour MP Chris Bryant said he should keep his political views to himself.
The BBC said it was not aware of Mr Evans' role in advance, but he had since agreed not to accept "bookings at events of this nature in future".
Mr Evans presents a daily mid-morning show on BBC Radio Wales alongside his singing and commercial commitments.
Social media video shows him on stage with Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the Conservatives' Black and White Ball in London on Tuesday night."
Go Compare...
... if it had been a Labour fund-raising event with Corbyn onstage the BBC boyo would have been accused of funding terrorism & sacked immediately.
Other dodgy Tory news:
"A Tory MP has refused to reveal why she received a £12,000 donation from a West End club and a company run by a billionaire.
Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland (a long-long-long-time Labour seat until it was abandoned by nuclear-powered Jamie Reed during a meltdown) recorded the two separate donations on her Declaration of Interests, as per Parliamentary procedure. But she has declined to explain why those donations were made to her and how her constituents might benefit from them.
A £7,000 donation was made to her by the Cayzer Trust and a £5,000 one from the Carlton Club.
One of the directors of the Cayzer Trust, a private limited company based in London, is British billionaire Charles William Cayzer. The donation is registered as "support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation" on the Parliament's website. The £5,000 donation from the members-only Carlton Club is registered as "support linked to an MP."
This is about all you'll get about the Cayzers:
Delete"The Cayzer Trust Company Limited (“the Company”) is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 4987694. Wholly owned by members of the Cayzer Family, it is the principal vehicle through which the bulk of the commercial interests of the Cayzer family are consolidated, including a strategic holding of some 34% in Caledonia Investments plc, an investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange.
It has recently come to the attention of the Company that fake documentation is in circulation, purporting to be identification documentation in respect of certain of the Company’s directors. It is understood by the Company that such fake documentation is being circulated in a number of jurisdictions in connection with attempted investment scams, where investors are apparently being invited to part with monies to subscribe for non-existent securities of the Company.
Persons should be aware that the Company has no intention of issuing its shares or securities to members of the public. Any persons approached in this connection should accordingly treat any invitation to invest in the Company with extreme care, and should consider reporting such an approach to the appropriate regulatory authorities in their jurisdiction."
Back in 2001 there was a bit of a light shone upon them:
" He may have an 8,000-acre estate in Scotland, a permanent suite at Claridges Hotel in London and a fleet of Rolls-Royces (despite not being able to drive), but Sir James Cayzer is not the sort to relinquish £10m easily.
Until two weeks ago, the spending habits of one of Britain's richest men were part of the exclusive and discreet world that he inhabited as the heir to a fortune made in shipping in the 19th century.
Only last week, Sir James was reported to be at a luxurious retreat in St Petersburg with 50 of his closest friends. But yesterday he was back in London for a meeting with many of the 160 members of his extended family to decide the fate of the Cayzer Trust whose mismanagement he feels has cost him £10m.
Sir James believes that his share in the family-owned trust should be worth substantially more and blames the board of the Cayzer Trust, chaired by Peter Buckley who is also a member of the Cayzer family by marriage."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-chairman-the-heir-and-a-10m-battle-to-control-a-family-fortune-9130157.html
But they are held up as models of prudent investment:
"Cayzer shipping dynasty
The Cayzer name may not have the same brand recognition as Rothschild, but the shipping dynasty owns vast tracts of Scotland. Sir James Cayzer, who died aged 80 in 2012, lived in the vast Kinpurnie Castle near Blairgowrie, once considered the most expensive estate in Scotland. The trust is used to manage the wealth of several generations of the Cayzer family. As such, it is long-term in its approach, focused on stability. Will Wyatt is the chief investment officer and head of the investment team. He is also part of the wider family, who feature on the board and among the investment team."
https://www.moneyobserver.com/family-fortunes-pull-rothschild-and-cayzer-family-controlled-trusts
Might be helpful if the greedy bullies currently in the driving seat in the UK took time to read this story:
ReplyDelete"In 2015, the boss of a card payments company in Seattle introduced a $70,000 minimum salary for all of his 120 staff - and personally took a pay cut of $1m. Five years later he's still on the minimum salary, and says the gamble has paid off... the director of sales at Gravity, says that since salaries were raised junior colleagues have been pulling more weight. "When money is not at the forefront of your mind when you're doing your job, it allows you to be more passionate about what motivates you," ... Senior staff have found their workload reduced. They're under less pressure and can do things like take all of the holiday leave they're entitled to."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-51332811