BORLEY RECTORY
I was thrilled to be included in the Blu-Ray extras Thanks to Nucleus Films
With Sara Dee, Reece Shearsmith, Jonathan Rigby and Annabel Bates
BORLEY RECTORY is available on
Also Watch On Amazon Prime
and Stream on NETFLIX
Role : Ethel Bull
GRIMM FEST
Meeting the audience of BORLEY RECTORY at GrimmFest in my native town of
Manchester
We were looked after brilliantly.
Thank you Grimfest!
From right to left Martin Pavey - sound designer and mixer, myself, Tom Aitkinson - producer, Ashley Thorpe - Director, Jonathan Rigby - Actor, Claire Amias - Actor
BLACK RUSSIAN
On the set of BLACK RUSSIAN, playing Tatiana Vok, directed by Chris Barfoot whom I met on the Fuji Film Yacht during my first time in Cannes when Cafe D' Paris was being Premiered.
SIGHTSEERS
PREMIERE
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
I love to make my own dresses for premiere's or embellish and adapt those I buy.
After the screening we walked to the chateau in the warm evening moonight and I was thrown a lovely comment from a lady passing by
"Ooh Comme elle est Belle"
FREE FIRE
What a joy to attend the
GALA SCREENING at The London Film Festival
to see Ben Wheatley's excellent film Free Fire.
A favourite of mine!
Spoiler alert - I feature as the Boston voice on the telephone. The sound design was amazing.
Check out
http://www.martinpaveysound.com
Each gun had a personality of its own and the 5:1 surround made the whole experience frighteningly real.
The party was great fun and I felt very glam in my limited edition dress, Gucci shoes and Coco Chanel Mademoiselle perfume
THE PORTSMOUTH FIELD GUN CREW MASCOT
At the Royal Tournament.
Our brave heroes.
For the event I was their mascot.
What an adventure!
The field gun competition reenacts the Royal Navy landing guns from HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful in 1899 to support the British Army in the second Boar War in South Africa to help the relief of the seige of the British garrison in Ladysmith.
In the competition, a field gun is dismantled, an arial runway iserrected, the gun parts are carried over the runway and reassembled at the other end.
THE NIGHT HERON
Ray Winstone and I at the Wrap Party, Royal Court Theatre.
Dedicating myself to the five week run of this play by Jez Butterworth, and directed by Ian Rickson,
On the last night of the run I found out I had lost my lucrative freelance work in TV that had kept me going as I made my performing dreams come true.
I'd just paid off my £25,000 debt for making Cafe D' Paris and had comfortably reached zero in my bank account.
Ray, bless him, noticed I was like a rabbit trapped in the headlights that evening.
"You know what you do when you loose everything?"
said Ray, "You start again!"
So I did. I focused on the acting and dropped my techie TV life for good.
Meeting MOONRAKER stars.
From the first movie Martin Pavey and I shared at the cinema.
Richard Keele, Sara Dee, Martin Pavey, Blanche Ravalec
PREVENGE
UK Premiere screening at The London Film Festival LFF with director and star Alice Lowe and Sound designer / mixer Martin Pavey
I'm not a fan of wearing black so teamed this leather dress and faux fur jacket with a bling diamante bag, shoes and brooch.
Alice had just become a new Mum and was looking radiant.
KINGSTON 100 YEARS OF CINEMA CELEBRATIONS SIR NORMAN WISDOM
"Join me in the limelight" Norman said, beckoning me forward as the cameras, people and the Kingston Mayor watched.
From that day forward I stepped out of the shadows and learned to shine.
Thank you Norman
ADAM AND EVIL
Norman and the girls at the film launch event at my beloved,
Pinewood Studios.
I was credited in the press as the British co-star
This press photo is now published in his biography
'COS I'M A FOOL'
Adam & Evil was a sceenplay written by Norman and based on a JB Priestley novel
I helped cast these girls for the PR launch day and was given a role in the film. Sadly it never happened.
I learned a lot about PR and then took a diploma in it, passing with distinction!
IN FABRIC
My first 'in vision' role for a Rook Film production
was as script named 'Jocelyn' in Peter Strickland's
'In Fabric'. My legs got a second outing as a
friendly sales assistant and my voice featured in
the bank scenes and as part of the sound
landscape too.
I was thrilled to help cast five other voice actresses that did a fabulous job creating the mumbling sounds that were brilliantly infused into the film by Martin Pavey www.martinpaveysound.com
The 'IN FABRIC' cast and crew were treated to a wrap party at
The Doodle Bar in South East London.
Here was my contribution to the wall graffiti
FLASHBACK
At Kate Mantilini's restaurant in LA, where that famous scene of Pacino and De Niro, from the film 'Heat', was shot.
With Sound Designer Martin Pavey and film distributor Larry Goebel. Martin and I were visiting LA for the first time to attend the world premiere screening of
FLASH BACK at the WIFTS Festival
Martin directed the film, I starred in it.
The writer was Andy Davie
COMIC HERITAGE
At a Comic Heritage charity event, helping Clive Dunn with the raffle draw and displaying the magic coat worn by Tommy Cooper on the night he died, performing on stage to a live television audience at The London Palladium.
The coat was auctioned for charity and bought by the celebrity magician Paul Daniels
HIGH RISE
Entering the Odeon Leicester Square for
The London Film Festival showing of HIGH RISE
from director Ben Wheatley.
My voice work was peppered throughout the film as The Lift, Shipping Forecaster, Radio Reporter and Supermarket Tannoy
and I was honoured with the credit
'Voice Of The High Rise'.
PHOTO SHOOTS
Here I am with Larry Ellis in the Pinewood Studios garden, who took photos of me for the DAILY EXPRESS' William Hickie Column when I was involved with Sir Norman Wisdom's film 'Adam & Evil'.
Lovely man .
I wore the dress again when I accompanied Sir Norman to a Film Premiere at London's Empire Leicester Square, where we were snapped by paparazzi photographer Richard Young.
You can spot a young Gareth Owen just beyond my left shoulder. who is now the CEO of
The Media Lunch Club
My short film 'Alone' is the first film I've directed, produced and written myself.
Click on the picture to watch
Strangely it was completed just before the COVID 19 lockdown.
I've been studying a host of genres to treat in a similar fashion to get my filmmaking up to speed. Wish me luck!
Ashley Thorpe of Borley Rectory fame did the graphics and Matt Brock from Dicepeople composed the music.
HUSH RESTAURANT in London hosts
The Media Lunch Club,
of which I am a committee member.
Here I am hushing next to the butterfly painting in the
Roger Moore private dining room.
I'm wearing a tee-shirt that has my voice over script from the feature film Sightseers as the design. Available from
"Police announed today that they are looking for a ginger faced man and an angry woman in connection with enquiries"
(Sightseers starred Alice Lowe and Steve Oram)
FLASH FROM THE PAST
A press photo of myself with Sir Norman Wisdom recently came up for sale on ebay.
I decided it was time to 'grow up' and stayed away for a good long while from Pinewood Studios to consider my new image. When I entered the studio again the resources manager said,
" I used to know a lovely little girl and now I know a beautiful young lady" From then he called me the 'petite papillon', little butterfly.
In this simple dress and jacket, to sport my new self, I was roped into this photo shoot, I believe for the Telegraph newspapaer, that was taking place that same day. The double page article refered to me as 'a young starlet'
I got serious and made my first 35mm film, Cafe D' Paris, shortly afterwards.
FILM LINK
Do you have an anecdote from the creative industires that you would like to share with the world?
Thanks to courses taken during the 2020 lockdown, I learned how to use more software, especially for sound work. Now, thanks to a commission from Ian Taylor of Red Door Vision, I've hosted my first podcast featuring my own composed music too!
The first episode was published in December 2020 I'm looking for more 2 minute stories to be sent on MP3 so do contact me if you have one to tell they can be funny or offer a tip to help others in your field.
I'll see if I can include it in a future episode.
SPOOKY SERENDIPITY AND GHOSTLY TALE ON SET
So, serendipity was at work for me. Having met Derren Nesbit at the 1st screening of 'Tucked' directed by Jamie Patterson, I had a passion to work with him. I was so determined I asked my writer friend Andy Davie to write a script for the two of us.
Meanwhile I went for a role I didn't think I would get 'Catherine The Bride' in Andrew Jones' The Haunting Of Margam Castle. He knew of my work though and gave me the role. Three days before I was due on set IMDB announced the film was in production and who should be starring but 'Derren Nesbitt! Be careful what you wish for!
During my time in Wales for the shoot, I went through a spooky experience and wrote it out as a short story that you can now watch me narrate.
FILM LINK spooky experience
PODCAST LINK
FILM LINK - Borley Rectory Interviews
DEAR JON
It's with great sadness that my friend and work colleague, award winning photographer Jon Purcell died suddenly in January 2020.
Jon made many of my dreams come true. I modelled for him on TfL campaigns and toured Europe to visit the major cities iconic landmarks for a photographic Red Case Courier campaign.
He was thrilled with my attention to detail, patience and stamina. I loved the modelling work he granted me and miss his support and respect
Jon left behind an amazing portfolio of work culminating in a copper bound book
When we last met he asked if I'd present the video version,
"only if you're on set with me to guide me." I responded.
I will never forget our final wave goodbye that rainy evening. Thank you Jon for all the real dream times x
COSMIC LOST AND FOUND
A second chance to work with Norman and I became his 'love interest' and a Volupton Warrior '36A' in 'Cosmic Lost and Found' that also stared Warren Mitchell, Sir Patrick Moore, Stanley Unwin and Ray Harrihausen,
Like Adam & Evil, it never got off the shelf . . .
The story was based on an Edinburgh Festival play called Invasion Of The Cathode Rays that featured
Cosmic Brain Suckers as a TV promo. It was performed by the Gawk-A-Go-Go team Sarah Neil and Paul Garner.
Adapted and directed for film by Grant Littlechild.
As a little girl I remember watching Norman Wisdom films on the telly and feeling so sorry for him that I vowed if I ever met him I'd somehow make up for all the trauma he encountered. Years later, I had my opportunity and not only in this film. I helped put him back in touch with TV producers thanks to a script he wanted me to sell for him. It lead to him being cast in TV drama's if not the making of his script.
Well, making a transition from presenting to acting isn't that easy. With two films lost I thought it best to start with a good credit of my own making With all the technical people I knew at Thames TV it seemed obvious to do a video.
The Pinewood crowd said. "make it a film and we can support you." Jumping in at the deep end I did. It took 18 months, £25,000 including the tax on my earnings given all my expenses were covered on an interest free loan by a business owner minus the VAT
The 35mm film Cafe D' Paris started out as my acting showreel video and turned into my first film producing project.
It gave me a private jet flight to Cannes Film Festival courtesy of Quantel and the best Cannes I've experienced to date, given my time on the Fuji Film, Panavision and Lee Lighting Yacht as well as having Cafe D' Paris screened every day at The British Pavillion.
Magic!
2 WHEELS - TV PRESENTING
To pay off the debt of Cafe D' Paris, I muscled my way back in to being a freelance TV technician at The London Studios. Working through national holidays.
I did, however, hear of a search going on for presenters for the Men and Motors channel and put myself forward.
I'm not a standard sexy glam girl but had a strategy, during my audition I was asked to talk about myself and I then mentioned my love of motorbikes before launching into the autocue test.
I didn't get the job on the glam side of the channel but was called sometime later with the offer to work on the motoring side on their flagship motorbike programme '2 Wheels' .
For two years I travelled the UK visiting biker meeting places and chatted to the bikers as well as covering the Copdock Motorbike show as well. It was a great job and one that got me recognised in the street by biker fans.
FALLEN ANGEL & INSIDE A DOGS MIND
ON BOOKSTREAMZ.COM
During the lock down 2020-21 I was lucky enough to be a supporter of Elaine Sturgess who created Books Office a web platform to help novelists get their work adapted for the screen. She then added Bookstreamz.com and filmed actors playing the characters . I have so far been cast in two productions and was asked to create a TikToc ad for them too
I play Peter's in
FALLEN ANGEL
that is now available on
bookstreamz.com
with
INSIDE A DOGS MIND
LAUNCHING SOON
in my role as the Animal Rescue Officer
I brought my ADR voice skills to two films.
As Ada Lovelace in Caroline Catz's
' Delia Debyshire' film and
many tannoy's and radio voices for Nick Gillespie's
' Paul Dood's Deadly Lunchbreak' feature.
Both won awards at the SXSW Festival
CONGRATULATONS NICK &
CAROLINE
