Struggling with unemployment and a lack of purpose in life, Ryan impulsively buys a Japanese ‘luck’ doll at a local emporium and takes it home to his girlfriend, hoping his fortunes might change. Reluctant to entertain his wishful thinking and annoying pranks with the Doll, Louise finally persuades Ryan to throw the Doll away. But somehow the Doll reappears and tension in the house grows as circumstances for Ryan go from bad to worse.
It’s late in the evening, the last day of August, the last day of meteorological summer.
September 1st tomorrow.
Time to start thinking about putting the shorts away, and wearing jeans and long trousers again. Argh!
But I have good reason to dress up a bit! I have two movie premieres coming up in September. And tickets go on sale Sept 1st!
Hope to see you in a cinema soon!
Dx
CHANGING TIDES
From Writer / Director / Producer Kathryn Georghiou, and based on a true story, Changing Tides is a film about end-of-life alcoholism and finding hope in unexpected places.
Bea, a broke 22-year-old domestic carer has a new patient, an old, angry, alcoholic at the end of his life. After a turbulent start the two form an unlikely bond that changes both their lives forever.
Writer / Director / Producer Kathryn Georghiou says:
CHANGING TIDES is loosely based on my dad and I during the latter part of his life. He was an alcoholic, and that’s what killed him at the young age of 58.
The female character, Bea, a young, cocky domestic carer who has better things to do with her time.
Aiden is bloated and yellowing, looking older than his age because he’s been lost at the end of a bottle for many years.
First they fight. Control is power.
But when the realities of alcoholism force Bea to be the care giver, Aiden is forced to accept. This shifts their roles and instead of spoiling for war, they gradually bond over chips and sarcasm, and fall into parent and child friendship.
Aiden vows to change, but it’s not that easy when you’ve been living drink to drink for so long. Stopping altogether in an uncontrolled environment can only make things worse. And it does.
First the psychosis. Then the fatal discovery when Bea arrives the next day.
When Aiden is finally freed from his self-imposed prison, Bea is on a rollercoaster of emotions. Leaving his house for the last time, she realises there is hope.
He’s at peace. And she’s glad she knew him.
Changing Tides will have a limited cinema release before an exclusive run at film festivals for approximately one year. After that it will be made available on streaming platforms.
The cinema screenings are part of a four film ‘Made in Blackpool’ event, an evening celebrating four short films made in Blackpool by House of Tales and Out of the Ark Productions.
Saturday 23 September – 19.30 screening (doors at 19.00) at The Regent Cinema, Blackpool – the *premiere* screening of Changing Tides
Sunday 8 October – 12.00 at Cultplex, Manchester
Thursday 19 October – 20.00 at ArtHouse Cinema, London
If you have been affected by a parents drinking or you’re worried about someone who is, get in touch with Nacoa (National Association of Children of Alcoholics – https://nacoa.org.uk/), who are an excellent UK charity that provide help and support for everyone affected by a parent’s drinking, young and old.
BLACK DARUMA
Not just one premiere in September – there’s another!
Struggling with unemployment and a lack of purpose in life, Ryan impulsively buys a Japanese ‘luck’ doll at a local emporium and takes it home to his girlfriend, hoping his fortunes might change. Reluctant to entertain his wishful thinking and annoying pranks with the Doll, Louise finally persuades Ryan to throw the Doll away. But somehow the Doll reappears and tension in the house grows as circumstances for Ryan go from bad to worse.
Crikey, it’s March and my last update was back in August last year.
My apologies dear reader. It’s sort of a mix of there being no news, and too much news, so I will try and update a bit. So – Work first – then my life….
WORK
The Ratcatcher
Winter is generally a quiet time in my line of work, as TV and Film tends to wind down a bit.
I did some theatre in September, with Dead Earnest Theatre, in a production of The Ratcatcher, part of the Festival Of The Mind in the Spiegeltent in the centre of Sheffield.
I’ve done some voice work too, on a wonderful series for VanitasArts, a new jazz based audio drama series titled Persons of Interest– four audio drama podcasts based on the lives of prominent jazz artists who are Black and Queer: Gladys Bentley, Josephine Baker, Ken Snakehips Johnson and Ada Bricktop Smith. You can listen to these as they’re released here, or through your favourite Podcast sources.
Reading my script
My voice has also featured on a new story on the Geostories App: Freyda Skald of Jorvik.
The Jorvik GeoStory is about magic, myth and mystery as a young woman’s life is transformed after an encounter with a legendary Viking Seeress, Gudrun. Developed in partnership with The Jorvik Viking Centre and supported by Arts Council England, the story begins in Coppergate, York.
Launched at the 2023 JORVIK VIKING FESTIVAL in February, it features Augmented Reality images that come to life as you are transported back to Jorvik in the Year 960 and into magical Viking Realms.
Freyda Skald of Jorvik is free to listen to and can be accessed in the GeoStories Library by downloading the GeoStories app on the App Store and Google Play or by scanning the QR Code on the flyer below.
LIFE & LOVE
2022 ended wonderfully. I met an amazing woman.
Just when you feel like there is no one out there for you, that you should just maybe give up on the idea of romance. That a hand blindly fishing around in the Quality Street tin for a wrapped chocolate may be the most exciting thing to happen over Christmas.
Beverley is much nicer than a Quality Street Strawberry Cream or a Purple One.
She’s an author, writer, coach, entrepreneur, single mum, and much, much more – and things are quite lovely. We laugh, sing, cuddle, and kiss a lot.
You can find her here or at The Writers Workshop.
Or read her latest Grief blog update here – Swimming Through Clouds: A journey of love and loss. I am mentioned in the latest update.
The Writers Workshop is an amazing resource for you writers out there, with workshops, motivation sessions, mentoring, live events, retreats, masterclasses, and much more.
It’s very affordable, and the sessions are either in person or online. Take a look
New Year’s Eve at Dorothy Pax with BeverleyBridlington with Beverley
Inspired by being with this amazing Writer Woman, I have started writing more myself, and I’ve even dug out some older pieces to tinker with. I will share some of my new stuff at the end of this update.
BIRTHDAY
My birthday arrived in January. It wasn’t unexpected of course.
I decided on a trip to Edinburgh for my birthday treat, as I’d never visited before.
Edinburgh Castle
So it was the Castle, Royal Mile, Haggis Neeps and Tatties, Deep Fried Mars Bars, and a walk up Arthur’s Seat.
And I slipped walking back down from Arthur’s seat, hurting my own seat, a bang on the Coccyx. It’s still painful now.
Arthur’s Seat
VISITORS
My Brother John and his daughter Modena visited from Canada in January. Our birthday’s are 4 years and a day apart. So it was lovely to catch up, have family time, and a drink or two with old friends.
Modena, Mum, John and myself.With JohnMe, Linda, Simon, John and Kim. The Lord Nelson, Arundel St, Sheffield.A pint in the Lord Nelson
COVID HITS Damn! After avoiding the lurgy since the very beginning, Covid hit the house at the end of January.
Mum and I are both fully vaccinated, so it could have been worse.
I was pretty miserable with it for a few days, but bounced back.
Mum is 90, so it has hit her harder. Though now testing negative, she has ended up in hospital, but we hope she will be home again soon. Keep everything crossed.
WRITING
As I mentioned, Beverley has inspired me to write more. And to be public about it.
So here’s a couple of recent pieces.
BIN DAY
Bins
It’s bin day
Wind day
Bins blown over everywhere
Regardless of colour Black, brown, blue
On it’s side, lid flapping like a puppet mouth
Spewing garbage like a politician Pizza crusts
Used wipes
Eeeeuw I don’t even know what that is
But it’s not nice Dogs try to sniff. No!
Home we rush with chilled ears through streets awash with flotsam and jetsam Bin day
Wind day
It’s Bin Day again
Wind day again Blue Bins put out to stand street-side
Like Bobbies in a row
Guarding our road like sentry’s on duty
But blue bins are slender
Thinner than Grey and Brown
And with contents of cardboard and paper
There’s no weight to hold it down So blue bins blow, off they go
Like drunken revellers
Until they trip off the kerb
And they’re down, rolling around, regurgitating contents Prescription copies, old bills, egg boxes, dozens of Amazon cardboard envelopes, pizza boxes, cardboard sleeves off yogurt containers, magazines, newspapers Almost no bins left to empty now
Contents blow freely
Twisting and turning Escaping down the road
Hiding in gardens and under cars Bin lorry comes, empties the few still standing, then blue bins left on the pavement Empty now, lighter and giddy, they wheel around
Throwing themselves down once more
They roll around like pigs in muck
It’s bin day again Wind day again
A man down the road has a DeLorean.
DeLorean
A man down the road has a DeLorean.
Yes, that sporty stainless steel car made famous in the Back to the Future franchise. On our road. Just parked there on the street. Under a tree. Hardly ever moves it, it sits there, falling blossoms gathering at the base of the windscreen. Which must block his air intakes because he often puts a sheet of plastic over the air vents in autumn. That fancy rear cover over the engine compartment. Tied down with a length of tatty rope. And what of the owner? No Marty McFly or Doc Brown here.
A mild mannered chap, dresses conservatively, slacks and sweaters. Silver framed glasses, greying blonde hair parted to one side. His other car, his daily drive, parked behind the DMC – a silver Ford Focus. Seen him in the paper shop. Buys two loaves. Appears to be single. And heard Linda in the shop ask about his mother. So why? Why a DeLorean? The dream car of the 80’s, sitting outside a Sheffield semi? He hardly ever moves it. If he does then it’s MOT time, though he did park it around the corner for a few days when they repaved the street. I often stand beside it when I’m walking the dogs. They seem to have a fascination with it, they sniff the alloy rims and custom rubber tyres. Where has it been to gather smells so interesting to canine olfactory organs?
Then, this morning, walking back from the paper shop, the rumble of an engine. Not a normal rumble. He’s sat in the drivers seat – on the left of course, it’s American – giving it an occasional monthly turnover to keep it running, circulate the juices that keep the beast alive. Or is he? Is there more to Mr Normal. Is he actually from the future? Holding out on Holdings Rd, keeping watch over the steel city, his DeLorean the Time Machine that brought him here, and his lifeboat to return him home. Are those “sitting there running the engine” times really to keep it roadworthy? Or perhaps he’s generating some time clock energy, rewinding us all to correct something that shouldn’t have happened. But I still remember you. And what we said last night. That can’t be rewound by Mr Future. So, we are good. No objection raised by the Time Panel, no temporal anomaly created, we can go on. And how can we say no to the future?
So, I think that’s just about all the interesting stuff.
There’s more of course, but my instagram and Twitter Feeds may fill in the gaps for you.
Wishing you all love, prosperity, and the fall of this evil Tory government.
I’m delighted to share a new project with you today – an audio soap opera!
An audio drama that’s available on your favourite download sites – and a perfect accompaniment to summer days… in the garden, in the car, on the plane, by a pool… or just tuning out the neighbour mowing the lawn.
Riverside – the soap
The Riverside audiobook drama is based on the popular weekly magazine serial Riverside, created and written by Glenda Young. The audiobook script is written, adapted and produced by Ian Skillicorn.
I had a great time recording this with some lovely voices – old friends and new.
I play George Dougal – George hasn’t got over the loss of the Ryemouth Shipyard, and the job he had there for years. But he has plenty to keep him occupied. Not least keeping a close eye on his daughter’s boyfriend!
Dave on playing George:“I’ve been a fan of the work of writer Glenda Young for years. Ian Skillicorn has lifted her characters from the page and given them life with fantastic scripts that were a pleasure to read. It was a joy to work with a great cast, some old friends and some new ones, all of them experienced and talented audio actors. To play George in Riverside has been a treat. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Ryemouth and I hope to meet you for a cuppa in the Old Engine Room!”
ABOUT RIVERSIDE :
“The feel-good, life-affirming story of love, friendship, family and new beginnings!”
Changes are coming to the riverside town of Ryemouth, and while some of the community are excited by new beginnings, others are finding it hard to let go of the past.
Susan and her boyfriend can’t wait to open their new cafe and deli, The Old Engine Room. But Susan’s dad, George, is not so thrilled. He’s never approved of Dave, who used to hang out with the wrong crowd. Can the happy young couple win George round?
Mary and Ruby have been friends since the first day of infant school, even though their lives have turned out very differently. Mary has a contented family life with husband George and daughter Susan. Poor Ruby has never been so lucky in love. Then she meets her teenage crush in surprising circumstances. Mary has her doubts about the charming Paul. Will Ruby finally get her own happy ever after?
Dave wants to put his past behind him. His dream is to make a success of the business, and one day be a good husband and father, like his own dad, Mike. Yet, he’s forced to keep a secret from everyone he loves. Who should he turn to for help out of a tricky situation?
When the community comes under threat from developers, can everyone put their differences aside to defend the town they love?
Riverside is full of romance, heartbreak and secrets, as well as gentle wit and humour. You’ll laugh and cry along with the family and friends of Ryemouth.
Hello folks! Hope you’re all keeping well, despite the continuing rise in Covid infections. People seem to be falling like flies…. thankfully I haven’t succumbed, I am as fully vaccinated and boosted as I can be, and I continue to mask and avoid crowds. Stay safe m’dears!
Good news, the new Series I shot in Liverpool last year is released next week.
Compulsion premieres on Channel 5 on Tuesday, April 12th at 9 p.m.
Sarah Deane (Moving On, Clink) wrote the four-part thriller, which is directed by Noreen Kershaw (Call the Midwife, Pitching In, Our Girl). The series, which was filmed in Liverpool last year, will be stripped across the week, Tuesday-Friday.
ABOUT
Jenny, a paramedic who develops a gambling addiction while attempting to cope with PTSD after a catastrophic train collision, is played by Leanne Best (Young Wallander, Cold Feet). Sasha, a good Samaritan who provides Jenny a way out, is played by Anna Chancellor (Pennyworth, The Watch), while loan shark Connie Bertram is played by the legendary Hayley Mills. I play Connie’s sidekick, Jimmy – you’ll catch me in episodes 2 and 4. Also in the cast Krissi Bohn plays Ali, Ben Tavassoli plays Raj, and Danny Ashok plays Chris.
Colin McKeown, Executive Producer, LA Productionsadded: “We strive with all of our dramas to get the best cast, the best crew and the best script. With ‘Compulsion’ we believe we have achieved that.”
Leanne Bestwith the amazing Hayley Mills. We spent a lot of time chatting about her Dad, the late, great, John Mills.Krissi Bohn
So, set your TV planners and make sure to tune in – and let me know what you think!
We’re almost finished January, and about to blast into February with a LIVE show!
That’s real LIVE people performing in front of a real LIVE audience!!!!
But Fear Not! There’s a LIVE STREAMING option those who aren’t yet ready to mingle.
Rachel E Thorn, SKETCH UP writer
The show is SKETCH UP! Written by the FABULOUS Rachel E Thorn, the Queen of Improv, and Witty Skit Writer Extraordinaire. Playing Friday Feb 4 at the Leicester Comedy Festival.
Rachel’s comedy has been heard on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland and performed by impressionists including Rory Bremner, Alistair McGowan and Christina Bianco. Rachel also performs improvised comedy shows nationwide and is the winner of The Phoenix Remix Act Of The Year 2019.
Rachel has put together a group of fun professional performers for her Sketch Up Crew, and at her cry of “SKETCH UP ASSEMBLE!” we all fall into place. We’ve been recording and performing Rach’s sketches for a few years now (except the last two obvs) and its brilliant fun – mainly because they’re so well written and full of wonderful characters we’d never get asked to play otherwise!
On stage for this performance, besides our Wonder Woman Rachel, we have Melanie Crawley, Gerard Fletcher, and myself.
A fabulous voiceover artist, having narrated over 40 audiobooks including An Unknown Woman by Jane Davis and The River Through Rome by Nicholas Nicastro. She is Joy in The Age of Love, the podcast based on artist Pete McKee’s characters, and starred in the UK tour of Tannie & Tannie.
One of the best voiceover actors in the business. My favourite facts are that he presents Screwfix’s YouTube channel and he’s the on-hold voice of DPD, The National Trust and Halfords!
TV includes Sherwood, Get Even (BBC/Netflix – 5 EPs), Emmerdale, Happy Valley” and Girlfriends, where he and I first worked together, sharing a scene with Zoë Wanamaker and Miranda Richardson.
He has performed in radio dramas for BBC Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra. His voice can be heard in ads on TV and most independent commercial radio stations worldwide and he’s narrated audio books and documentaries for BBC, ITV, Channel 5 Paramount and History Channel.
Sketch Up at Leicester Comedy Festival is being live-streamed by Next Up on Friday 4th February at 8pm. It should also be available to watch on demand afterwards. To watch, you’ll need a Next Up account, which is either £7 a month with no long-term commitment or £24 for a whole year’s subscription. This gives you access to a bajillion live comedy shows from the UK’s most famous comedians – and us too!
As the artist, we take 50% of the revenue generated by people watching our show. Anyone who signs up for Sketch Up can watch Rachel’s dark comedy Sex, Lies & Improvisation on Friday 18th February at 9pm for no extra cost! Here’s the Link to sign-up!
IN OTHER NEWS….
I loved my couple of Corrie episodes, Jan 12 & 14, what a treat to work on those famous cobbles. Here’s a clip of my scenes – NOTE ***SPOILER ALERT***
Here’s hoping Corrie ask Gordon back for more! Maybe send them a tweet if you want to see him return?
AND FINALLY….
I’ve walked a lot throughout January – as part of the RUN THE MONTH Fundraiser for PROSTATE CANCER UK.
I covered 52.67 extra miles of brisk walking for the challenge, a double marathon.
My knees didn’t enjoy running, so I walked as fast as my legs would carry me.
And the good news? I raised £300 for Prostate Cancer UK. My Fundraiser Page is still live, so please take a look if you would like to add a donation. And special thanks to all who have already given.
Right, this blog update, like the month of January, is almost done – Stay safe, stay warm, and hope to see you LIVE in Leicester, or streaming the show online!
Thank youRadio Times for printing Cast Lists for shows!
Great to see my name in the RT again for next week’s episodes of Coronation St, playing Gordon, Wednesday and Friday, 12th and 14th of January.
It was lovely to be on the cobbles again, my 4th time, and to work with the legend that is Barbara Knox, the wonderful Julia Goulding and Sally-Ann Matthews– and the fab crew of course! Amazing lovely place to work.
The Coronation St Blog and Weatherfield Gazette have a spoiler previews for the episodes next week, check the Friday episode preview if you wonder what I’m up to.
Otherwise, just set your timers and alarms and tune in next Wednesday and Friday! Jan 12 and 14th.
I hope the New Year is treating you all well. I started the Prostate Cancer UK “RUN THE MONTH” Challenge to cover a marathon distance over the month of January.
All is going well so far, I’ve done just over 10 miles of brisk walking as of today, Jan 4th, and raised £215 so far.
If you’d like to chip in a few quid, it would be much appreciated, the Fundraiser Page is here. I’m doing it for a mate who was recently diagnosed.
Back from today’s walk…
Keep walking, stay safe – and watch Corrie next week!
So, here we are, it’s almost New Year’s Eve as I write this on Thursday evening.
It’s been another odd year hasn’t it? Lockdowns, loss of people, loss of work.
Dad and Benjamin in Canada
New Year is always a time for reflection time for me anyway, my Dad died Dec 31, 2010, and I always feel his loss. This year it feels even more reflective.
So it’s back to New Year traditions to say farewell to the old and welcome the new. I’ve baked lots of tarts, jam and lemon curd. My Gran always cooked them for Christmas and New Year, and as a youngster I helped, cutting out the tarts, scooping the jam fillings. And making a jam turnover with the remaining pastry.
Tomorrow will be an evening at home with my Mum, a beer or two, nibbles…. some Pork Pie, Scotch Egg, Sausage Rolls, vol-au-vents… And this evening I’ve made Egg Nog for the first time, it’s now chilling ready to add to traditions tomorrow. I admit, my Brandy pouring hand may have been over zealous.
At midnight I’ll sing Auld Lang Syne, I’ll go out and come in again to First Foot, I’ll phone and message friends near and far, then to bed and 2022.
I’m hoping work continues next year as it ended in 2021. I ended up quite busy over the last couple of months. An episode of Doctors for BBC1, two episodes of an upcoming series, Compulsion, for Channel 5. And most recently I shot two episodes of Coronation St, airing mid-January on ITV.
To end the year tomorrow, you can hear me doing some radio. As I’ve mentioned before, I co-host the monthly Comedy Show on Write Radio on Sheffield Live. Tomorrow’s show is a year-end special, a murder mystery featuring all the hosts of Write Radio, put together by our amazing producer Andrew Tildesley. It’s fun, so listen in, either live, or catch up on the link later. Write Radio airs Friday afternoons, 1-3pm.
So my dears, I bid you all the very best for the coming year.
Be kind to yourself, spread the love, and stay safe and healthy during these dark days and testing times.
If you can find a test.
Good news, the new Series I shot in Liverpool last year is released next week.
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