Stand by your wireless!
A piece I wrote and performed will be featured on Radio Sheffield’s BBC Upload Show tonight, October 6th, between 8-10pm.
It’s a piece some regular readers may be familiar with, but tonight it blows off into the wider community.
UPDATE – Here’s my Clip! Thanks Host Mick Rowe!
Delighted that BLACK DARUMA has a World Premiere Friday night at Spirit of Independence Festival in Sheffield.
From filmmakers Fionn and Toby Watts, this movie has Maximum Wattage!
A really unique horror film, I hope you can see it!
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.
Cast : David Castleford, Julie Higginson, Louise O’ Leary, Madeline Percival, Richard Galloway, Rowe David McClelland, Ruth Langrick
A lovely evening with the crew who made it, and a very appreciative audience for a very emotional film. I cried at myself. 
CHANGING TIDES has two more Cinema screenings coming up… Please check it out if you can.
Hello lovely people!
Busy as ever trying to drum up work, I have added a gallery of some of my audio work to my website.
It features samples of some of my audio work over the years – radio, audiobooks, audio drama, stories and more..
Please take a listen – and please remember me if you need a voice!
Thanks
D X
SAVE ME FROM THE GIANT CHICKENS!
Hello lovely people.
I’m spending more time writing these days.
Some just for personal consumption, other pieces I’m happy to share – poetry, stories, sketches.
Mostly funny. Sometimes not.
Here it is – MY WRITING PAGE
Thank you to lovely Beverley Ward for constant inspiration and the confidence to share.
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
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.
Written & Directed by
Kathryn Georghiou
Starring
Natasha Cottriall and Rowe David McClelland
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.
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.
General release tickets go on sale on 1st September.
Full details / buy tickets here:
https://www.thisishouseoftales.com/screenings
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 is a uniquely shot film, told entirely from the perspective of a doll. Made by local filmmakers, Fionn and Toby Watts, the film will have its world premiere at the Spirit of Independence Festival in Sheffield, Sept 29th.
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.
Cast : David Castleford, Julie Higginson, Louise O’ Leary, Madeline Percival, Richard Galloway, Rowe David McClelland, Ruth Langrick
Premiere – Friday September 29th, Showroom Cinema, Sheffield – Tickets available here – https://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/black-daruma-soi
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….
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 Vanitas Arts, 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
As I mentioned, Beverley has inspired me to write more. And to be public about it.
So here’s a couple of recent pieces.
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.
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.
D x
Hello to all the lovely people!
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.
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!
Other voices are Lisa Armytage, Melanie Crawley, Gerard Fletcher, Becky Wright, Toby Laurence, Glen McCready, Penelope Rawlins, Keith Drinkel, and Michael Chance.
“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.
I’m delighted to have a voice part in this wonderful project – The story of The Bakewell Witches. A slice of history I hadn’t known before.
Download the app and you can take a real-life – or virtual – historic tour of Bakewell.
Search for the GeoStories app in your favourite app store!
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 Productions added: “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.”
Days getting warmer, sunshine on my back as I walk,
I feel the heat through my fleece, like a warm hug.
I don’t usually listen to music as I walk, I generally like to hear the sounds around me, but a couple of days ago I pressed play on my EarPods and these are just a few of the songs that joined me for the walk, all with memories and feelings attached…
VIDEO PLAYLIST – I’ve put it together for this update, it’s only 6 songs.
PERFECT DAY – Lou Reed
The song that started when I pressed play… What a brilliant song this is. That warm hug from the sun on my back, this song in my ears, but meanwhile the world is in conflict and far from perfect for so many. A reminder that little things can make perfection. And a hope that conflict soon ends, and that, for those in turmoil, Perfect is eventually restored.
Let this lead you to Satellite of Love and more from Transformer album.
PATIO LANTERNS – Kim Mitchell
Summers in Canada. I remember playing this in my Radio days at CHMA, Sackville, New Brunswick. A song about youthful years and young love. ALSO – Check out this video – an older, balder Kim Mitchell talking about the difficult recording of this song.
A NEW ENGLAND – Billy Bragg
Another song about young love, but with a different slant. That line, “I saw two shooting stars last night, I wished on them but they were only satellites, Is it wrong to wish on space hardware, I wish, I wish, I wish you’d care.” Brilliant.
5:15 – The Who
Quadrophenia is my favourite who album, this song always gets me singing along. And this video created for it is excellent.
PRIVATE DANCER – Tina Turner
When this started I could hear only one voice, my dear friend Charlie Rhindress, who used to sing it in the dressing room (and did a great Tina impersonation) when we worked at Live Bait Theatre. Wonderful memories.
OBJECTS IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR MAY APPEAR CLOSER THAN THEY ARE – Meat Loaf
Sadly we’ve lost Meat Loaf recently, but this song, all about memories, seemed apt to my feelings when it started playing. And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car…
One final song – not on YouTube…
LET YOU GO – Alex Rhindress – SPOTIFY LINK
When this started playing, I couldn’t remember the artist, knew it must be someone famous… It’s Charlie’s daughter Alex. What a great song this is.
I think I’ll press PLAY whilst walking more often.
Have a super day!
Dave x