View from old soak's chair of Ted's Return Home filming 21/3

Old soak number two

As an extra in me own short film (very Hitchcock), I was somewhat typecast as old soak number two. Not the most illustrious of screen debs, if I make the final cut at all, playing old soak number two (I did try and investigate character's back story, but there wasn't much of one) involved wearing a flat cap, singing "Any Old Iron" and staring at this cut price pot of bitter which, nonetheless, appeared more tasty as the day went on. But wasn't.

Stairlift to heaven

Filming of Ted's Return Home this weekend was at the palatial St Vincents Roman Catholic Club in Hull. You could film allsorts there - out the back there was a small pond which instantly made me think of Chinatown's "very good for glass" coda. And, behind the bar was this stairlift leading to the private, upstairs quarters of Saint Vees. Part Exorcist, part Blues Brothers. Maybe we'll be back after Ted's Return Home is done.

Ted's Return Home

Baggy zimmers

Can anyone else believe it's 20 years since the Stone Roses' debut album? And I haven't even been imbibing peyote.

You have been Watch-ing

Like most blokes I've talked to, the three hours I spent watching Watchmen were some of the most bum nubing and perplexing I've ever spent in a cinema. Very rare to not engage with a film of this nature, but Billy Crudup's blue doctor with libido and commitment issues was certainly not up there with Hellboy. And Patrick Wilson's sex scene to Halleluliah was a wince and a mince by equal measure. And I still can't make sense of Nixon's prosthetic nose either - what was that saying, or was it just bad schnozz?

Ted's Return Home: The soundtrack

Have now taken delivery of the sublime, Columbo meets sleazy dulcimer soundtrack for our short film. Suddenly seems more tangible somehow. Filming takes place final two weekends in March, and looks like I'm gonna play a boozy extra. Sure Ted'd approve! Spotlight info for the two actors is here, and here and I'm delighted to see that one has starred in Alan Clarke's The Firm, whilst the other has a role in tonight's Red Riding, in a blink and you'll miss it role as a copper.