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Episode one - The Engineer
Eddie (Neil Fitzmaurice) is a mobile phone engineer who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour and has only a few months left to live. His wife Donna (Julie Graham) and children Keith and Steven are distraught yet determined that Eddie will enjoy his last few months. But Eddie blames working as a mobile phone engineer at Corsoncom for causing the tumour and he wants someone to pay.
A drug dealer is shot at point blank range for using his mobile phone while driving, and a Corsoncom mobile phone mast in Wigan is blown-up. When a gunman shoots a phone using passenger and the driver of an inter-city train, police make a connection between the three events and name Eddie as their number one suspect, but Eddie can’t remember a thing about any of the incidents.
Episode two - The Soldier
Maurice Stoan (Jamie Draven) is a soldier whose wife and young son are tragically killed in a hit and run accident while crossing the road. The driver of the car was using a mobile phone and he has never been found. Maurice can’t rest until he has revenge.
Episode three - The Boss
In this third and final episode, the person responsible for the hit-and-run death of Maurice Stoan’s family is finally identified and the real mastermind behind the whole mobile phone terror campaign is revealed.
Executive Producer Kieran Roberts, describes Mobile as: “A multi-layered story of conspiracy, betrayal and revenge. John Fay's scripts are as brilliant as anything I've read in years. He's succeeded in writing a thriller that's intensely gripping, powerfully emotional and even, at times, wickedly funny, but also has important things to say about the world we live in."
Mobile also features Samantha Bond as Rachel, David West’s wife; Eithne Brown as Maurice Stoan’s mother, Brenda; John Thomson as Ray Bould, Eddie Doig’s therapist; Shaun Dooley and Sunetra Sarker as DI’s George Fleming and Lorraine Conil; Russell Boulter as DS John Goddard; Alex Reid as Maurice’s colleague PC Stacy Cox; John McArdle as Maurice’s dad Paul Stoan, Peter Vaughan as Maurice’s grandfather and Tony Booth as Eddie’s dad.
Each 90 minute episode is written by John Fay and directed by Stuart Orme (Ghostboat, Cold Blood). Gina Cronk (Blue Murder, New Tricks) is the Producer and the Executive Producer is Kieran Roberts.
CHARACTER PROFILES
Eddie Doig (Neil Fitzmaurice) is a working man who earned good money as a telecom engineer when the mobile phone industry took off. A devout Liverpool supporter, he is devastated by news of his terminal brain tumour. Eddie will leave a wife and two teenage sons behind when he dies. He is desperate to see that they get their rightful compensation.
Donna Doig (Julie Graham) has always put her family first. She is struggling with the effects of Eddie’s tumour and tries to protect her sons from his increasingly erratic and violent behaviour. Events quickly spiral out of control and she must face the possibility that her husband is capable of killing.
Ray Bould (John Thomson) is Eddie’s therapist who offers support to help Eddie sleep. Despite his skills he finds himself in difficulty, not to mention potential danger, when Eddie starts talking about bombs and shootings.
George Fleming (Shaun Dooley) is a Detective Inspector from Manchester with an easy charm and laid back attitude which immediately annoys Conil. Thrown together to investigate the increasingly violent attacks on mobile phone users, there is a definite spark between these two police officers.
Lorraine Conil (Sunetra Sarker) is something of a rarity, a 35 year old Asian woman Detective Inspector. Despite her obvious ability she constantly feels patronised by her bosses and thought of as over promoted by her peers. When bombs start going off in Liverpool her investigations quickly link the terrorist activities to other events in Manchester.
Maurice Stoan (Jamie Draven) only ever wanted to be a soldier, like his father and his grandfather before him. An unprovoked attack on a senior army officer after the death of Maurice’s wife and child starts a downward spiral. He is vulnerable to manipulation and becomes involved with the terrorist campaign. Before long, Maurice realises he has lost touch with everything he once was.
Sir James Corson (Keith Allen) is a self-made millionaire from a Children’s Home. His business technique is a mixture of bravura and bullying; loud suits; big gambles; no fears. He is totally unscrupulous and uses any means necessary to succeed. His long time rivalry with David West leads to tragedy for one teenage girl and nationwide chaos.
David West (Michael Kitchen) is hard working, cautious, conformist. He has built his business up over years and faces losing it all when secret information reaches Corson. In the high stakes world of global telecommunications West wants to be a player, but the rivalry between West and Corson will cost them both more than they ever thought possible.
Rachel West (Samantha Bond) is David’s wife. She has supported his ambition and created a warm, loving home for him and their daughter. His increasing obsession with work leaves her lonely, and drink becomes a refuge. As her husband’s rivalry with Corson grows she finds it harder to forgive his absences and begins to suspect an affair. At least she hopes it’s an affair.
CAST INTERVIEWS
JAMIE DRAVEN plays MAURICE STOAN
You play Maurice Stoan. Tell us about his story?
Maurice is a soldier. He comes from a family of soldiers, as both his granddad and father were military men. He is told the news of his wife and son’s deaths in a road accident, so he returns from where he is stationed in Iraq. He eventually leaves the army on the grounds he is mentally unstable and he joins the police force. All he wants to do is to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and this is the next best thing. He goes into the police force, and to see how far he can work his way up through the ranks.
He’s lost his wife (Chloe) and child (Paul) in a hit and run car accident. Tell us what happened?
Chloe and Paul were killed by a hit and run driver. They had been crossing the road but, the driver was never found. The driver is known to have been using a mobile phone at the time and this plays on Maurice’s mind. This man has taken everything from him and Maurice wants to take something back, but there appears to be nothing he can do, to avenge their deaths.
Maurice gets a text from someone who says they know who was driving the other car. What does he do?
Maurice’s reaction is that he’s not too sure whether this man is genuine or not. The message obviously prompts his doubts and he goes to the police who tell him they can do nothing about it. So, he is faced with no chance of ever finding this man and he doesn’t know for sure whether this message is genuine or not.
Tell me about Maurice’s family?
His parents have split up. His father was seeing another woman and so his granddad is now looked after by Maurice’s mother, Brenda. She is left to look after Maurice’s grandfather who has dementia and I think Maurice is very bitter because his father doesn’t really help. Maurice always had a strong bond with his grandfather which has sadly deteriorated over the three years of this story. Gradually, his grandfather’s condition is getting worse.
In the first episode the finger of suspicion points to Eddie Doig, but in the second episode this changes when we learn Maurice’s story. What’s your take on this?
You see the story from three different points of view with each story overlapping. In episode two Maurice meets this man who tells him he knows what happened to his family, while at the same time, as the second and third episodes unfold you begin to see what Eddie’s doing and that he’s just a pawn in a much bigger scheme.
What attracted you to the role?
It’s just a really well written script and it’s different to a lot of the drama that you see on TV. I think it’s a fascinating way of telling a story. The characters are very well drawn out and they go on an interesting journey. It’s a captivating story and I really tried my best to get that across.
You play a soldier and then a police officer. Did you have to have any special training?
I have used guns before when I was in another show, Ultimate Force, so I was used to the weapons that we used during the recording of Mobile and I pretty much knew what I was doing.
Has it made you think about using your mobile phone?
It certainly makes you think as the writer, John Fay, obviously makes some interesting points. But it hasn’t stopped me using my phone, as I don’t think you can think like that really.
Had you worked with any of the cast before?
I had worked with Julie Graham before on The Butterfly Collectors, but unfortunately we don’t have a scene together in this so I only saw her very briefly. She’s a great actress so it’s a shame that we didn’t have the opportunity to work together in more scenes.
What else is coming up for you?
I’ve been working on a film called Jetsam, which is directed by Simon Welsford and is due out later this year.
NEIL FITZMAURICE plays EDDIE DOIG
You play Eddie Doig. Tell us about his story?
Eddie is a married man with two kids. He was a telecom engineer for many years for a company called Corsoncom. His story begins when he’s told by a doctor that his treatment has failed and he’s only got a few weeks or few months left to live. He’s convinced that his brain tumour was brought on by his job and in particular the use of mobile phones, because he used them all day. But this has never been proven. It’s a sad journey for him. Then he has to go home and tell his kids and it’s a really emotional scene for him. It was emotional for me too, because I have children too.
Eddie’s trademark is that he always wears a red cap. Interwoven into his story is a man wearing a red cap who keeps turning up. Mobile phone masts are being blown up and you start to believe that Eddie is a bit unhinged and you think he’s living this duality of daytime dad and then at night time being this guy who is going out and blowing phone masts up to take revenge on Corsoncom.
There’s this really clever story were episodes two and three dissect episode one and you see things from a slightly different perspective. Basically Eddie is being manipulated and tricked into doing things.
He blames his job as a mobile phone engineer for causing his brain tumour and wants revenge. Tell us what happens?
Eddie’s biggest hang-up is that he doesn’t have things in place for his wife and his children when he’s gone. Men always want to make sure that everyone is taken care of, but he doesn’t have a pension and so he’s in a really bad position. He is leaving his family in a mess financially and he hasn’t got long to sort things out.
Then Eddie gets this phone call out of the blue by a representative of Sir James Corson to say that he wants to meet Eddie and agree an out of court settlement which Eddie thinks is fantastic. So he goes to London and meets him but coming back there is this horrific event on his train. There’s a woman on her mobile phone talking really loudly and the next minute she’s shot and this man wearing a red cap is seen on the train. But is it really Eddie?
Various events keep happening – shootings, phone masts are blown up and Eddie emerges as the number one suspect. How does that make him feel?
I think he feels confused. There’s a lot of doubt in his mind. He becomes convinced that he must have done it, but he can’t remember a thing about the events. He finds a shotgun in the boot of his car and he starts seeing mobile phone masts exploding in his mind’s eye when he’s looking in the rear view mirror of his car. But then episode two will tell us the other side of the story.
Eddie has a family. How do they cope with him wanting to sue his company? Wouldn’t they prefer him to enjoy his last few months?
There’s a lot of friction between Eddie and his wife. They love each other, but she is angry and confused and she wants him to spend the time he has left with her and the children. And she has to deal with the fact that he keeps going missing in the middle of the night. She just wants to enjoy the time she’s got left with him, but he is on this mad crusade to get justice.
Eddie is seeing a therapist to cope with his illness. Tell us what happens there?
He gets a phone call from this hypnotherapist who’s been given his details by the hospital to give him some hypnotherapy sessions to deal with his illness. But then you find out that this guy has been hired by someone else and there’s more to him than Eddie realises.
Did you enjoy the role?
I think any actor would give his eye teeth to do this because there are a lot of emotional and serious scenes, but I have also managed to get some comedy into the part. There’s one scene where Eddie’s on a bus and he is really angry and upset. That was a really difficult scene to do. I had worked myself into a really emotional state by 11am and we weren’t shooting until 3pm, so the first few takes I was crying by the time they said action!
Have you worked with any of the cast before?
I knew John Thomson socially as we’re both based in the north west so our paths had crossed a couple of times. I’d also worked with Sunetra Sarker a couple of times, but other than that they were all new to me. Julie Graham plays my wife and she’s wonderful. My background is very much comedy, so to be working with such a fantastic cast on my first major drama is superb.
Has filming Mobile made you think about how you use your own mobile phone?
I have been saying to people for years that when I use a mobile phone for too long I get a pain in my ear. I remember going to the doctors once because I had a blockage in my ear and he examined me and said that he thought it was caused by me using my mobile phone and the heat from the mobile phone had melted the wax in my ear and then it had moved and gone hard again. That frightened the life out of me really. So, I use a hands free now, but I’m still not convinced they are as safe as people say they are. I always feel a lot safer with hands free. Mobile phones are a necessary evil really. That’s one of the points that Eddie tries to get across in this film.
What have been the most enjoyable scenes to film?
Obviously the hard scenes are very rewarding if you feel you’ve done them well. They are enjoyable because you feel like you are working hard and getting inside the head of the character that you are playing. I think the scenes we did in the Lake District were really good. We all had to hike up this big hill which was really hard and the weather wasn’t great. We eventually reached the top and got our breath back and the view was incredible. The scenes we did there are about Eddie taking his wife and his children back to the spot where one of the children was conceived! But then when he takes them up there he has this feeling of being on top of the world which was fun to do, because you are reacting to the vast landscape around you.
What else is coming up for you?
I have a comedy in development and I am trying to raise the budget for my second feature film. I have written it and I’m hoping to shoot it this year. It’s set in a scrap yard in Liverpool and it’s about a father and son and their business that is decaying around them. My wife has had another baby recently so that’s four boys now. It’s a busy time!
Do you prefer acting or writing?
It’s strange really, as I’ve always said that I would act for nothing, but you would have to pay me to write. I love acting, I love the whole process of it. But the more I write the more I do love it.
JULIE GRAHAM plays DONNA DOIG
You play Donna Doig. Can you tell us about her story?
I play Donna Doig who is married to Eddie who was a telecoms engineer. They have two sons and they are very ordinary people thrown into an extraordinary situation when he is diagnosed with a brain tumour and has only a matter of weeks to live. Then all these strange things keep happening to Eddie. He has these black outs and disappears in the middle of the night and Donna’s obviously very worried about him. Then there are these shootings and it’s all brought to their front door when Eddie becomes the main suspect.
Eddie blames his job for causing his brain tumour, doesn’t he?
Eddie absolutely blames the job and is determined to get revenge from the company he worked for. It’s left up to the audience to decide whether his job was to blame. It’s a very topical subject at the moment. I think that’s what attracted me to the script as well. Everyone has a mobile phone now, and they are unavoidable. It’s one of those situations whereby if they proved tomorrow that there was any link between cancer and mobile phones, the world would almost stop turning! It would have huge repercussions and that’s why I really loved the idea of Mobile. It has an edge of darkness to it.
What does Donna think is going on?
I don’t think Donna has any idea what is going on and I think the frightening thing is that Eddie doesn’t either. I think Donna is worried that he will hurt himself or someone else. She makes a lot of allowances for him, because he has this tumour in his brain and she has been told by the specialist that it makes you behave in very strange ways and you are prone to extreme types of behaviour. But I don’t think she’s ever suspicious. She’s just worried about him.
Is it hard for Donna being at home with the children and not knowing where Eddie is and where he’s going?
I think Donna would much rather he was spending time with his family and she says that to him. She just wants to enjoy the time they have got left rather than worrying about where he is and what he’s doing. She thinks that Eddie is becoming a bit obsessed by the situation and it is eating and taking its toll on their family life.
Has the plot of Mobile made you think about how much we all use mobile phones?
Yes, it has. On many occasions I have been on the phone and have felt my ear get hot, so I never let my children near them. I remember getting an earful from a friend once, because I was in the kitchen and my daughter was in the living room and she had picked up my mobile phone and called this friend who was having this conversation with her! Kids are fascinated by mobile phones, because we use them all the time. But it really made me think because their little brains are so delicate. I try not to use one in the same room as my children. And a film set would collapse without mobile phones these days! We were in a situation recently when we were filming in The Lake District; no-one could get a signal and everyone was really panic-stricken! Yet, I remember being on a film set and a 2nd AD having to go to a phone box with a bag of 10p coins in order to call everyone and that wasn’t that long ago!
Did you enjoy filming?
I really enjoyed it. The cast are all fantastic. It’s a great script and I love the director, Stuart Orme. Stuart also directed William and Mary so I have worked with him before. The combination of the script and the director persuaded me to do it really, because I was hoping to take some time off. But then you don’t really get offered scripts as good as this that often. I love the fact that John has written such strong characters and that you see the story from such different perspectives. I love the politics of the writer; I love his outlook.
Had you worked with any of the cast before?
I had worked with Jamie Draven before in The Butterfly Collectors, but then I don’t have any scenes with Jamie unfortunately. We crossed over on one day but that was all. Most of my scenes are with Neil, who plays Eddie, so I’m in my own little pocket really. I had never worked with Neil before, but he’s fantastic, and a very good actor. It’s great casting.
What else have you been working on recently?
I’ve been working on the film adaptation of the H.G.Wells novel, The History of Mr Polly, which is set in 1899. I play Nancy who runs a pub. She’s quite tough but she’s also really open and warm at the same time. For Mr Polly, played by Lee Evens she’s the exact opposite to his wife, Miriam, who is played by Anne Marie-Duff. The History Of Mr Polly will be screened soon on ITV1. In fact, I think it will air not long after Mobile.
JOHN THOMSON plays RAY BOULD
You play Ray Bould. Tell us about your character?
I have to be very careful here, because if I reveal too much about myself it could ruin the plot! Basically, I play Ray Bould who is a therapist and Eddie Doig becomes one of his patients. Ray is such a multi-faceted character and he is a real challenge to play. When it came to my decision to play him, that was the attraction of the role.
How does Ray first meet Eddie?
Eddie thinks he is seeing a hypnotherapist because of the pains in his head, his flashbacks and all his mental problems, particularly his aggression. He believes that all these problems, including his tumour, have been brought on by using a mobile phone and his close proximity to mobile phone masts. But there is a lot more to the story. What’s really happening is something far worse and Eddie doesn’t realise what he’s let himself in for. He realises half way through, but he’s in too deep and tries to get out, but it is too late.
What does Ray think of Eddie?
I think he genuinely feels sorry for him at first. He sympathises with Eddie because he wants to take revenge against these people who are making money without consideration of the side effects of the radiation from the masts. Eddie is going to die unfortunately, because he’s already terminally ill, so he has nothing to lose. Ray thinks he is doing Eddie a favour in a weird way.
This is a very different role to things viewers have seen you in recently. Was that a deliberate career move?
I think they definitely cast against type when they decided to offer me the part of Ray. It’s nice to play a different role, because you really feel like you are acting. A lot of the time you are cast because of your strengths so it’s nice when it gets hard, because you can bring so much more to the role. It’s a brilliant script, and one of the best things I have done in years. I haven’t worked for ITV since Cold Feet, so it’s nice to back with such a good plot and great cast.
Has the plot in Mobile made you think twice about using your mobile phone?
No, because I have read enough scientific research to prove there is no link, I wouldn’t use one if I knew there was. There are no links to tumours from a mobile phone. I know for a fact that masts do emit radiation, though. When I used to live in Manchester, I spearheaded a campaign to stop a mast being put up opposite a school. I was asked as a local celebrity if I would put my name to this petition. I did, and it was stopped. So, I have had some success in the real world!
There is a fantastic cast in Mobile. Did you enjoy working with everyone?
Because of the way the story unfolds, I actually only worked with Jamie Draven and Neil Fitzmaurice. Neil is great, because his background is comedy, so when we weren’t knuckling down to the seriousness of the plot we were having a right hoot. We were talking about Phoenix Nights and having a laugh with various stories and jokes.
What were the most enjoyable scenes to film?
I think the scenes with Neil, because we had to be very focused and I had to look like I knew my stuff as a hypnotherapist. Those scenes required the most focus from me as an actor. The scenes with Jamie in the office when we begin arguing were very good too, as we used a bit of improvisation on those. They were very good scenes and Stuart Orme, the Director, seemed very happy with them. He is a really good Director, and I really like his approach. It was fun and I’d love to work with him again.
You seem to have been very busy recently - what else have you been working on?
I’ve got a few things coming up. New Street Law is back. I’m also working on a movie at the moment by the people who did Jerry Springer the Opera for BBC Two. It’s called The Applicant and I play Alan Sugar. There was only me who spoke in dialogue, as the rest was an Operatic score so I couldn’t learn my lines as I normally would with the other actors. I didn’t know the operatic score! I just had to sit with the digital Dictaphone and record it over and over again. It was a mean feat, but we pulled it off in the end.
Is there anything else that you have coming up?
At the moment I’m working on a movie at Shepperton Studios. It’s a three picture deal on a film called Inkheart with a superb cast including: Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Jamie Foreman and Lesley Sharp. The list is endless. When it’s a big filming day and everybody is on set, I’m astonished at what a great cast it is. Inkheart will be out next year, and then we will start filming the second in the trilogy. I’m really looking forward to the audience reaction and filming the next in the series.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
JAMIE DRAVEN plays Maurice Stoan
Television: Faith; Beneath The Skin; Ultimate Force; Watermelon; Messiah; Butterfly Collectors.
Film: Jetsam; Badland; Billy Elliot.
KEITH ALLEN plays Sir James Corson
Television: Keith Allen’s Tourette De France; Robin Hood; Michael Carroll: King Of Chavs; You’re Fayed; Little Lady Fauntleroy; Ripley’s Gold; Miss Marple; Twisted Tales; Bodies; Roger Roger; Trust; Murder In Mind; The Cappuccino Years; Bob Martin; Jack Of Hearts; Young Person’s Guide To Becoming A Rockstar; You Are Here; The Life & Crimes Of William Palmer; Born To Run; Samson & Delilah; Sharman; Dangerfield; The Bite; Class Act; Preston Front; Martin Chuzzlewit; Faith; One More Thing; Gregory – Video Diary Of A Nutcase; Detectives On The Edge Of A Nervous Breakdown; Inspector Morse; Between The Lines; Space Virgins From Planet Sex; Red Nose Of Courage; The Crying Game; Secret Ingredient; Making Out; It’s Keith Allen; I Love Keith Allen; Shooting Star; Breaking Rank; Ticket To Ride; A Very British Coup; The Strike; The Yob; Beat Generation; Fistful Of Travellers Cheques; The Bullshitters; Gino; Walter.
Film: A Good Night; Agent Cody Banks 2; De Lovely; Bears Kiss; 24 Hour Party People; My Wife Is An Actress; The Others; Harry On A Boat; Rancid Aluminium; Wrong Blonde; Preaching To The Perverted; Twin Town; Trainspotting; Blue Juice; Loch Ness; Captives; Shallow Grave; Beyond Bedlam; Second Best; Young Americans; Carry On Columbus; Rebecca’s Daughter; Kafka; Chicago Joe And The Showgirl; Robinson Crusoe; Scandal; Comrades; Supergrass.
Stage: Flanders Mare; Glastonbury; The Celebration Room; The Homecoming; Murmuring Judges; Street Trash; All Along The Watchtower; The Case Of Charles; Dextor Ward; Iluminatus; Macbeth.
MICHAEL KITCHEN plays David West
Television: Foyle’s War; Alibi; A & E; Lorna Doone; The Secret Life Of Michael Fry; Railway Children; Oliver Twist; Dalziel & Pascoe; Sunny Side Farm; Reckless; Wilderness; A Royal Scandal; Kidnapped; The Hanging Gale; Dirty Old Town; Doomsday Gun; Dandelion Dead; To Play The King; Young Indiana Jones; The Guilty; The Advocates; Inspector Morse; The Benefactors; Home Run; Minder; The Justice; The Browning Version; Love Story; Comedy Of Errors; Staying Put; Freud; King Lear; Caught On The Train.
Film: Proof Of Life; New Years Day; The World Is Not Enough; The Last Contract; Mrs Dalloway; Fatherland; Goldeneye; The Trial; No Place To Hide; Enchanted April; Fools Of Fortune; Russia House; The Dive; Out Of Africa; Breaking Glass; Unman Wittering; Dracula; The Pied Piper; Balltrap On The Cote Sauvage.
Theatre: Romeo And Juliet; The Art Of Success; Richard II; Rough Crossing; On The Razzel; The Provok’d Wife; No Man’s Land; State Of Revolution; Bedroom Farce; Spring Awakening; The Homecooking; Othello; Macbeth; Charley’s Aunt; The Picture Of Dorian Gray; Skyvers.
SAMANTHA BOND plays Rachel West
Television: Distant Shores; Murder Rooms; Wife Of Bath’s Tale; Donovan; NCS: Manhunt; The Bombmaker; Midsomer Murders; Inspector Morse.
Film: Blinded; Yes; Die Another Day; The World Is Not Enough; What Rats Won’t Do; Tomorrow Never Dies; Golden Eye.
Theatre: Donkey’s Years; Rubinstein’s Kiss; Woman Of No Importance; Macbeth; Vagina Monologues; Amy’s View; Memory Of Water; Three Tall Women; The Winter’s Tale; Much Ado About Nothing; Romeo And Juliet; Memory Of Water.
SUNETRA SARKER plays DI Lorraine Conil
Television: Ideal; The Smoking Room; Bloody Foreigners; Doctors; Emmerdale; No Angels; Brookside; Cold Feet; London Bridge; Miller Shorts; Playing The Field; Street Life; Flight; The Chase; New Street Law.
Theatre: Airport 2000; The God Brothers Bush.
JOHN THOMSON plays Ray Bould
Television: Kombat Opera – The Applicants; New Street Law; Extreme Soap; Facing Up; Blackpool; Stan The Man; Cold Feet; Dr Horrible’s House Of Terrible; Murder In Mind; Station Jim; Street Life; Flint St Nativity; Playing The Field; Roger Roger; Men Behaving Badly; The Curator; Get Calf; Ernest Moss - Handyman Of All Seasons; Fist Of Fun; Late One Night; A Perfect Match; Dangerous Lady; Three weddings, Two Fights And A Funeral Stand Up; Knowing Me, Knowing You; Is It Legal; The Fast Show; John Shuttleworth Pilot; Paul Calf Video Diaries; Alexei Sayle Stand And Deliver; The Smell Of Reeves And Mortimer; Harry; Saturday Zoo; Standing Room Only; Remote Control; What’s New; Paul Merton – The Series; Weekenders; Paramount City; Packet Of Three Up Yer News; Soldier Soldier.
Film: Inkheart; 24 Hour Party People; Redemption Road; Born Romantic; The English Patient; Young Poisoners; Handbook; Up’N’Under; Dance For A Stranger; The Man Who Knew; Too Little; The Girl With Brains In Her Feet; Resurrected.
Stage: Hobson’s Choice; The Rivals; Be Bop A Lula; Charlie & The Chocolate Factory; Soldiers.
JULIE GRAHAM plays Donna Doig
Television: The History Of Mr Polly; The Kindness Of Strangers; Walk Away & I Stumble; William & Mary; Between The Sheets; At Home With The Braithwaites; The Bill; Dirty Tricks; Life Support; Butterfly Collector; Space Island One; Dalziel & Pascoe; Love Me Tender; Sharman; Heartbeat; Bugs; Harry; Spender; Downtown Lagos; Boon; Casualty; Bookie; Stan’s Wife; The Dark Room; Napoleon And Josephine; Let Yourself Go; Strike It Rich; Taggart; Houseman’s Tale; The End Of The Line: A View Of Things.
Film: Pressure Points; Some Voices; Old New Borrowed Blue; Bedrooms And Hallways; Daylight Robbery; Preaching To The Perverted; The Near Room; Rosebud; The Big Man; The Silent Scream; Nuns On The Run; The Fruit Machine; Blood Red Roses.
Theatre: Fool For Love; Helpless; Cat On A Hot Tin Roof; The Park; The Revenger’s Tragedy; Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Beauty And The Beast; Round The Twist.
ALEX REID plays Stacy Cox
Television: Sorted; The Government Inspector; Ultimate Force; Blue Dove; Pippa.
Film: Wilderness; The Descent; The Honeymooners; Last Orders; Arachnid; Sunburn.
Theatre: The Night Before Christmas.
PETER VAUGHAN plays Granddad Maurice Stoan
Television: Beauty; Sweet Medicine; The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers; Heartbeat; In Deep; The Jury; Lorna Doone; Second Sight; Thursday 12th; Hornblower; Our Mutual Friend; The Moonstone; Our Friends In The North; Birds Of A Feather; Oliver’s Travels; Circle Of Deceit; Dandelion Dead; Murder Most Dead; Rab C Nesbitt; Spot Effects Man; Nightingales; Chancer; Countdown To War; Under A Dark Angels Eyes; Codename Kyril; Game Set & Match; Strife; When We Are Married; Coast To Coast; Harry’s Kingdom; Monte Carlo; Our Geoff; Seasons Greeting; War And Remembrance; Cats Eyes; Sins; Bleak House; Czech Mate; Jamaica Inn; The Wilderness Years; Winston Churchill; Morecambe And Wise Show; Shelley; Celebration; Fox; Crown Court; Dayendyke; Freedom Of The Dig; Citizen Smith; Philby Burgess & MacLean; The Doombolt Chase.
Film: Queen Of Sheba’s Pearls; The Mother; Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang; Longitude; The Tenth Kingdom; An Ideal Husband; Face; Les Miserables; The Crucible; The Secret Agent; The Bourne Identity; Fatherland; Heart OF Darkness; Remains Of The Day; Hotel Splendide; Prisoner Of Honour; King Of The Wind; Mountains Of The Moon; Haunted Honeymoon; Forbidden; Brazil; The Missionary; The Razor’s Edge; Zulu Dawn; Coming Out Of The Ice; The French Lieutenants; The Time Bandits; Woman; Porridge; Straw Dogs.
Theatre: Twelve Angry Men; The Overgrown Path; Hobson’s Choice; An Inspector Calls; Season’s Greetings; Travelling North; The Cherry Orchard; The Lower Depths; The Devil Is An Ass; Measure For Measure.
EITHNE BROWNE plays Brenda Stoan
Television: Doctors; The Royal; Emmerdale; Having It Off; Stretford Wives; Cold Feet; Clocking Off; So What; Peace Keepers.
Theatre: Talking Heads; A Sense Of Justice; To Kill A Mockingbird; Intent To Murder; Cinderella; Say Who You Are; Dick Whittington; River Of Dreams; Limestone Cowboy; 8 Miles High; The Beat Goes On; The Full Monty; The Secret Garden.
NEIL FITZMAURICE plays Eddie Doig
Television: Casualty; Vincent; I’m With Stupid; Doctors; Waking The Dead; 1096; Fluff; Eyes Down; I’m A Juvenile Delinquent; Terri McIntyre; Peep Show; Holby City; Buried; Mersey Beat; Outside The Rules; The Office; The Bill; Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights; That Peter Kay Thing; Comedy Lab Presents; Only The Names; Coronation Street; Brookside.
Film: Pierrepoint; Festival; Going Off Big Time; Wearing Colours; Dark Summer; King Sergei.
Theatre: If There Was A Time; Frank Farmer’s Pants; The Lesson ****; Wednesday’s Child; Wearing Colours; Once A Catholic; Henry IV; The Sunshine Boys; Stags And Hens; Blue Remembered Hills.
JOHN MCARDLE plays Paul Stoan
Television: Foyle’s War; Heartbeat; Casualty; Holby City; The Bill; Blue Murder; The Bingo Club; Gifted; Dalziel & Pascoe; Mersey Beat; Cazalet Chronicles; City Central; Out Of Hours; And The Beat Goes On; Born To Run; Prime Suspect; Rich Deceiver.
Film: There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble; Janice Beard.
Theatre: The Crucible.
TONY BOOTH plays Eddie’s Dad
Television: The Bill; Doctors; EastEnders; Mersey Beat; Dalziel & Pascoe; Revengers Tragedy; The Bill; Holby City; Family Affairs; Doctors; Jack Of Hearts; Extremely Dangerous; The Duke; Treasure Island; Owd Bob; The Beat Goes On; Down Among Deadmen; Heartbeat; Priest; Love And Reason; Brannigan.
Film: Blinding Light; Gone To The Dogs.
Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Brothers Of Brush; The Rocky Horror Show; The Rivals; Get Stalker; 99 Hayworth Street.
Credits & Contacts
PRODUCTION CREW BIOGRAPHIES
KIERAN ROBERTS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kieran began his television career at Granada in 1984 as a promotion scriptwriter. From 1989 he was a producer for the entertainment department with credits including The Krypton Factor, You’ve Been Framed! and the re-launch of University Challenge.
Between 1995 and 1997 he was a producer and executive producer in children’s drama. Credits during this period included Children’s Ward (three BAFTA nominations, an International Emmy nomination and the BAFTA Award for best children’s drama in 1996) and comedy dramas Knight School (nominated for an RTS Award) and My Dad’s A Boring Nerd (British Comedy Award for best children’s comedy in 1997).
In 1998 he was appointed producer of Emmerdale. Over the next three years he produced over 500 episodes, oversaw the successful transition to five episodes per week and picked up a BAFTA for best soap in 2000.
In 2001 Kieran produced the acclaimed comedy drama At Home with the Braithwaites. This series was nominated for an International Emmy Award for best drama series of 2002.
Kieran began producing Coronation Street in December 2001, overseeing two years of enormous success for the programme. Ratings peaked at 19.4 million and a 68% audience share during the Richard Hillman storyline. The many awards during these two years included the RTS award for best soap in 2002 and 2003 and the BAFTA award for best soap in 2002 and best continuing drama in 2003.
In January 2004 Kieran was appointed Head of Drama for Granada in Manchester, initially developing new dramas. From January 2005 he took full responsibility for all of Granada Manchester’s drama output and in December 2005 was appointed Controller of Drama for ITV Productions, Manchester, adding the role of executive producer of Coronation Street to his responsibilities.
Kieran is also currently executive producer of Blue Murder, Cold Blood and the new comedy-drama The Good Samaritan starring Shane Richie which will be transmitted on ITV1 later this year.
GINA CRONK
PRODUCER
Gina Cronk is an accomplished producer of television drama. Her career began in 1992 when she was appointed Director of Drama Development at Central Independent Television. During her three years in this role she commissioned, developed and script edited numerous projects including Sharpe; Kavanagh QC; Cadfael; Peak Practice; Soldier; Faith and Inspector Morse.
Between 1995 and 1996 Gina produced series one and two of Thief Takers for Carlton UK Productions before being appointed Head of Drama for Wall to Wall Television Ltd in 1997. Her five years in this position saw her produce dramas such as Sex, Chips And Rock N’ Roll; Glasgow Kiss and New Tricks (nominated for an International Emmy for Best Drama Series in 2004). In 2002, Gina was appointed co- executive producer of Ancient Egyptians, a series that dramatised historical events from Ancient Egypt and won the Indie award for Best Factual Programme in 2003.
In 2006 Gina produced the third series of the highly successful drama series Blue Murder starring Caroline Quentin.
JOHN FAY
WRITER
John Fay’s work has attracted much critical acclaim. In 2005 it was again John’s writing that won the Coronation Street team the BAFTA Award for Continuing Drama for the 2nd year running. His Coronation Street episode from 2003, “Richard Hillman’s murder confession” garnered over 19 million viewers and was placed at Number One when it featured on the Most Watched Progammes this Decade.
During his two years at Brookside he wrote 54 episodes and his writing was nominated for a BAFTA as well as for the Television Soap Awards. John has also written two episodes of Blue Murder (ITV Productions); three episodes of Clocking Off (BBC/Red); and 73 episodes of Coronation Street. John’s most recent work is Robin Hood. John is also co-writing with his brother, Steven Fay, a new series entitled The Damage Done for Carolyn Reynolds, (Lime Pictures). John has also developed a 6 x 60 minute drama for BBC.
John’s powerful short play, Waste, went on tour with Paines Plough to The Bolton Octagon, Leeds, Newcastle and The Bristol Old Vic. He was then offered a commission by Paines Plough for a full-length play, Eat My Eyes. John’s latest full-length theatre play, The Cruel Sea, will be performed at The Liverpool Everyman in July 2007. It was commissioned after the success of his co-written verbatim theatre piece, Unprotected which was produced at The Liverpool Everyman in 2006. It was also performed at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival and won the Amnesty International Award.
John remains extremely proud of his early work for Kirkby Response Theatre, for whom he wrote several plays in the nineties.
STUART ORME
DIRECTOR
Stuart’s earlier credits include the BAFTA nominated comedy series, Wood And Walters, starring Victoria Wood; Alfresco; The Fear; The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase; The Heist; Hands Of A Murderer; Jute City; The Blackheath Poisonings and the top rated ITV series Inspector Morse starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately.
Stuart then directed a number of thrillers including the multi-award winning adaptation of the Minette Walters novel The Sculptress, starring Pauline Quirke, Caroline Goodall and Christopher Fulford.
He continued his career directing thrillers including The Waiting Time; Deceit and The Sleeper and the six part action adventure series Ivanhoe, starring Stephen Waddington.
Stuart also directed the action adventure film The Lost World, starring Bob Hoskins, Peter Falk and James Fox.
Other credits include: Goodbye Mr Chips and William And Mary for ITV1, both series starred Martin Clunes; Fungus The Bogeyman, which won an Indie award for Best Children's programme, and Colditz a two part drama, staring Damian Lewis and Sophia Myles for ITV1.
Prior to directing Mobile, Stuart directed ITV1’s Ghostboat starring David Jason and the new Cold Blood starring Jemma Redgrave, John Hannah and Matthew Kelly which is due on screen this March.
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