Behind the scenes at new drama filming
The Herald has been given exclusive access to the filming of a new BBC drama based in Stratford.
The filming of daytime detective drama ‘Hathaway and Shakespeare- Private Investigators’, is continuing until December, with Jo Joyner and Mark Benton taking on the two title roles.
Benton will play hardboiled private investigator Frank Hathaway, with Joyner playing his rookie sidekick Lu Shakespeare.
In the program the unlikely pair will investigate a hotbed of extramarital affairs, celebrity stalkers, missing police informants, care home saboteurs and murderous magicians in rural Warwickshire.
According to Will Trotter, head of BBC daytime drama, it will feature warm witty characters and play upon Shakespearian themes.
Last week the Herald dropped by to interview Mark and Jo at Wroxall Abbey, just outside Warwick about how they had found filming in the Bard’s hometown.
Jo said: “It’s great working in Stratford, at this time of year I would usually be working away from home, but I can be here in Stratford in 20 minutes from where I live, it’s lovely. It’s win, win for me.
“I think Shakespeare and Hathaway will be a good advert for Stratford. It’s a very special place, I used to go to college here and every time I came over the motorway and got close it just felt like coming home.
“The thing about filming close to where you live is you can discover places on your doorstep that you’ve never visited before, it’s great.”
Mark said: “It’s fantastic to be filming in Stratford, it’s got all these beautiful buildings, and I find it quite odd that nobody has based a series here before. We had a challenging day last week when we were doing some filming in Stratford, because we had all that orange light, it will be interesting to see what they do about that in post-production.
“I think Warwickshire is a bit of a hidden gem for filmmakers, you get a lot going on in places like the Cotswolds, but there are great settings here.”
Speaking about the new show Jo said: “One of the things that I think will appeal about Shakespeare and Hathaway is that there’s a bit of comedy in it, our characters are not perfect. It’s a bit quaint and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
Mark added: “I’m not enjoying having the long hair but it’s great for the part. I think as long as the quality is high enough, Shakespeare and Hathaway will keep running.”
The show is due to air next year.
