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High Hopes – Filming The Christmas Special at BBC Wales Studios Llandaff, Cardiff

Sunday, November 26th, 2006

by Jonathan Thomas

Promo picture handed out to audience at the end of the night. L-R: Ben Evans, Steven Meo, Margaret John and Robert Blythe

I had been trying all week to get tickets for us all at the Satellite City TV forum. Just at the last minute, out of the blue, Boyd and Kirsten managed to get me in on one of their spare tickets. What an exciting night this was going to be!

Plug, Plug and More Plugging!

I decided that I was going to take this opportunity to advertise the website as much as possible and grab as many fans attention toward it as I could. So I took a wad of small flyers and ended up at the front gates of the studios at BBC Wales Llandaff. What an amazing building, very lavish and crystal clean, what you’d expect to see at a massive company like the BBC really! As I walked into the foyer area which was packed with around 250 people, I spotted Kirsten Jones waiting to hand out her tickets behind glass panelled, hydraulic gates that allowed people into the studios, so I went over to greet her and say thank you and let her go off and finish her travels.

I was more than a little surprised when i talked to a few of the people amongst the crowd, only to find they weren’t real fans of the show but were there simply because the BBC had invited them to come be in the audience for the laughter track, probably to due being on the mailing list after previous visits.

Anyway, as we were sifted into the canteen area prior to filming, we just stood and waited so obviously, I got itchy feet and couldn’t stay still and had to work my way around the crowd passing out flyers as I passed! Needless to say, there were no security guards there otherwise I believe this story would’ve ended here! Talking to random’s, dropping into the sight of people so they took an interest, and even passing them out in the gents!

Ticket kindly given to me by Kirsten Jones in order to attend the evening. The date and venue were changed from Friday 24th at Culverhouse Cross, ITV Wales Studios to Sunday 26th at Llandaff BBC Studios.

The Canteen Celebrity

As we standing, waiting, watching, in walked a gentleman to the sound of a united “hmmm” and a “That’s him!”. He walked with an air of confidence, tall above many of us, it was of course Mr. Clack himself. Looking happy as Larry and greeting the many people who looked at him in awe really, he waded through the crowd at the door to make it over to some friends at a table. As he sat and talked he got interrupted dozens of times by fans who just wanted him to see their faces. I encouraged a couple of children near me to go say hello, that he’d be only too glad to speak to them. They were just caught up in it all and glad to see a famous person from the tele!

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to say hello, he looked far too busy on this, both his and Kirsten’s big night!

Shattered Illusions!

As we walked through the maze of corridors at the studios trying to make our way to Studio 1, I noticed the walls were decked out with framed photos of dozens of celebrities that have no doubt performed and donned the stage at Llandaff. Good old Roy Noble presenting ‘Children In Need’, the National Orchestra of Wales and even, slightly more random, Dale Winton!

As we arrived at the studio, I made sure I positioned my place in the audience central to the set, directly opposite the living room where I knew most of the action would take place. It was strange seeing all of the rooms, even the kitchen and Hoff and Charlie’s room just there in the middle of the room, with only three walls, with us, the audience sitting there invading the privacy and just staring inside! It is far different from on the TV where we think were getting the whole picture and that it really is a house situated in the valleys with this cosy little living room but it’s really not! It spoiled it a little for me in a way, I always remembered the show with such a perfect image, but it turned out to be just a set of walls! But then again, I was a little shocked when they informed me about Father Christmas too! (I tried to make that as subtle as I could, I don’t think I gave too much away there for our younger readers!)

The Warm Up Guy

Rhod Gilbert

Dafydd Arwyn Jones organised everything so well, he really was a ‘real professional’. He introduced us to a Welsh stand-up comedian, well known within comedy circles as Rhod Gilbert. What a funny chap, he had the crowd roaring, which was of course his job. But not only that he involved the crowd, using a poor fellow in the front row in a sky blue suit as the brunt of his jokes. There were some rowdy ladies near me who he had a crack at too. It made the evening fly by, he was genuinely hilarious.

He laughed and joked about how he was once involved in a near death experience in a studio fire, doing similar work to that of which he was doing now, however, he tried to reassure us there was absolutely nothing to worry about with the thousands of pounds worth of electrics above our head and all around us…yes, very reassuring!

Luckily I managed to spot him again on the BBC Wales program “Stand Up If You’re Welsh” shown just after one of the High Hopes episodes not so long ago. A superb comedian and well recommended to go listen to either at Cardiff’s Glee Club or on his BBC Radio Wales Saturday Morning Show.

Check out Rhod’s website at www.myspace.com/rhodgilbertcomedian.

The Filming

As the filming got under way, the cast were introduced to us one by one, with an ear piercing applause for each. It was great to see them all in the flesh, fantastic to see them all getting into the spirit of Christmas and into their characters.

They are all a little different from their characters, I think the only person who is very similar to his Character is Steven Meo, with his strong Welsh accent. Robert Blythe and Margaret John don’t really speak with very prominent Welsh accents. Ben Evans larked around a little and had fun in between takes.

Archibald Duck introduces his granddaughters, Donna and Daphne, to Elsie and the boys

It’s hard to recall exactly what happened that evening but as I watched the episode back on the 19th December on BBC1 it reminded me of how little the cast members made any mistakes. They were all so professional and so well prepared. Even when they did mess up, only they and the rest of the cast could ever tell, until of course Bob would burst out in laughter and then the rest of the audience would just laugh with him. Then about a minute or so later I’d cotton on and laugh along too realising what had happened!

There was a point at which he had to stumble on saying “Ho, ho, ho!” which some may remember from the episode when he was trying to practise being a good Santa Clause. He tried to get that right about twice and that was all I remember of Bob making any mistakes. He did have a little bit of trouble getting in and out of the wheelie bin in the living room at one point though!

One memorable part of the night was when the boys have their regular “panic chat” with Fagin, which usually goes along the lines of “boys we’re buggered, I dunno how the ‘ell we’re gonna get out of this one”, “My neck ‘ave gone ‘ard” and the boys try to console him with “Don’t worry mun Fag me and Charl’ will go down the road and find some alternative”…you’re all familiar with this conversation! Well the lads were in full flow when Steve’s watch alarm went off! His embarrassed words were “I’ll get a row for that!”. Nothing is quite the same unless you get the inevitable hiccup!

Archibald Duck forgot his name when he was telling Elsie “Fifi” Hepplewhite at the end, and Joshua Richards tripped on his words once too, but it was all good natured fun, and a cracking good night.

All the way through Boyd sat on the steps at the bottom of the tiered seating shaking and nodding his head in approval (or disapproval) at the way his story was planning out. Whilst Kirsten wandered around seemingly anxiously but happy that it was all going well.

The Final Push

Afterwards was my favourite part of the evening. I waited patiently outside the building after rushing out of the studio in order to catch all the audience as they left. I managed to say congratulations to Gareth Gwenlan on the way out as well as grab myself a smart printed signed photograph of the cast (as shown above). As I waited the crowds started to make their way out of the entrance and down toward the car park, I waited and pounced on my first victims bellowing, “If you’re fans and you want to see these shows get released on DVD then please sign these petitions and visit this web site”.

I got rid of about three quarters of my wad of flyers and many people seemed interested so hopefully it’s shown at some point down the line on the petitions themselves.

Finally, I managed to grab Bob Blythe, Margaret John, Gareth Gwenlan and Steve Meo as they came out. Telling them all about the web site and handing them flyers too. They loved the idea of it all and seemed very proud that people were taking so much of an interest in what they were doing. The good news for everyone else is that each of them agreed to do interviews for the web site in February when the new series starts filming. Also Boyd is in the process of arranging for me to go on location at the filming of High Hopes’ next series, so expect more reviews/write ups!

Tags: BBC Wales Filming, Christmas, High Hopes, Special
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Satellite City – Memories of Filming

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

by Peter Dixon

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I was one of those lucky buggers who got to see an episode of Satellite City being filmed. For a while I had been in touch with the Fiction Factory, SC’s production company, as even then I was trying to get the series released officially. (Part of the reason for this was that I had then recently moved to Essex, and was feeling very sad that I wouldn’t be able to see Series 3 – no BBC Wales in Essex!) The person I was communicating with told me that I could come along and be part of the live studio audience, so I bestowed eternal gratitude on her and booked 6 tickets. They landed on my door mat 3 days before the filming of the show, and so it was that, on Friday 7th August 1998, I travelled all the way to Studio 1, TV Centre, Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff (where they eat people’s ‘eads), to witness the filming of the first episode of the third series.

I took with me my wife to be, and collected four friends from Chepstow on the way, none of whom had ever seen the show before. After stopping for pizza in Cardiff, we made our way to a very ordinary looking small factory building. We arrived at 6.30pm, when the doors were due to open, and the place was already buzzing with people, most of whom looked like what you’d expect Mandy’s friends to look like! I remember feeling insanely jealous of them, as, from the conversations I overheard, it sounded like a lot of them came to see the show filmed on a regular basis. Presumably they were a bit more local than me! Anyway, it wasn’t long before we filed into a long but fairly compact studio, and took up our seats behind the cameras.

The first thing that struck me was how small the set was! I was to the right of the set, directly opposite the bedroom set. To the left of that, with only a thin wall between them, was the main house/kitchen set and the Cosmo set. Hung above our heads were microphones, to pick up our laughter, and TV monitors, so we could watch what the cameras were picking up too.

There were cameramen and sound guys buzzing around right from the start, and other people, like (presumably) the director, producer, floor manager, etc. It wasn’t long before a warm up man appeared too. It was his job to welcome us, to get us in the mood to laugh (as if we needed it!), and to inform us what was going on between takes. Then the cast appeared, to great applause, and it all started. The cast were fairly subdued, but I imagine that was because they had a few hours worth of work ahead of them, and were busy concentrating on the acting they had to do.

It was very interesting to watch the scenes being filmed. Between takes you could have heard a pin drop, as whenever the bloke said “silence please” the audience obeyed and leaned forward to soak in every detail. (We were mostly fans, after all.) The actors would take up their positions, and then as soon as the clapperboard snapped, the characters came to life.

Unlike some shows, where they film bits and bobs out of order, this one was filmed more or less in sequence, to give the audience some continuity. There were also some scenes which had already been filmed (outside and linking shots, and the scenes in the cellar) which were relayed to us on the TV monitors, so that they could record us laughing as we watched. Some of these scenes were shown more than once, presumably because the recordings of our laughter weren’t good enough. Similarly, there were several takes of the acted scenes (I don’t remember any being nailed in one take). To me, a lot of the scenes looked perfect first time – except when lines were fluffed, obviously – but the producers would watch them on their screens and ask for them to be shot again. Perhaps they could see boom mikes, or the actors were in the wrong places, or something – I don’t know. I didn’t mind watching things over and over again though. It was particularly interesting to look out for differences in acting between takes, and to watch how closely the actors hit their marks (very well indeed).

Something else was very interesting about that night. It was Donna’s first appearance. Fworrr…! That’s all I’m going to say on that subject. I have a wife and child, you know.

When filming finally wrapped (around 10 o’clock), we applauded again, and there were visible signs of relief amongst the cast, who looked both knackered and relaxed (at last!) at the same time! Particularly old Idris, who I was particularly in awe of for some reason (pleaaaassse let me meet him!). I was keen to hang around and meet the cast, but the most elderly of my companions was not in the best of health and keen to be off, so I had to be content with quick smiles and waves, and then we were on our way.

The evening passed remarkably quickly, and I was in a daze all weekend as I replayed it over and over in my head. (Fortunately we all got out of Cardiff with our heads intact!) I have very fond memories of that night, still have my ticket and the letter that accompanied it. I even have Idris’s autograph now too. My communication with the Fiction Factory continued for a while, and by way of thanking me for my support they said they would see if they could get series 3 taped for me, since I was nowhere near Wales. Sadly I never did see a tape – I moved house again shortly afterwards, and like to think that they didn’t forget me, but sent a tape to the old address. Since then I have moved back to Wales (to a place where, ridiculously, I couldn’t receive Welsh TV!) and away again (I’m now in Warwickshire) and to this day I still haven’t seen Series 3!!! I have worn my video tapes of the first two series to death, though. And my love for the series has only grown with time, and now that this site is up, and now that I’ve “met” you guys, and we have repeats of High Hopes on Satellite TV, I have High Hopes of being able to see Series 3 at last….!?!

This article was written by Peter Dixon, and was originally posted on the forum, Peter has kindly given us his permission to use the article for your enjoyment.

Tags: BBC Wales Filming, Fiction Factory, Satellite City
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High Hopes – Being On The Set In Treharris

Friday, September 19th, 2003

by Annie Zalezsak

I’ve always wanted to be an extra on tv or film. High Hopes is my favourite sitcom. So you can imagine my delight when the cast of High Hopes and the opportunity to be an extra on the show landed on my doorstep!

Just Dropping By

I remember when some guy popped into the Treharris Library a couple of months ago, claiming to be from the BBC and wanting a look around the building as a prospective set. I’m not sure that we were convinced he was for real, but phone calls were made, arrangements agreed, and on Thursday 18th September 2003, the crew arrived to film the last (6th) episode of the second series of High Hopes.

Hilarious Comedy

High Hopes is a six-part surreal comedy set in the South Wales valleys. The 4 main characters are an unlikely team consisting of Dwayne Hoffman (played by Steve Meo), Elsie “Mam” Hepplewhite (played by Margaret John), agoraphobic Richard “Fagin” Hepplewhite (played by Robert Blythe) and Charlie Jenkins (played by Ben Evans).

The story lines follow the ups and downs of these four as they form themselves into an unlikely but close-knit family group. It is by the same people that produced the famous ‘Only Fools and Horses’.

Giddy

I’m still giddy with excitement for the privilege of having personally met all the main characters. It was incredibly surreal. All the crew’s vehicles were in the parking lot behind Treharris Library, and one by one, each of the main actors was escorted up the hill beside the library towards the main road. I stood there, beaming from ear to ear, and telling each actor as they walked by, what a major fan I am. They were all wonderful and stopped to exchange a few words. One of the main crew members offered to take a picture of me with the 4 actors, and I was delighted! In all my excitement, they even offered to let me be an extra, to walk down the street with another couple (who were ‘professional extras’), in the background of a scene.

L-R: Steven Meo, Margaret John, Annie Zalezsak, Ben Evans and Robert Blythe

Of course, I was thrilled! Whether that footage will actually be used, remains to be seen, but just the experience was for me, a very big deal!

I spent quite a bit of time chatting to the actors on various occasions, and had a laugh or two. Robert Blythe, who plays Fagin, is a particular favourite of my partner Darren, who came down to the set after work. We were able to get Darren in on some further photos, and laugh with Bob about our favourite scenes. He told us about the parts that will be filmed in front of a live audience, and invited us to come down and join them for a beer after one of the shootings. Needless to say, I’ve already booked for us to be at 2 of the episodes: the first, and the last (which is the one they were filming yesterday).

I joked with Steven Meo about how the High Hopes was our introduction to Welsh culture! He said we couldn’t take it as being typical of the Welsh. But since we’ve been here a year now, I laughed and said it’s pretty accurate in my experience!

And Margaret John? Well, she was just like Mam. Very friendly, smiling with a caring, kind manner. I almost expected her to offer me some fresh baked cookies or suggest I do up my jacket so that I wouldn’t catch cold.

Ben Evans was fairly quiet, but when he was not doing his acting piece he seemed the least like his on-screen character. He was witty and all smiles. And when you think of all the parts he’s played as an actor, he has to be incredibly professional, and indeed, far brighter than his character as Charlie Jenkins!

Full Circle

L-R: Ben Evans, Margaret John, Annie Zalezsak, Darren Richards, Robert Blythe and Steven Meo

It is really strange, but on the Tuesday prior (the 16th of September), I had a strong feeling that my job at Treharris Library soon would end. That I had achieved the purpose for my being at that job. It is the feeling I get just before the door is closed on a phase of my life.

It was that same afternoon that I learned the crew were filming on Thursday, and that it was High Hopes (up until then, I didn’t know what program the BBC were planning to film). If I hadn’t been at work that day, I may have missed the whole thing, and would have been gutted! (I only work at the library maybe 1 day a week, sometimes not for weeks). So the synchronicity of it all coming together, a girl from Canada, doing casual work at the library where her favourite tv program is being filmed, it is just amazing. It was an incredibly great time, meeting all the actors and crew, seeing what it is like to be on a set, and even, albeit in a tiny way, “a part of it all”.

High in the Sky Hopes

I think it is just brilliant, this wonderful experience, in connection with a tv show that just happens to be called High Hopes. Because, it is about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, with high hopes of extraordinary opportunities coming their way. It is about laughing at oneself, amid the hardships of life, and still believing you can make it big and come out a winner.

I had a blast just indulging in this unexpected experience that came my way, and if ever the circus comes to your town, so to speak, show up! Meet everyone you can! Soak it in, and be a part of it! You?ll be glad you did!

BBC Wales Studio 1

Episode 1 of the second series was filmed at BBC Wales Studio 1 on Sunday the 28th of September 2003. For myself and my partner Darren, it was a new and curious experience being part of a live studio audience. Darren has often been annoyed by ‘canned laughter’ added to American sitcoms, but he’d be the first to assure you now that the laughter can be, and in the case of High Hopes, is entirely genuine!

What professionals these actors proved to be. The entire filming was spot on, with very few re-takes on scenes. We were amazed that it only took about an hour to film! How these actors could keep a straight face! Mind you, Ben did have a moment or two where he had to control himself from bursting out laughing.

It was peculiar to see the set, the smallness of it, and all the fine details to recreate a home. It was very amusing to see scenes that sent us into fits of laughter, live!.

After the filming, Robert Blythe invited us to join the cast and crew at a local pub, The Heathcock, only a short walk from the studio. We got to meet a few of the other characters, including PC Claude played by Keiron Self, and Mrs Coles played by Di Botcher. We had a chance to say hello again to those we met before. We were delighted to share in a drink celebrating the success of the show. And, we’ve booked to be at the studio for a few more episodes!

Gareth Gwenlan

Boyd Clack and Gareth Gwenlan

Producer / Director Gareth Gwenlan (left) and the writer of this hilarious sitcom, Boyd Clack (right, with Gareth). Boyd also plays the part of the Police Sergeant Ball in a number of episodes. I was fortunate enough to meet both of them on location and congratulate them on such a fantastic show. As we stood around waiting for the sky to get dark so that they could film the night scenes, Gareth admitted, “A lot of our time is spent just waiting in between scenes”. Despite these gaps, every moment on location was exciting for me!

We also saw Boyd in action on the studio set as Sergeant Ball, while Gareth directed quietly from the side. I must also mention the 1st Assistant Director, Daf Arwyn-Jones, who was brilliant in arranging all the cast and crew, and who gave me my first opportunity to appear as an extra!

Photos courtesy of BBC Wales website at www.bbc.co.uk/wales/highhopes.

This article was originally hosted at Annie’s website www.clarityesd.com but has since been taken off-line due to website alterations. Annie has given her full permission to use the article and the pictures used for your enjoyment.

Please visit Annie’s website at www.clarityesd.com.

Tags: BBC Wales Filming, High Hopes, On location
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