George Gently to be filmed in North-East

[Maurice]

Northern Echo

by Steve Pratt:



For the first time, BBC crime drama, Inspector George Gently, is to be filmed in the North-East where the stories are set.



Previous series of the show, which stars Martin Shaw as the old-style Sixties detective, have been filmed in Ireland.



The move follows a £150,000 injection from Northern Film and Media's £3m-plus North-East Content Fund.



Gently is one of five projects to benefit from a £550,000 boost from the regional screen agency NFM and development agency One North East.



The series was created and is co-written by Peter Flannery, author of OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH and THE DEVIL'S WHORE, who grew up in the North-East.



Two 90-minute episodes will be made in the region. "To be able to film the series for the first time where it's always been set brings a greater authenticity, scale and colour to the production," said producer Suzan Harrison, of Company Pictures, the independent film and TV company behind the series.



The North-East Content Fund was launched in July last year to bring more film, TV, games, interactive media and music projects to the region at a time when production in the North-East was at a low.



The fund has also awarded £60,000 to period drama JOE MADDISON'S WAR, which begins filming soon in Newcastle with Kevin Whately and Robson Green in leading roles.



Alan Plater's one-off drama is set in Newcastle in 1939.



Production company Mammoth Screen's previous ITV series include LOST IN AUSTEN and WUTHERING HEIGHTS.



Other content fund awards have gone to the fantasy adventure DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS (£200,000), a feature film adapted from 'The Book of Vile Darkness', and football documentary feature ONE NIGHT IN TURIN (£100,000).

[Fellwanderer]

Having been working down in Old Elvet this morning, I was working up on Palace Green this afternoon and George Gently was being filmed there again. Filming goes on until the end of the week.

Red-hot up by the cathedral!

[paul kersey]

I think that the subject of George Gently's setting has been raised before. The books are set in Norfolk, as Martin Shaw should know as he lives here now.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gently

[Toscana]

Love George Gently and Judge John Deeds. They are so crap there just great. What world do the writers live in? Up Martin Shaws arse with Martin Shaw.

[Timmy_Lea]

I guess its cheaper to film in North East, as they don't need to do any set dressing etc. THE NORTH don't look no different than it did in 60s

[icetorch]

THE NORTH don't look no different than it did in 60s

What? Even the parts that have been demolished and renovated? You silly boy...

[ayrshireman]

Love George Gently and Judge John Deeds. They are so crap there just great. What world do the writers live in? Up Martin Shaws arse with Martin Shaw.

Well, clearly YOUR arse has just exploded and decided to speak.

[Toscana]

Well, clearly YOUR arse has just exploded and decided to speak.

Martin Shaw fan then are you? Listening to crap must be right up your High and Low Road then Jock.

[stevenmtaylor]

I guess its cheaper to film in North East, as they don't need to do any set dressing etc. THE NORTH don't look no different than it did in 60s

Being largely non-industrialised and undamaged during WWII Norfolk (unlike the North East) is in fact one of the least re-developed parts of the country and is idealy suited for period shooting, the reason for the change in locale for George Gently is that Peter Flannery wanted to create a detective series set in the North East during the 1960's that reflected the cultural and social changes of the era and it was easier to use the plots and lead character of existing novels as a framework to hang this on than create entirely original stories - it's much the same approach that Yorkshire television took with the Frost novels; neither production had any intention of doing faithful adaptations, the original books were just used as a loose template.