BBC Three - Blog - Adrian Poynton https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/bbcthree/ We are no longer updating this page. Get the inside view from people in front of the camera and behind the scenes on BBC Three shows on the TV blog. en Copyright 2013 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:26:01 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.33-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss White Van Man Creator: Auditioning for a role in my own show 'Who's in it? Can I come and be an extra? When will it be on?' And the question they asked above all - 'Are you going to be in it?'

It's a sensible question I guess. Most of them knew me as a stand up comedian and comedy performer as much as they did a writer, so of course they assumed I'd be in it. Truth be told, it wasn't until they started asking that I even really thought about it. I'd just been writing the thing and putting words in these character's mouths. I hadn't really thought about who would actually be saying them, let alone if one of them should be me. And was it even that easy? Just because I was the writer didn't mean I could just go - I want to play so and so - and that would be that.

White Van Man (Joel Fry as Darren, Naomi Bentley as Liz, Will Mellor as Ollie, Georgia Moffett as Emma and Clive Mantle as Tony)

The cast of White Van Man

I'd toured in plays and stuff, and worked my whole life as a performer... but I hadn't really done it in a few years and I don't really want to end up the guy surrounded by really amazing actors, screwing up his own script. Personally, I like to have someone else to blame.

But the question kept getting asked and I started to think, yeah, maybe I should do something. I even knew the part I should/could play. Martin the Policeman (I wont tell you his surname because it's a joke in the show - let's just say this. His surname is awesome).

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So then, one rainy day over a coffee in the production office I decided to 'put it out there' and I mentioned it to the producer. Bless him, he just smiled and said - 'Good. I think you should'.

He however wasn't the only one to convince. The Execs and more importantly the director had to give me the okay. Iain (the director) did something I love him for. He asked me to audition. And so he bloody should. He didn't really know me at that stage and although he knew I could write, when it came to acting, I might well have been a plank of wood.

Now, when I say he made me audition, he made me audition. I think Iain hoped I'd be good (mostly because he didn't want to have a very awkward conversation if I wasn't), but he made me audition properly, in front of him, the producer, the casting director AND then sent the tape to the Execs for approval. And so he should. It's not fair to anyone otherwise. You can't just point at a character you made up and go 'That's me that is.'

Ricky Grover as Terry and Will Mellor as Ollie in White Van Man

Ricky Grover as Terry and Will Mellor as Ollie in White Van Man

Lucky for me everyone laughed and nodded, I took Iain's direction and I got the part. I won't name names but I know a few actor/writers who wanted to be in their own shows who haven't been so lucky. Ouch.

So, how was it? I had the time of my life on set. I was just giddy. Being there, acting in something that fell out of my head was such an amazing experience.

How was it for the director? A nightmare I think. Turns out, I'm a giggler. I think I make it through 3 out of 5 takes. Hey, if you want a great outtakes reel, I'm your man. You want to film the show you're supposed to... yeah, that might take a while.

I've filmed TV stuff before and I have never been like that. Never had that problem. And I blame a few things.

  1. The silliness of the whole thing. I was acting in a show I had written. That's enough to turn anyone into a giddy child.
  2. I 100% blame Will Mellor, Naomi Bentley, Rufus Wright and Georgia Moffett.

They're all hilarious, tell the dirtiest stories and really make filming fun. The only difference between them and me (that day) was they could just turn it on and off when needed. I can normally do that... I've done it on countless acting jobs... just not the set for my own show apparently. At one point I had to walk off set and have a bit of a word with myself. I really didn't know what was happening to me.

White Van Man (Will Mellor as Ollie)

Will Mellor in White Van Man

Actually I did... because every time you looked up I could see the joy in Mellor's eyes that he was making me go wrong. I know for a fact that this was his plan all along. He's told me as much. 'Oh Adrian.' He'd said. 'I'm going to enjoy trying to put you off all day!' I laughed it off and told him if he did I would kill his character off for series two. It didn't seem to stop him. He's a devil that one.

But I think we got through it. I'm still in the show, didn't hit the cutting room floor.

Am I any good in it? Well, that's for you to decide. If you think not - well I'd blame Mellor and Co. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.*

*That's of course not true. I really do only have myself to blame.

Adrian Poynton is the writer and creator of new comedy series White Van Man. You can watch him play Martin the policeman in tonight's episode at 10.30pm.

Watch previous episodes of White Van Man

Add your comment.]]> Adrian Poynton Adrian Poynton https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/bbcthree/2011/03/white-van-man-creator-auditioning-for-a-role-in-my-own-show.shtml https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/bbcthree/2011/03/white-van-man-creator-auditioning-for-a-role-in-my-own-show.shtml White Van Man Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:26:01 +0000 White Van Man: The Journey From Head To Screen White Van Man is going to be shown on the TV. It doesn't exactly seem real and I'm still not totally convinced it's actually going to happen... and here's why: I had two dreams as a child.
  1. To write a TV comedy series and
  2. To write an episode of Doctor Who.
Apparently, I've just done 50% of that. Yikes.

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It turns out, the idea and all the characters for the show had been in my head for years, I just hadn't realised it at first.

The show, really, is about two things:
  1. Me and my Dad
  2. The place I grew up (Lichfield in Staffordshire).

My Dad (who just so happens to be called Tony and has a little white moustache - just like the Dad in the show) is from a very different generation of people than me. He grew up in a working class household, didn't do great at school and started working at a very early age. He did a lot of manual labour jobs like building, plumbing, painting people's houses etc. You know, the sort of jobs that make you want to say 'Grrrrr' a lot.

Adrian's Desk

Where the magic happens - Adrian's desk

Me on the other hand, I'm a numpty who spends half his time prancing around on stage trying to make people laugh and the other half sitting in front of a computer, having delusions of being some grand storyteller.

I mean, my Dad single-handedly built the extension on my Mum and Dad's house, whereas I got in a huff this morning because we were out of green tea. We're very different people.

One day I started to wonder what it would be like if my Dad couldn't do any of that stuff anymore. Would I have to step up? And boom! Just like that, the idea for White Van Man was born. I'd sort of been living it for years.

Although let's be honest, that 'boom' could well have been the result of me trying to rewire a plug. We may never know.

I also suddenly realised, I'd grown up living in the setting for the show too.

Maplebury sign

Welcome to Maplebury

I grew up in the Midlands, but it doesn't matter if you grew up in the north or the south or wherever, so much of the experiences people seem to have of their hometowns are surprisingly universal. That's why I made up a town name for the show.

To me Maplebury is Lichfield. I know to Will Mellor, it's Stockport. I hope for you, it's where you grew up. Believe me; you might even meet some characters in the show you already know from home. You might even see yourself in there. In which case, if you do - sorry.

That's been the real joy creating this show. Everyone who has read it has seemed to get it. They all just seemed to understand the world because they had, in someway, grown up in it.

Will's Chair

That's the main reason Will always claims he wanted to do the show. His Dad is actually a handyman and he just knew what the show was about. I'd just (to quote Spinal Tap) turned it up to 11. I think we've got some very, very funny (and tender) results.

And that's why it feels strange to be finally putting it out there for everyone to watch. Within four years it went from being some stuff in my head, to being some stuff on a page, to seeing Clive Mantle (who plays Tony) wandering around set with a little white moustache. It still doesn't really seem real.

Maybe that's because it comes from a very personal place. I hope you recognise it.

Now if we could just get Steven Moffat (head writer and executive producer of Doctor Who) to give me a call, I might be able to retire by the time I'm 33.

Adrian Poynton is the writer and creator of new comedy series White Van Man which starts at 10.30pm on Tuesday.

Watch more clips and see photos from White Van Man

Add your comment.]]> Adrian Poynton Adrian Poynton https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/bbcthree/2011/03/white-van-man-the-journey-from-head-to-screen.shtml https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/bbcthree/2011/03/white-van-man-the-journey-from-head-to-screen.shtml White Van Man Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:59:46 +0000