Kool and the Gang - Something Special

Hello Everyone,

I've just returned from a few days in London. The first day was spent doing some ADR (voice dubbing) on episodes 5 & 6 of the new series. Both eps look great and I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

The next couple of days were spent making a very cool trailer for the BBC to launch the new series of "Ashes to Ashes". We had a fantastic time making the trail and it was lovely to see all the guys and gals again after a few weeks apart (although I had seen Marshall on our recent venture climbing a mountain in Scotland last weekend.......Ben Lawers.......10th highest in the UK......phew!!).

The trailer was directed by the legend that is Tim Pope. It was filmed on 35mm and looked very cinematic. Tim must be a genius, as he made us look very cool. It's quite easy to make Keels and Montse look cool, but he had his work cut out with the 3 boys.......but he managed it. The trailer is to be used in between programmes on the beeb to promote the fact that we will be back (fingers crossed and not definite) around mid April. I wont let you in on the trail, but there is a lot of neon, new romantics fighting and smoke......oh and the gang and Quattro!

Our producer Beth came down to have a quick chat during the shoot and told us she had delivered the first episode to the BBC.That means the process has begun and the BBC are going to be in full receipt of the whole series in the next few weeks. They will then be able to show you guys the new series in its full glory. Everyone from the very top of the BBC to ordinary folk like myself are very excited about this series. I'm not sure I will blog again before it starts unless something exciting happens, but I will be back at some point soon. Keep the faith and enjoy the promo trailer......it's well cool innit........Aye.

Deano xx

It's Finally Over!!

Hi All,

Well it's finally over.......Thank goodness! Not that it's been a bad experience, but it's been a long time in coming........6 months to be exact. Once again 8 episodes are in the can, the cast and crew are exhausted but I'm sure we'll all think it was worth it when it all comes out. I've seen the first 6 eps and they are up to the usual high standard and eps 7 & 8 look to be something very special.

Again we've had some fab guests...Roger Allam, Adrian Dunbar, Daisy Haggard, John Bowe, Sara Stewart, Pookie Quensall just to name a few. There are many more but my memory is fading fast, ha! All give very convincing performances and were a pleasure to work with. The one advantage of being in a hit show is that it attracts the very best to work on it.

In this terrible economic climate we've been very lucky to not only be working, but working on something as good as Ashes. The writers have come up with some great stories, and everyone else has worked their asses off to make them the best they can be. You'll be wondering if this is the last series or not? Well I can tell you from the bottom of my heart..........you'll have to watch and wait!!

There are some twists and turns along the way with many many surprises. Sides of people's character you might think you'd never see........well you will. I think you'll all enjoy it and hopefully we wont have to fight against the Ashes to Ashes/Life on Mars changeover this time. People will be able to watch it knowing it's a series in its own right.

We had a fantastic night in London town for the wrap. Many many bottles of all kinds were consumed and many many cuddles were given out to people we have enjoyed working with and will miss. All the cast were in a somewhat merry mood, and at the end of a very long night I fortunately or unfortunately got what most women want................a big smacker on the lips from the Gene Genie! He may deny the fact, but trust me it happened......and very nice it was too! Luckily for me it was followed by one or two more from much prettier quarters. That's about all I've got for you for now. They're talking about early April for the start of transmission but nothing has been put in writing so far. We have some bits and bobs to do on the final process first and they've mooted about doing a special trailer for the Beeb. I'll let you know if that happens on the next blog. Take care and Au revoir for now.

Deano xx

Acting our socks off...

We're now halfway through our filming schedule and if I told you it was easy I would be lying. I don't know why but we seem to be working so much harder on this series than the last series. The story lines are so strong this year and the depth of the piece is so different. All of us seem to be working to our limits, so lets hope the end result is worth the 'pain'.

Once again we are blessed with the quality of our guest artistes. We seem to attract the best people. Not always the most commercial, but superb actors. My fellow cast members are also producing some of the best work I've ever been privileged to see. Phil and Keeley are once again in fine form and as for Marshall and Montse - their on-screen relationship is just a pleasure. We also had a scene where Marshall/Chris had to do something very unusual and of course Marshall pulled it off as only he could (make sure you don't miss it, it is a classic moment).

I've just watched the first two episodes of the new series and they're both simply superb. Very powerful, carrying on the story well and everyone's acting is spot on. A great start to series two!

The writers have been working overtime this series, because in my humble opinion the writing is top notch. The standard is always so high, but I think Matthew and Ashley have been able to take the path they want to take rather than the path they were advised to take, as they did in the first series. Those boys are about as good as it gets and they have the knack of choosing the right writers to suit the series. This block is being directed by Phil John and he is not only a great director, he's a really nice chap......and he 'gets' the series which is always a bonus. It will soon be time for our Christmas break and we can't wait to have some time with our families, but don't think for one minute we are not putting our hearts and souls into this series, cos believe me we are. Thanks again for looking in on my blog, please leave messages and I can pass them on to the cast for some encouragement. Hopefully I will have the chance to blog again before Christmas, but if not enjoy the festivities.

Deano xx

Oooh-oooh, we're halfway there!

Hi All,

Ok so we're well on our way on the set of Ashes to Ashes and all seems to be going to plan. We're just recording eps 3&4 and again the standard is high. Some great guest artists including... ::..dramatic drumroll..:: a face from the past???

We've had a tough week this week as we've been working in Watford for 2 days and Enfield for 2 days. Both places are bloody miles away from where we all live, so long long days. Myself and Marshall found ourselves in The Sun newspaper with photographs of us reading "The Joy of Sex". Let me clarify that it's not our normal read but is part of the plot (not that Raymondo would need any tips haha).

You can see a clip of the article by following the link below.

http://www.deanandrews.co.uk/paperclip1.htm



Once again Phil was nominated for a National Television Award and once again he was thwarted by................ I can't bring myself to say his name, but have no doubt on who my vote went to......and it wasn't anyone on Dr Who or the Bill. Phil deserves the recognition of the award hierarchy, but up against a programme with the support of Dr Who (whoever plays the good doctor) it's always gonna be a tough ask. Fingers crossed for next time.

I've also found myself doing a little voice work for Currys. It's not easy to fit it in between the Ashes work but I'm managing it. It's a good business to get into so I'm hoping it continues but in the entertainment business you never know.

We have another 2 weeks to do on this block of Ashes and then we're half way through. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well with this series and we get the chance to show the "whole story" but again in this business......you never know! Just to finish this blog off, I want you to know that every dept. is working their nick naks off to make this another great series, and it's not always the easiest thing in the world to do. We have a great team and we are a great team so I know it'll all lead to being one of the best drama's on the tv.....once again. Keep the faith.

Deano xx

Deanpics

Hi folks

Happy to see you are enjoying the site. Just a little reminder to send your pics to Dean for inclusion in the stills pages. The more pics of Dean 'as Dean' we get, the better.

over and out

admin


http://www.deanandrews.co.uk/stills.htm

And about bloody time too!

Hi all,

We have been underway for around 4 weeks now and all is good in the Ashes to Ashes camp. It was a very nice start to proceedings when on our first day of filming we collected the "TV Quick" award for "Best New Drama". It was a nice affair at the Dorchester. We were greeted on the red carpet by some of the Ashes fans with their red balloons. Once inside we were surrounded by some of the very best people in the business. We were all very happy when the verdict went our way.......for once!

All dressed up in pretty frocks and posh whistles for night out in London town

Filming has been going as well as expected with all the problems that are an everyday occurrence on all dramas. All the gang are in fine form, and Phil's impressions are getting better year after year. If you ever get the chance to hear his Alan Partridge impression of pop hits of the day.......its a treat! All the rest of the cast are also enjoying being back on set, although the schedule is gruelling for all concerned.

The first 2 scripts are taking shape and hopefully everyone will enjoy them. We have some fab guests and some great storylines. We have just received eps 3&4 and they are also of the same high standard. We had the readthrough earlier this week and they read very well. After the readthrough we sat down with the executives and were given an insight into the "bigger picture" and what an exciting conversation that was. To finally understand what it's all about and where it's all going was very enlightening and made me realise how very clever all the people connected with this show are.

That's about all I can think of for now. I'll try and keep you up to date with all things Ashes as time trots along. Until then, thanks for logging in, and leave your comments.

Deano xx

It's been a long time coming...

I know it's been a while since my last blog, but after my Pakistan experience it took me a while to get my head back to normal.

Just about 3 days after I had left the film the rest of the crew were attacked and 2 of the chefs were shot (thankfully now fully recovered). The upshot of it was the boys had to be sneaked out of Pakistan under the cover of darkness by the Pakistani special secret service. It obviously didn't include me as I was at home, but it was very disconcerting to hear about people who had become your friends having such a frightening experience. The film was about 7 days away from being finished and the production company are hoping to finish the film sometime in the near future.

So, the freight train they call "Ashes to Ashes" has started to turn its wheels once again! We start filming 'proper' on Monday 8th Sept. It's been a good week so far as we had the 'readthrough' on Monday. It was lovely to see everybody again. All of us back in the same room was a delight. All looking well after their respective breaks, and all raring to go. We received the first two scripts about a week before the readthrough and once again they were first class. One of the great things about being part of this team is when you read the scripts at home they're great!! When you hear the Gene Genie, Alex, Chris and the rest of the gang performing them, they just come alive. The guest actors for the first 2 eps are also top notch and the characters the writers have created are just of the highest standard.

We are all very excited about starting all over again, and one or two rehearsals have been going on throughout the week. We're also doing a "little something" for this years Children in Need. I don't want to give away too much, but it does include the Quattro... We will also be attending this years "TV quick awards" on Monday which is also the first day of filming. I think our lovely producer Beth will have a very close eye on the alcohol intake of all the cast (good luck with that Beth ha!). That's about it from me for now. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about once we get into our stride in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave your comments cos I get beaten with a stick from Elf if I don't create enough interest and I'm sure you wouldn't want that..............would you?

The continuing adventures of the Barnsley Gladiators...

It’s my last week, and we travel back to Kanak. You know the place? Yeah, the one with 4 hours electricity a day, water when it feels like it, and a hole in the ground to sh................well you know. We were up and ready to rock and roll at 5.30am. For some unknown reason over here there is a 1hr difference in certain places. Apparently it’s due to the Government ordering a 1 hour time change, some of the country doesn't like it, so they live by the old time and some live by the new time. It works really well..........NOT! So one of the drivers was on time and one was an hour late (so glad I got up at 4.50am Huh!!)

Anyway, we managed to get up there and start work. The scene we were filming was a big one, and we were having to film it over 2 days. Now when you're filming one scene over 2 days, you're hoping for a nice location. We got somewhere out in the open, dusty, dirty and full of rocks/stones. Not too bad I hear you cry. Well, the first day went as per normal (difficult, tough, hot, sweaty). The second day was not so simple due to the fact the temperature went to 47 degrees. It’s normally around 40 degrees, which is a breeze haha, but 47 degrees heat and 2000ft above sea level make for a very tough day, especially when the scene require running and emotion.

We got down to filming and drinking water (approx 7litres a day). The scene included one of the ladies (Maria) falling backwards. On the second take, she fell awkwardly and bruised her coccyx. That made for a difficult day due to her inaction. My character’s job was to run in at speed and comfort her until the medic arrived. After 10 takes, and 10 slide tackles to get by her side, my leg looked like a scene from a horror movie. The terrain in this part of the country is basically mountains, sand and rocks, so it’s very unforgiving.


Me and the director, David Whitney, having just managed to get the take before sunset


We finished a really tough day and went back to base. As I mentioned before, I shared a room with Shaun. Thank God for Shaun! My sanity would have been surely tested without him there. Not only is he a great actor, and a Barnsley lad, he's a top bloke. Anyhoo, after dinner we went to bed (in the dark due to no electric, and hot due to the fan not working cos of the electric.) We started our nightly chat about the day’s events (with the help of a torch to bring some light into the room, but not much) when Shaun shouted that there was a lizard on the window (he slept next to the window and I slept 12ft away, facing the window). I immediately looked over to see a shadow of something that resembled a bat in the centre of the window. I shouted "That’s not a lizard, it’s a fu**in’ bat, I'll get my camera". It was massive and I didn’t want to miss a photo opportunity. He shouted "A bat, where??" I said "There in the centre of the window!" He said "Thats not a f’kin’ bat, it’s a drawing one of the kids has done for me and it’s dangling on a bit of nylon". Turns out the lizard was about 2" and was on the sill, and the shadow I could see was a goodbye pressie from one of his kiddies. After that I got ribbed all week about the "lizardbat".

The next night was just as eventfull. We once again had a quick chat, and then off to sleep. Now it takes me about an hour to drop off to sleep wherever I am. Luckily for Shaun, he drops off quite quickly. After about 20mins (remember it’s pitch black) I hear a rustling coming from a carrier bag we have in the room. I listened again, and it was still rustling. My mind is racing as to what the fu** could be in our room now. So, being the brave little soldier that I am, I dashed over......................and woke Shaun up!! I said "Mate, there's something in our room.....we need the Barnsley killing duo quick".

We were armed with our torch and our flip flops. Looking very fetching in our pants (easy girls ha). We carefully manipulated the bag until................aarrrggghhhh it’s a cockroach!!! In one swift movement with the flip-flop, it was toast, Phew! Ok, so we went back to bed. After 10mins Shaun was back off to sleep, and I was left wide awake.........listening! Good job, because I heard another scratching noise. I gave it a minute, and it was still scratching. It was coming from near the bottom of the door, where we had carefully blocked any way in for anything. So, I bravely woke Shaun up again and we set about finding the creature that was getting under about 20kg of suitcase. We once again looked very fetching.....a little like gladiators.......only, in our pants. We lifted the bag, and there was the "daddy" of all cockroaches. It was never going to be a match for the Barnsley lads but, to be fair, it put up quite a fight. We were once again victorious, and in the midst of euphoria.........we went back to bed.

The next couple of days were mainly uneventful. Apart from me nearly getting myself killed!! The day in question was one that only involved my character in all the scenes of the day. One particular scene needed me to get quite angry. For those that think I might be an "angry kind of guy" you would be wrong. I’m quite easy going, and very very rarely ever reach anger. So in order to reach that stage, I have to really psyche myself up and it takes me quite a while to get there. Once there, I’m right "in there". Just to put you in the picture about some of the Pakistani people who have worked with us (and they have been fantastic) they don’t really understand the concept and rules about filming. Things we take for granted back home, like nobody talking in a take, or nobody getting in the actors eyeline while he's acting.....that kind of stuff. So, I’m in a car and I’m angry (acting of course). I have built myself up into a right state. When this little fu**er, whom I haven't liked since I got there (he's about the only one I haven't taken to) starts to walk right in my eyeline. Well I lost it. I was shouting, swearing, gesticulating at him. Calling him all the names you can think of including the very bad "C" word. It was only as they dragged him out of my way, and I started to get some lucid thought back, that I realised he was not only one of our security men with an AK47, but we had all thought he had some sort of screw lose. His brother is the right hand man of the Governor of Balochistan, which in turn made him quite a powerful man in his area. He had lost face in front of his people, and I was the cause of that. I started to realise that my outburst had not been the brightest move I had ever made. I was in a strange country, miles away from civilisation, in the back of nowhere with "no rules". People who had spoken with him, had relayed to me that he was very pis*ed off................that’s not good in Pakistan! Once again being the brave little soldier I am, I got the Pakistani producer Hameed to bring the little fu**er, I mean the lovely little fella over, and I apologised for my actions, and very kindly asked him if he wouldn't mind that he didn’t kill me before I went home. He was reluctant at first, but said he wouldn't kill me this time.......phew again.

My final day is tomorrow, and I will fill you all in on how that goes, and all my thoughts on my journey to Pakistan. Again, many thanks for reading the blogs and for leaving comments. I do enjoy reading your comments, so keep ‘em coming. I will leave you now, still alive and only slightly bitten.........oh and still the only one not to have had the sh**s.

Deano xx

Deano vs. The Creature From Hell!!

So, I was supposed to travel to Kanak with the rest of the boys, but the schedule was changed and I got Sunday off. So I stayed at Hameed's house (Pakistan producer), mainly because of its comfort. It has showers, electric (some of the time, due to power cuts), water......all the things you could desire, ha!. Anyway, I was left there alone with only his kids, their mates and the houseboy who has been nicknamed "Shortcut" (cos his name sounds something like that). The day was relatively normal, until Shortcut came back from shopping with his new gun!! He was very proud of the fact that he had bought it for 3000 rupees (about 23 quid). He then went on to re-enact the scene from "Deerhunter". After I had given him some "Raymondo" advice, he put it away, and sulked off to his room.

I was picked up around 9pm to be taken to Kanak. I was looking forward to seeing the boys after spending the day with the kids, and the Numpty. We arrived at the camp around midnight. I was told this camp would be better because it had electric, water and most importantly a toilet. On our arrival I thought it was a little dark.....no electric. I asked politely if there was water for a shower.........no water. I said ‘ok, where's my bed???’.........yes you've guessed it!!! I was sharing a room with my mate Shaun, and as he had got there a day earlier, he had the bed. He very kindly offered it to me, and I declined politely. I was on the floor on my favourite mattress.....not. I managed to get to sleep around 6am..........it was a 7am calltime, so I wasn't very refreshed for the days filming.

We were filming in the mountains, which was spectacular. The scene included getting attacked by AK47 wielding tribesmen. That also meant we had to run for cover etc etc. It was 45 degrees, and as you know, I’m getting a little portly in my old age. Well I can tell you, after take 20 I was knackered. I reckon I had run about a mile and a half, but because of the altitude and the heat, it felt like 10miles. We got through the days filming after about 14 hours, and got back to camp, and you'll never believe it, still no facilities, due to the power cuts. We were well pi**ed off. We sat down for dinner with faces like very unhappy crew and actors, and guess what? The bloody lot came back on......thank Christ!! Then it was off to bed. Shaun and I had a chat for about an hour, then decided to go to sleep. About 5 mins later we were fighting for our lives against the creature from hell. Goodness knows what the hell it was, but these 2 lads from Barnsley were screaming like girls haha. We managed to fight it off and killed it.........oh yes, the Barnsley lads can fight tha knows.



You don't mess with the best - Next time that Creature turns up, we'll be ready for it!


We got up the next morning and had a cold shower - it was bliss. I was clean and happy. A slice of toast with no butter had never tasted so good! We were filming on the roads, so off we trotted into the van. Up and down, take after take. It was a lot colder so we were happy........it was 41 degrees on that day.....luxury. Again we got through the day, with a mountain of guns surrounding us, and Shaun was starting to get quite a lot of attention. Now, just to explain, Shaun is a lovely fella, and very cordial towards everybody. He likes to get right into the experience. He likes to learn certain phrases so he can interact with the locals..........he's just a nice chap. I get the feeling that around here, that the fellas are not necessarily gay, but there does seem to be a feeling of ultra male bonding (if you know what I mean). Shaun is blonde with blue eyes, and I think his English niceness, may have been take for......now how can I put it.........a bit of a come on, ha! He's about the furthest from anything to do with that sort of stuff, so it has been quite a topic of ribbing between the boys and Shaun.....He takes it very well haha.

The next day was another great day of filming. We're getting some amazing shots for the film. Anyway, after a 16hr day, we were packed and ready to go back to Hameed’s luxury. Into the van we got with 2 armed guards, who I’m sure were on crack. After about 1/2 mile, the 2 guards freaked us out with starting to mess about with their AK's. We promptly stopped the van. Myself and Tom (camera operator) jumped out, in the middle of bandit country, to walk back to the camp and get Hameed. We flagged his van down, ranted and raved at him about the guards. He dragged one out of the van, and put his right hand man in there to calm the situation. We were shi**ing ourselves for the rest of the journey, but we managed to get home safely.

I had all my big dialogue scenes the next day. We were filming in Hameed’s house, so not far to go. I think the day went well, and again we got some great stuff. We got bed around 4am, and we now have Friday off (hooray). So we're just chilling until we go out on the roadside for the England vs Pakistan cricket final at 6pm. I have 1 week left out here, and will try and post another blog before my return, but I cant promise. This is the biggest challenge I've had to face professionally, and I’m loving it. Doing Ashes to Ashes will seem like a Caribbean holiday after this. I have many photos, but won’t be able to get them up on the website until my return. Thanks for reading, and as Arnie says "I'll be back!!!"

Deano xx

Baptism of (No! Don't say Fire! Not when you're the only one without an AK47.)

After arriving in Quetta, I was picked up and taken to the production co-ordinators house. Where I met two of my co-stars Tatmain ul Qulb and Rasheed Naz. Two very nice people, and I enjoyed lunch in their company. We then took a 1 1/2 hr bus journey to a very small village in the mountains. Apparently the village is the closest place to Afghanistan (50 miles), but thankfully there was a range of mountains that would have needed Ranulf Fiennes to get to us. Just on the edge of the village was a police station, which took the shape of a small fort. It was dusty and dirty. On top of it being dirty, it had no electricity, no running water and to top it all off.......no toilet. I then met the crew who all seemed nice chaps. After quizzing them on the toilet issue, they quite matter of factly said "oh, pick a big rock, and squat behind it"...........lovely! Now just to put you in the picture, on top of all that stuff, the biggest shock were the tribesmen. There faces were very "lived in".............oh, and they all had AK47's, and rocket launchers........very intimidating.

We did a few scenes on the 40 degree heat, and they seemed to go very well. Then came bedtime. I was give a mattress (please don’t think of it as one of our mattresses, it wasn’t) and a sleeping bag. Where do you think my bedroom was? On the roof with some goat herders, and some AK47's. A beautiful night thankfully, because sleep was the last thing on my mind I can tell you. We went to bed around 3.30am (night shoot) and we were woken around 5am by the locals getting together to pray. A little breakfast around 10am and then it was on with the scenes for the day.

My co-star for the day was Rasheed. Now this fella is a big star in Pakistan, and has one of the greatest faces I've ever seen, but his English is not so hot. We had a couple of scenes, both of which should have been straightforward. Unfortunately Rasheed was having a bad day, and it was touch and go as to whether or not we would get the scenes in time to get off the bloody mountain before it became too dark to risk some of the 500ft drops. After much coaching and line feeding Rasheed managed to scrape through the scene line by line. I then of course had around 15mins to get my side of the deal "in the can". With all of the crew encouraging (you know the kind of encouragement that basically says ‘do this or we'll kill you cos we want off this mountain’)............we managed to get off the mountain, and back to the house in Quetta. The boys were overjoyed to have a shower and a shave, but for me it had been a baptism of fire. We are off to another mountain range later today in Kanak. We are there for 5 days I think, so I will be getting "down and dirty" once again. The crew are a great set of boys, and the director is great. I’m lucky to have my old mate Shaun Dooley here, to moan to. I have found out the crew motto though......"What the f**k are we doing here" It about sums it up nicely.

Deano xx