THE X FACTOR X FOR ACTORS
Bill Bailey hosts as eight budding thespians battle it out with the help of some famous faces
GIN THE FIRST EPISODE THEY FILM AN EASTENDERS EPISODE IN THE REAL QUEEN VIC
rowing up in South Shields as a poor kid with an abusive father, for George Heron the bright lights of showbusiness seemed as far out of reach as a trip to Mars. But after a distinguished career in the police and with his only acting experience as an extra in ITV’s Vera (alas, only his foot made it into the scene in the end), at the age of 61 George had one last throw of the dice and tried to become a professional actor.
He beat off 2,000 other hopefuls to become one of the eight finalists in Bring The Drama, BBC2’s new six-part reality show which puts the talents of a diverse range of amateur would-be thespians from a mix of different backgrounds and abilities – including a cab driver, a barista and a young deaf man who works in construction – under the spotlight.
They’re mentored by Kelly Valentine Hendry, an acclaimed casting director who’s worked on Bridgerton, Fleabag and Broadchurch, and professional acting coach Gemma Crooks. Bill Bailey presents the show and the prize is that three of the eight will be invited to an industry showcase, where they’ll be introduced to agents and take a big step towards realising their dream.
‘Growing up in certain communities, if you’d said you wanted to be an actor you’d be laughed at,’ explains Kelly. ‘And there are also the finances – you had to go to drama school and you had to live in London to get acting work. It all requires money, so acting has been an area of privilege.’
From the thousands whittled down to 50 by the production team, Kelly invited 25 to London for auditions and chose the final eight. ‘That’s where my gut feeling comes in,’ she explains. ‘I wasn’t sure if I’d be right though. Could they handle it? Were they ready for this process?’
Janice Sampson, a healthcare assistant from Sheffield, north England, caught the acting bug 20 years ago after taking screenwriting courses and acting out the scenes. She’s the eldest of the amateurs at 67, and feels making the final was an incredible achievement. ‘I was lost for words,’ she says. ‘Acting was never on my radar when I was younger, I was too shy. Even if it had been I wouldn’t have been able to do it because I didn’t have the means – I had bills to pay.’
Each episode sees the actors reenact a famous scene from muchloved TV dramas including Peaky Blinders, Downton Abbey, Line Of Duty and Casualty. Actors from some of the shows direct the amateurs, including Natalie Cassidy (EastEnders’ Sonia), Ed Speleers (Downton’s Jimmy Kent) and Rochenda Sandall (Line Of Duty’s Lisa McQueen).
In the first episode, they perform a 2019 EastEnders scene in which Sonia saves the life of Ben Mitchell in the Queen Vic with rudimentary implements after he was shot. They filmed in the real Queen Vic and Natalie directed. ‘They’re on an iconic set, they have the crew around and the lights and they’re being given direction,’ she says. ‘There’s a lot to take in. But sometimes it’s good to be thrown in at the deep end. We’re making a TV show, so things are quick and they just have to get on with it.’
Multi-tasking almost proved the undoing of George Heron. Despite having witnessed many real-life medical emergencies as a policeman, he found playing a medic in a scene from Casualty hellishly complicated. ‘There was a lot of technical stuff involved and my head started to fuzz over,’ he says.
‘There were props I wasn’t familiar with and words that went with the props that I wasn’t familiar with either. On top of that you have supporting artists brought in and the cameras in our faces. There was a lot of noise and it was just information overload. Even Kelly said, “George, you looked like you were ready to give up and walk away,” and I was that close.’
Another major hurdle is overcoming natural inhibitions. Janice recalls her embarrassment at performing in a romantic scene.
‘I had to be close to someone young and I had difficulty with that,’ she says. ‘I felt like apologising to him. You just feel so awkward. But the acting coach, Gemma, took me to one side and said, “Don’t you worry about that; you can do it,” and that gave me the confidence to think, “I’ll find my inner Madonna and do it!” But filming was intense, it was like getting a month’s masterclass in an hour.’
Kelly admits that her initial feelings about who would succeed were incorrect.
‘One of the people I thought was going to win fell away quite early in the process,’ she says. ‘There’s disappointment when you know they’ve got it in them.
‘But overall, I hope the show illustrates that if you have a dream and the skill and the determination, you can have a shot at it.’
ANOTHER MAJOR HURDLE IS OVERCOMING INHIBITIONS WHEN FILMING A ROMANCE SCENE
Bring The Drama starts on February 14 on BBC2.