THE NETS FACTOR
David Hayman found his voice on the set of comedy-drama Fisherman’s movie Friends – and loved every minute of it
DAVID Hayman has been one of the hardest-working stars in Scottish TV, theatre and film for more than 50 years. But, at the age of 71, he has found a new way of testing himself – singing live on stage. Hayman found his voice when he was asked to appear in new film Fisherman’s Friends – the true-life story of how a group of sea shanty singers stormed the pop charts. And he loved every minute of the vocal adventure. Hayman said: “I’ve never really done much singing in my career – apart from playing a pantomime dame where you don’t really need a singing voice, just a false pair of t**s and a big voice. “It was a wonderful opportunity on Fisherman’s Friends and I really enjoyed it. Also, sea shanties are not operatic arias, they are fairly straightforward folk songs of the sea and I really enjoyed singing them. “One evening, (co-star) Dave Johns and I were invited by the Fisherman’s Friends, who were doing a live performance at an open-air theatre in Cornwall. “It was spectacular – on the side of a cliff open to the sea and the sky. We went on stage with them for their encore and did three songs. “It was one of my highlights of my life, I thought, ‘My God, here I am on stage in front of 1000 people singing sea shanties’. I never thought I’d see the day.” The real-life Fisherman’s Friends were a recording phenomenon of the last decade. And the heart-warming film adaptation, which also stars Daniel Mays and James Purefoy, has been compared to feelgood classics such as The Full Monty and Calendar Girls. Their story began in 2009 when BBC producer Johnnie Walker picked up one of the lads’ CDs, which they had
self-produced and put out themselves after performing for locals in Port Isaac, Cornwall.
Talent-spotter Ian Brown heard them sing and set up a £1million deal with recording giant Universal.
The group had a top 10 album a year later after selling 150,000 copies.
However, singer Trevor Grills, 54, and band promoter Paul McMullen, 44, were killed in a backstage accident at a gig in Surrey in 2013 when a heavy door collapsed on them.
The movie doesn’t feature the tragedy as it is a dramatised and fictionalised version which focuses on the initial rise to fame of the band.
The real-life singers warmly welcomed the cast and crew into the community.
Hayman said: “I wasn’t aware of the group until the producers asked me to be in the film, then I started researching them. It’s a fantastic story and what a great bunch of guys. They are down-to-earth people – fishermen and farmers – and got together through a love of the sea and music.
“They sing every Friday for tourists and it was just a little hobby for them, keeping history alive.
“It must have been strange in the beginning to see a bunch of hairy-ar**d actors coming in pretending to be a bunch of hairy-ar**d fishermen.
“Port Isaac is a very small village so we got to know them very well. It was the best excuse in the world just to isolate yourself and it was gorgeous weather. It was like being in paradise for five weeks.”
He hopes the public take to the inspiring and uplifting story. Hayman added: “It’s about family, community, loyalty, the kind of life you want to lead and personal integrity. It has lovely, innocent humour and it’s a heart-warming film.
“We are going through a period of political confusion and moral uncertainty. If people go and see this film, they’ll come out and think the world is a much nicer place and leave with a smile on their face.”
Hayman is also set to take on one of the most iconic Scots roles of all time – playing Private Frazer in the telly remake of lost Dad’s Army episodes for UKTV.
Hayman said: “John Laurie (who played Frazer) was a legend, wasn’t he? He had that extraordinary face and was wildly over-the-top, which is delicious. He was an old ham.
“We don’t feel the pressure. All of us have watched many episodes to get the mannerisms of their delivery. We’re not doing impersonations of them, we’re trying to capture the essence of them.”
When he’s not bringing movies and TV shows to life, Hayman keeps very busy with his charity Spirit Aid. He’s just back from a two-week trip to Malawi, where his team helped support local high school kids with free meals.
He is also gearing up for the fundraising Kiltwalk event in April.
Hayman said: “I run it with my sons and my friends and I’m really, really proud of it. It’s just a small organisation and we’re all volunteers.
“I think it’s really important to give something back to the world.”
It was like being in paradise for five weeks DAVID HAYMAN ON FILMING FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS
Fisherman’s Friends is in cinemas now.