‘PERFECT’ TIME FOR HILL HUMOUR
The Best Laid Plans boasts ‘finest’ Canadian cast
They’re filming in capital region for miniseries based on book by Terry Fallis
The timing is right to make a TV series of The Best Laid Plans, a political satire novel about Parliament Hill by Terry Fallis, says a Canadian TV producer.
“It couldn’t be more perfect,” says Brian Dennis about the book that follows a burnt-out political aide who quits just before an election but is forced to manage one last campaign and entices a crusty, aging engineering professor to run.
The six-part CBC miniseries has been filming in the corridors of Parliament Hill and Wednesday they took over Perth’s main street for one of the pivotal scenes. The $5-million production will shoot in and around Ottawa until mid-October and employ dozens of Ottawa actors and extras, says Dennis.
The Canadian cast features Jonas Chernick as political aide Daniel Addison, Kenneth Welsh as the old Scot Angus McLintock, Peter Keleghan as the finance minister and Eric Peterson plays Jerry, a senior citizen. Other cast members include Jodi Balfour, Sarah Allen, Barbara Gordon and Mark McKinney.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and this is the finest cast we’ve been able to assemble, it’s a gift being around such talent,” says Dennis.
He says it made sense to film the project in Ottawa where the novel is set. Over the 50-day shooting schedule, the production will film on Parliament Hill, the University of Ottawa, the ByWard Market and in several neighbourhoods, as well as in Perth.
“It’s a wonderful story and we’re lucky to be adapting it for the screen. It’s a nice combination of elements, the CBC has always had a strong tradition of comedy and political satire and this allows us to use the best talent there is to tell the story as Terry wrote it,’ says Dennis.
However, fans of the novel may be disappointed to learn the miniseries will only cover half of the book. Dennis say the series will end at a “satisfying conclusion” in the story and it’s hoped that the rest of the book can be filmed at a later date.
“We created a wonderful leaping point we can continue from,” says Dennis.
Another major change from the book is that the politicians in the TV series will have no party affiliation, other than being named the ruling party and opposition party. Dennis says it’s not about party platforms or distinguishing federal parties in the series.
“It actually helps the comedy in the long run, I think.”
The miniseries will begin Jan. 5 on the CBC.
‘I’ve been doing this for a long time and this is the finest cast we’ve been able to assemble, it’s a gift being around such talent.’
BRIAN DENNIS
Canadian TV producer