A new crime drama on ITVX is set to celebrate the city by showcasing some of the best locations in Nottingham. The four-part series, Without Sin, was filmed during lockdown and is due to air on December 28.
The series is the first created by Nottingham writer Frances Poletti who wrote the series for actors Vicky McClure and Johnny Harris. Harris and McClure worked together in This is England and the pair were keen to find a project they could work on. Not only that but Vicky co-produced the series with her production company, Build Your Own Films.
The show tells the story of Stella whose 14-year-old daughter Maisy is found murdered at the family home. Charles Stone, played by Johnny Harris goes to prison for her murder and asks to meet with Stella. The addictive series tells the story of what happened next and the relationship that develops between the two.
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When it came to choosing a location for the series, Frances was instantly set on filming in her hometown. Although Without Sin is set in the fictional town of Millfields, Frances hails from North Nottinghamshire near Mansfield where she grew up. She highlights that local characters and stories inspired her love of filmmaking as they would visit the shops her parents owned.
"My family come from a long line of butchers so they have had a butchers and then a furniture shop. When my parents got married, they opened a baby business with pushchairs so myself and my brother grew up in the shops," She said.
"Everyone in my family worked in them and it was listening to people come in and local stories or history that made me love storytelling. I also come from a very matriarchal family so I was surrounded by strong women which definitely feeds in there."
When it came to casting, Sian McWilliams, a producer at Left Bank Productions suggested that she get in touch with Vicky McClure and Johnny Harris. The two were perfectly cast as a grieving mother and mysterious villain.
"Vicky is the biggest fan of Nottingham and she is its biggest advocate. All of the work she does to get it on the map in a cultural sense is amazing. It came together for both of us as we wanted to represent Nottingham on screen and show that it doesn't always have to be London or Manchester. We can make big dramas here and have the infrastructure, crew and talent to do it," Frances explained.
The show features instantly recognisable Nottingham locations including the left lion in Old Market Square, Victoria Centre market and Cornerhouse which can be seen as Stella drives around in a taxi. Frances found locations easily as she had a bucket list of places she wanted to include.
"I've always had a bucket list of Nottingham places that I've wanted to put on the screen like Market Square which is a beautiful market. Both Vicky and I, our grandparents were both butchers with mine based in Sutton in Ashfield and hers in Victorica Centre Market so we both wanted to get that on screen."
"That was one of the first locations that we shot in and it's the first location you will see as Stella walks through the market. We also had her meet a character at the left lion. We included a nod to the mining history when we went to Clipstone and we filmed at the Headstocks where the young people meet in the series."
As with all filming in public places, it can be tricky to ensure you have the right level of 'involvement' when it comes to passersby. While locals were excited to see filming happen, not many recognised Vicky in a long wig. Frances highlighted that they needed the support fo the council for some locations.
"The council were amazingly supportive because they love Vicky and they know how much she does for Nottingham. If you are filming somewhere like South Bank in London, people roll their eyes when another TV crew turn up but there is so much goodwill here."
She added: "You are always going to have to close off roads if you are shooting in certain places or ask people to step around or be aware they may be in a TV series. Vicky wears a long wig so a lot of people didn't realise who she was and just got on with their everyday lives."
"We did shut down a section of the market to create a coffee shop within that. It was quite a closed environment and early in the morning but I think we captured the buzz of the market. Vicky and I both felt that with Covid, cities like Nottingham are going to struggle so it was nice to show independent places on screen and celebrate them to show Nottingham as the thriving city it is."
A second series is unconfirmed as of yet but Frances would love to return to the characters and world she has created. She is currently working with Shane Meadows on a crime drama set in Sheffield as her next project.
When it comes to feeling proud of her achievements, Frances was delighted to bring her parents on set and show them the real imaginary world of TV.
"My mum and dad have really believed in me and it's taken ten years since I left film school to get my first break like this. My parents actually found the location for the last scene for me by going out scouting and they came to meet Vicky and Johnny," Frances said.
"My dad turned to me and whispered between takes, 'you've imagined this and it's coming to life.' To them, TV is a whole other world and this made it seem very real so they could get their head around what I've always wanted to do. It was a really precious moment."
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