Latest news with #Mudtown
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Legal drama Mudtown goes behind the scenes of Newport court
A new dual-language series is set to take viewers behind the scenes at a Welsh criminal starring an all-Welsh cast including Erin Richards, Tom Cullen, Lauren Morais, Lloyd Meredith and Kimberley Nixon, was filmed in both Welsh and English and is set at Newport Magistrates' sees magistrate Claire Lewis Jones navigate her loyalty to her community being put to the test, complicated by the re-emergence of past acquaintance Saint Pete, played by Cullen and dubbed "the Tony Soprano of Newport"."We're representing a part of Wales that isn't seen very often," said Richards. Gotham star Richards, who is originally from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, said the Severn Screen production which will air on S4C in Welsh and UKTV in English was "one of my favourite projects that I've ever done"."I didn't even know what a magistrate was when I first signed up to this wonderful project," she told Lucy Owen on Radio Wales, adding she was advised by writers Hannah Daniel and Georgia Lee to spend time in courtrooms in both Cardiff and Newport to get a sense of what it was really like."You see a lot of courtroom dramas, but it's kind of heavy on the drama when you see it on TV."Obviously they're there to help people and do good for the community… but also in between when people were in the dock and it was just the people working there, they were just having normal conversations, and getting on like work colleagues do. Which I hope we have portrayed in the piece as well."She continued: "Magistrates are amazing. They don't get paid and they have to do a lot of training to get where they are. "They are dealing with quite difficult cases sometimes and every case I saw was just them trying to bring some sort of common sense to the situation." Richards, who has a two-year-old son, River, and is expecting her second child, said she was able to relate to her character in many ways."Claire is a mother, she's a magistrate, she's trying to hold down a couple of jobs and, on the surface, she appears to be a good person, until the end of the first episode when Saint Pete comes into her courtroom," she said."We realise she's got quite a dark past. They call him the Tony Soprano of Newport and he asks her for a favour because he says 'you owe me one'."I've made mistakes in my past and I think we've all had roads that we've had to choose between. I've never done anything as bad as Claire, but I sort of empathise with that part of her." She said it was "a joy" to work with Cullen as similarly to their characters they have a long history, with Richards introducing Cullen to his now-fiancé, and the couple living just "down the road" from her in Cardiff."It was really interesting because Tom and I have been friends for a really long time, I think we started knowing each other when we were 16 or 17," she said. "I just think the history that we have as people and the knowledge that we have – the mistakes that we've made, the parties we've been to, whatever we've done in the past – then transferred into our characters."Speaking about recording scenes back-to-back in English and Welsh, Richards said it was challenging at first but, after a while, her "brain just clicked"."It means that you get a lot fewer takes, because obviously you have to do it in both languages and you don't have any more time in the day," she said."A lot of things on Welsh TV, quite rightly, all the language is perfect. People mutate perfectly and they don't use a lot of English words. "But what I really enjoyed is that we portrayed the kind of Welsh that you would hear in Newport, through Claire, which is also the kind of Welsh I speak."It's not as sophisticated, but it is real and I really thought it was important that we are representing an area of Wales in that way, because that's how people speak there."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gripping new legal thriller that left star ‘terrified' can't be missed
Reach Screen Time spoke exclusively to Mudtown stars Tom Cullen and Erin Richards A gripping new TV drama is set to hit our screens this month, promising viewers a captivating tale brimming with tension and conflict, reports Wales Online. This comes as audiences are binging another crime drama. Mudtown, set in Newport, Wales, centres around magistrate Claire Lewis Jones (portrayed by Erin Richards), who finds herself in a dilemma when her childhood friend's daughter is accused of arson. Claire's personal and professional worlds collide as she attempts to preside over the case. Adding to the complexity, her ex-lover and local gangster Saint Pete (Tom Cullen) re-enters her life, seeking her assistance in court. She finds herself torn between divided loyalties and ensuring justice is served. Mudtown was co-created by Keeping Faith actor and writer Hannah Daniels along with real-life magistrate Georgia Lee. In an exclusive chat with Reach Screen Time, lead stars Cullen and Richards shared their thoughts on joining the series. Cullen confessed he'd been extremely hesitant about accepting the role of crime boss Saint Pete, despite having portrayed real-life gangster Johnny Palmer in BBC's The Gold. He revealed: "On a personal level, Pete is a character that I've never really got to play before and when they offered it to me, I was absolutely terrified and confused as to why they wanted me to play this character. "And I was absolutely terrified of the prospect of playing because I thought it was way beyond my reach, capabilities as an actor and for that reason, also, I decided to do it, to scare myself." Explaining his decision to join Mudtown, Cullen said: "Lots attracted me to the show. Just on a script-level, I found it really interesting. "I thought that its themes really resonated with me and the socio-political aspect to it about the choices we make and what choices do we have when we grow up in certain areas, and the different paths a certain decision can make, I found that really interesting. I also thought that the characters were so complex." He revealed he was also attracted to the project due to the opportunity to work in his native Wales, which he rarely got to do and "work with friends" he'd "known for years", describing it as a "joyous experience". The Crown and Gotham star Richards confessed she had similar motivations for joining Mudtown, admitting she was also drawn to the chance to work in Wales and be near her family. "It was such a dream and it was the first job I did since having my son, who is now two-and-a-half, but was one, and just the ability to come home every night and see him and sleep in my own bed, and travel to Newport which is somewhere I've never been before but obviously visited a lot," she said. Richards and Cullen have been friends for years after starring in a film together when they were just 16, which she confessed boosted their on-screen spark and transformed her acting. The actress revealed: "I had a specific idea of who Claire was and I was playing her a certain way, and then when I would do the scenes with Tom, she would like change a little bit and I didn't plan for that to happen. "But I think just because of the history that Tom and I have and how much we know about each other, it really reflected how Claire and Saint Pete were together. It was a really dynamic we had as friends but also had as characters." The programme was filmed back-to-back in English and Welsh, like numerous Welsh productions including the aforementioned Keeping Faith and The Light in the Hall. Recording simultaneously in both languages meant the Welsh-speaking actors would begin in one tongue for a scene and then switch to the other language for the following scene depending on the take. Richards confessed: "It was a real mind-bending thing at the beginning, but then halfway through I got used to it and my brain would just do it and click into place." The performer got ready for the part by observing magistrates courts in both Cardiff and Newport, discovering how it operated and acknowledged she was "surprised" that more programmes about the court hadn't been created. Addressing the possibility of a second season, Richards teased: "I think the final episode, the final scene leaves it open to another series. I would love to do one. Cullen added: "I'd love to do one. We'll see how it goes, fingers crossed." Mudtown is available on U&alibi from August 29 at 9pm, available on Sky, Virgin Media and NOW
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Gritty Welsh crime thriller with Downton Abbey and The Crown stars promises gripping drama
Gritty Welsh crime thriller with Downton Abbey and The Crown stars promises gripping drama Reach Screen Time spoke exclusively to the lead stars of Mudtown about your next big watch Downton Abbey's Tom Cullen plays Saint Pete in Mudtown A gritty new TV drama will be hitting screens this month, serving up audiences a compelling story filled with tension and conflict. The show comes as another mystery thriller will be arriving later this year. Mudtown is set in Newport, Wales and follows magistrate Claire Lewis Jones (played by Erin Richards), who is thrown into a quandary when the daughter of a childhood friend is brought in on arson charges. Claire quickly finds her personal and professional lives colliding as she tries to preside over the case. To add another layer of complication, former flame and local gangster Saint Pete (Tom Cullen) turns up in Claire's life again, enlisting her help in the courtroom. She will be left torn over divided loyalties and making sure justice is served. Mudtown was co-created by Keeping Faith actor and writer Hannah Daniels alongside real-life magistrate Georgia Lee. In an exclusive interview with Reach Screen Time, lead stars Cullen and Richards opened up about signing onto the series. Article continues below The Crown star Erin Richards leads Mudtown (Image: UKTV) Cullen admitted he'd been highly tentative about taking on the role of crime lord Saint Pete, despite portraying real-life gangster Johnny Palmer in BBC's The Gold. He said: 'On a personal level, Pete is a character that I've never really got to play before and when they offered it to me, I was absolutely terrified and confused as to why they wanted me to play this character. 'And I was absolutely terrified of the prospect of playing because I thought it was way beyond my reach, capabilities as an actor and for that reason, also, I decided to do it, to scare myself.' Addressing why he wanted to do Mudtown, Cullen explained: Lots attracted me to the show. Just on a script-level, I found it really interesting. 'I thought that its themes really resonated with me and the socio-political aspect to it about the choices we make and what choices do we have when we grow up in certain areas, and the different paths a certain decision can make, I found that really interesting. I also thought that the characters were so complex.' He said he was also drawn to the project because of the chance to work in his home nation of Wales, which he rarely got to do and 'work with friends' he'd 'known for years', describing it as a 'joyous experience'. Tom Cullen admitted he was terrified of his Mudtown role (Image: UKTV) While The Crown and Gotham star Richards admitted she had similar reasons for signing onto Mudtown, admitting she was also drawn to the opportunity to work in Wales as well as the chance to be close to her family. 'It was such a dream and it was the first job I did since having my son, who is now two-and-a-half, but was one, and just the ability to come home every night and see him and sleep in my own bed, and travel to Newport which is somewhere I've never been before but obviously visited a lot,' she said. Richards and Cullen have known each other for years after making a film together when they were just 16, which she admitted enhanced their onscreen chemistry and altered her performance. The star said: 'I had a specific idea of who Claire was and I was playing her a certain way, and then when I would do the scenes with Tom, she would like change a little bit and I didn't plan for that to happen. 'But I think just because of the history that Tom and I have and how much we know about each other, it really reflected how Claire and Saint Pete were together. It was a really dynamic we had as friends but also had as characters.' Erin Richards plays a magistrate in legal drama Mudtown (Image: UKTV) The series was shot consecutively in English and Welsh, like many Welsh productions including the aforementioned Keeping Faith and The Light in the Hall. Shooting back-to-back in the two languages meant the Welsh-speaking cast would start off in one language for a scene and then flip to the other language for the next scene depending on the shot. Richards admitted: 'It was a real mind-bending thing at the beginning, but then halfway through I got used to it and my brain would just do it and click into place.' The actress prepared for the role by sitting in at magistrates courts in both Cardiff and Newport, learning how it worked and admitted she was 'surprised' that more shows about the court hadn't been made. Addressing the possibility of a second season, Richards teased: 'I think the final episode, the final scene leaves it open to another series. I would love to do one. Cullen added: 'I'd love to do one. We'll see how it goes, fingers crossed.' Article continues below Mudtown is available on U&alibi from August 29 at 9pm, available on Sky, Virgin Media and NOW
