Latest news with #Shoestring
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Walking the beat of a fictional TV detective
A new walking tour celebrating a quirky detective show has had interest "from all over the country", its organiser says. John Hughes, who has run the "Haunted and Hidden Bristol" tour for more than 20 years, has now launched a route based on the locations used to film the BBC TV show Shoestring, starring Trevor Eve. Shoestring ran for two seasons on the BBC in 1979 and 1980 and attracted up to 20 million viewers an episode. Mr Hughes said there is still a lot of nostalgia about the show because "it shows Bristol as it used to be" and lots of the filming locations are still unchanged after 40 years. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol The show followed the life of Eddie Shoestring - a struggling private detective who also has his own show on the fictional "Radio West". Mr Hughes said: "It was different, it was the first detective series where the guy was fallible, because the guy had had a breakdown. "He had a boat, he was a bit eccentric, he used to wear a pyjama top rather than a normal shirt. He was quirky - a private detective working for a radio station, it was just different for its time." Mr Hughes remembers seeing it being filmed when he was working his first job at paper and packaging company Dickinson Robinson Group. "I used to take the waste paper from the old computers to be shredded by the Fleece and Firkin music venue, when took the waste paper out we's see them filming Shoestring across the water on Welsh back," he said. "I was a huge fan - after work one day I went over and met Trevor Eve and Michael Medwin who were the stars of the show and they were really nice." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Walking the Bristol beat of fictional detective Eddie Shoestring
A new walking tour celebrating a quirky detective show has had interest "from all over the country", its organiser Hughes, who has run the "Haunted and Hidden Bristol" tour for more than 20 years, has now launched a route based on the locations used to film the BBC TV show Shoestring, starring Trevor ran for two seasons on the BBC in 1979 and 1980 and attracted up to 20 million viewers an Hughes said there is still a lot of nostalgia about the show because "it shows Bristol as it used to be" and lots of the filming locations are still unchanged after 40 years. The show followed the life of Eddie Shoestring - a struggling private detective who also has his own show on the fictional "Radio West".Mr Hughes said: "It was different, it was the first detective series where the guy was fallible, because the guy had had a breakdown."He had a boat, he was a bit eccentric, he used to wear a pyjama top rather than a normal shirt. He was quirky - a private detective working for a radio station, it was just different for its time." Mr Hughes remembers seeing it being filmed when he was working his first job at paper and packaging company Dickinson Robinson Group."I used to take the waste paper from the old computers to be shredded by the Fleece and Firkin music venue, when took the waste paper out we's see them filming Shoestring across the water on Welsh back," he said."I was a huge fan - after work one day I went over and met Trevor Eve and Michael Medwin who were the stars of the show and they were really nice."
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Trevor Eve says he regrets ‘losing work' because of his ‘reputation'
Trevor Eve has said he 'regrets' his reputation for being a difficult actor to work with as it has 'lost' him roles. The British actor shot to fame in 1979 with his lead role in detective series Shoestring, but is perhaps best known for playing Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC drama Waking the Dead. Over the years, the actor has gained notoriety for allegedly being challenging behind the scenes – and he's now admitted he 'upset some people' along the way. 'I was only difficult because I cared,' the actor told Radio Times. 'It was never about the size of my trailer or my car being late. It was, 'Why are we doing this?'. 'I rewrote a lot of my stuff because I was taught to believe if there's something you don't want to say, don't say it.' He added to The Times: 'If you could actually spend 20 minutes making something better, then spend the time and make it better.' However, Eve said that he now holds back from sharing his honest views as he was losing roles as a consequence – and said that he 'regrets' his reputation 'hugely'. 'For the last 10 years, I haven't opened my mouth because I like to work,' he continued. 'It's very easy to get not employed in the industry.' The actor also reflected on quitting Waking the Dead in 2011, after playing Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd for nine series, due to proposed budget cuts at the BBC. According to the actor, who was reportedly paid £1m per series, these cuts would have affected the quality of the show, which he said 'should have ended in 2007'. He said 'If you're the lead actor in something, you are the face on the screen. So really your investment is huge compared to somebody who's coming on just for two weeks or three or four weeks and they're gone.' Speaking about his decision at the time, Eve told The Independent: 'The BBC basically didn't have the money to continue to make it as it is. At the moment we are in the studio 50 per cent of the time and on location the rest, but the new budget meant it would be an 80/20 split. It just wouldn't be the same. 'I care about the stuff I do and want it to be the best it can possibly be. You'll have a scene that isn't right, and some people say 'just shoot it', and then when they watch it back it's nonsense. I want to do things right. I'm just genetically set that way.'
