Latest news with #WakingtheDead
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Writer on Waking the Dead behind fascinating exhibition in Bolton
A screenwriter behind series such as Waking the Dead and DCI Banks, has recently shifted his focus to sculpture, unveiling his debut exhibition at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Train Station. Heralding from Painswick in Gloucestershire, Laurence Davey moved to South Manchester five years ago after accepting a position at Bolton University (now the University of Greater Manchester) teaching the undergraduate course for Film and Television Production. SCENE took Laurence around a year to fully complete. (Image: Leah Collins) The opening night for his debut exhibition, SCENE, which was unveiled at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Train Station, was a roaring success. The monumental wood ensemble, the tallest being 12 feet high and eight feet across, has evoked powerful and conflicting feelings in spectators. SCENE was unveiled on May 22 at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Train Station. READ MORE: There is a fascinating tension exuding from the exhibit. Laurence's 10 sculptures are made from trees all over the UK, including his hometown. One of the key themes that SCENE explores is the idea of bringing the rural back to one of the centres of the Industrial Revolution, to the train station that once brought so many rural people to cities to make commodities and perhaps be commodified. Laurence said: 'I've had a life-long interest in sculpture, but I decided to study English Literature at Oxford University, which put me on a different path entirely. 'Growing up in Painswick, famous for its 99 Yew trees in the Churchyard next to my primary school, these trees left us frightened and enchanted. They were menacing and had presence. "Each sculpture is made from a different wood; Sycamore, Birch, Holly, Apple wood, Cherry wood, Pine, Walnut wood. The sculptures are vastly different in size, with each one made from a different type of wood. (Image: Leah Collins) 'I used power tools in addition to gouges to create the sculptures, which were then finished with a beeswax polish. I'm a father of two and have a full-time job, so this was certainly a jobs" target="_blank">work in progress. Overall, it took around a year to complete. 'Initially, I sketched an outline, two orbs pulling away from one another but still connected. In this piece, the sculpture as made from a walnut log from Staffordshire. 'I wanted to create this feeling in the viewer when they held the sculpture, interacting with it, of a solid form that becomes fragile and infantile – a collision of protectiveness and violence. 'One of my personal favourites is the maternal figure, placed on the left of the circular exhibit. It has a womb-like body with a protective hand-like figure protruding from it. A mother turned out violent and religious with wings. 'The largest of the figures, passive and male, I first took inspiration from the idea of a crown. It's made from a sawn up birch tree. This figure is mounted on a steel bolt to give the appearance that is erupting from the void.' The largest of the figures was initially inspired by the form of a crown, Laurence adds. (Image: Leah Collins) Each sculpture is placed on a suspended black circular base, which Laurence says was painted with an expensive paint, the closest to military-grade Vantablack in order to absorb the surrounding light and create the impression of a 'void'. Laurence added: 'SCENE explores the return of animism; the combined sculptures are anthropomorphic and zoological. 'It's also uncanny; there's resonance between structures of our sentience – perhaps aspects that we would rather deny. There wasn't a direct inspiration for SCENE and each viewer responds to the sculptures differently. 'Part of the meaning of SCENE comes from the space in which it is exhibited: trees have been bought into Bolton Railway Station. The viewer experiences various encounters with Guardian Trees, Sentinel Trees and Trees of animism.' SCENE is available to view at the P5 Gallery on Bolton Railway Station until June 15.
The Independent
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Waking the Dead star on the big regret of his career
Actor Trevor Eve has expressed regret over his reputation for being difficult, admitting it has cost him work opportunities. He clarified that his "difficulty" stemmed from his dedication to improving scripts and production quality, not personal demands. Eve revealed he's become more reserved in recent years in order to secure roles. He also discussed his 2011 departure from Waking the Dead, citing proposed budget cuts at the BBC that would have compromised the show's quality. Eve said he has always been committed to delivering the best possible work, even if it meant pushing for changes.
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.'
