I wrote the script for our film, The Deterrent, which Justin expertly set up and shot on Saturday, including taking the opportunity to capture drone footage before the sun went down!

The Deterrent is a micro sci-fi, a suburban Dr. Strangelove that examines the consequences of unlimited destructive power, while appealing to those who have struggled with new gadgets that don’t quite work as well as they should.

John plays the uptight Lionel, who is doing his best to relax at home, when a mysterious appliance starts malfunctioning. Gill Attrill plays tech support agent Carol, who further enrages Lionel during a fraught phone call, with potentially apocalyptic consequences.

Our past experience working together made the process of completing a film in 48 hours more feasible. John previously starred in Justin’s film Tempest. I worked with Justin on The Arena, which starred Greta Scacchi, and The Mirror, while John took the lead in The Last Lighthouse Keeper.

For the challenge, The Deterrent had to be edited to a time frame of five minutes or less. We’re now looking at completing a future edit, for showings elsewhere, which could extend it.

For now, we’re looking forward to seeing our film on the big screen next Thursday. Many thanks for Film Sussex for this refreshing chance, rare in the film world of ‘development hell’, to make and present a film to an audience in such a short space of time!

The last remaining members of international pop sensation Get Real suffer a final humiliation at the dilapidated Funworld Holiday Park, and it’s the final straw for founding members Chaz and KK. It’s time for the mother of all comebacks, a musical! Follow the group as they reform, overcome their past differences, and reclaim the glory of stardom. All references to 90s pop bands are purely circumstantial…

Get Real: The Return! features a talented cast of 9, with direction and choreography by Amy Bowyer. and musical direction by Simon Gray. The production features songs old and new, with music for the original lyrics written by Dave Mantle, who is also technical director.

Out Cast’s 2025 Brighton Fringe show, Eurovision: NOTBIG Decides!, was a Bespoke Black Books pick of the fringe:
“A riot of original songs, comedic chaos and exaggerated characters. Even casual Eurovision fans will be swept up in the sheer joy of it all.”

Audience feedback the 2025 show:
“It was really apparent what the theme of the beautiful writing was, and it was incredibly moving. I cried at the end of the first half, and I stood up and danced at the end of the second….funny and fulfilling.”
“So many great moments, too many to pick a favourite, everyone shone. Brilliant!”

You can find out more about the last year’s Fringe show here

“It was really apparent what the theme of the beautiful writing was, and it was incredibly moving. I cried at the end of the first half, and I stood up and danced at the end of the second….funny and fulfilling.”

“It should be on every year so we can learn the words and sing along. You’ve all got great comic timing. I’m so glad we got to see it, my face hurt from smiling so much! Encore!”

Review by Bespoke Black Book for Out Cast’s Brighton Fringe show, Eurovision: NOTBIG Decides!

“A riot of original songs, comedic chaos and exaggerated characters. Even casual Eurovision fans will be swept up in the sheer joy of it all.”

You can find out more about the last year’s Halloween show here

I received some great feedback on the script, which was especially encouraging as I know that verse dialogue is unusual as part of a film script. You can read more about Blank Canvas here

Featuring a mix of original songs and fan favourites, the musical follows the fortunes of a tiny island country, the Northern Overseas Territory of Biglandia Island Group (NOTBIG) as it attempts to enter Eurovision. Having tried several failed schemes to make NOTBIG great again (or great in the first place!), the president decides that entering – and hopefully winning – the Eurovision Song Contest will help the country make its mark on the international stage.

The whole island becomes devoted to a nationwide musical effort to write their winning entry – and the audience will help them decide the act they should send though to the contest. But not everything goes according to plan…

I last wrote a script performed by Out Cast for their sell-out Halloween musical, Camp Fear. For this latest show, Simon Gray returns as musical director, while Dave Mantle has written the music for the original songs.

In the words of Elliot Toms: “More that just a humorous origin story of a certain famous cartoon franchise, Camp Fear is a take of confronting our inner demons, conquering hate with love, and embracing differences.”

The cast featured professional actors, those returning to acting, and singers acting for the first time. Musical direction was by Simon Gray, who has a career in opera and musical theatre, on national tours, in the West End, regional theatres and in major concert houses in the UK and worldwide. Katie Mayfield, director and choreographer, has worked both locally in Sussex and further afield on productions including Jack and the Beanstalk and Sleeping Beauty for Ropetackle Arts.

The whole team was pleased to receive great audience feedback, which was invited after the show to inform the company’s future productions.

“Super inclusive! Felt joyful.”

“Really moving and funny. Had a tear in my eye.”

“The right amount of silly!”

“So many great moments – too many to pick a favourite, everyone shone at some point… Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! Glad it’s a sell-out show.”

“My face hurt from smiling so much and it’s left me in such a good mood. Encore!”

The session featuring Time and Tide was called Lost at Sea, encompassing a variety of films inspired by the sea that the festival organisers described as as ‘reflective, calming or a force of nature’. I took part in the Q&A following the session. You can check out the full festival programme here – and the trailer, which includes some shots from Time and Tide, is here