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

But when the island’s entire population is conscripted into the official Musical Effort to create the perfect song, not everything goes according to plan…

The full production by Out Cast featured a mix of old favourites and new songs, including the eccentric NOTBIG national anthem, all expertly overseen by musical director Simon Gray. Simon has a distinguished 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.

Experienced musician and technical director Dave Mantle wrote the music for the original songs. He and film director Justin Spray also created short films that were projected as part of the production.

During the performances, the audience were treated as honorary citizens of NOTBIG. With voting made possible by QR codes, they had the chance to choose the act NOTBIG sent through to Eurovision. Audience response to the show was very positive, with feedback including:

“It was fantastic – the singing, the acting, the humour. Everyone should come and watch the 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.”

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.