White Van Man

White Van Man Filming

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Will MellorThe Stockport Citizen reports that filming for White Van Man - the comedy starring Will Mellor and Georgia is filming in and around Cheadle.

The piece is primarily about Will Mellor (who hails from Stockport) and doesn't mention Georgia, however the article mentions eight other cast members, of which Georgia should be one.

The original article was written by Louise Kelly and was published on 26th July 2010.

The newspaper reports:

A BBC comedy drama was filmed at a betting shop in Cheadle. The series called ‘White Van Man’ stars Will Mellor, who is from Stockport and has appeared in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Hollyoaks.

Filming started at 7am on Monday morning at Best Bet Bookmakers at Old Rectory Gardens parallel to Wilmslow Road, Cheadle and lasted all day. Lorries and vans carrying filming equipment and props took over the Old Rectory Gardens, causing passersby to stop and ask what was happening. The series is being produced by ITV Studios but will be shown on BBC 3 in January 2011.

The production team, lead by producer Rohan Acharya, have been using suburban locations throughout the Stockport and Manchester area to create a fictional village for the show. Will said: “I’m from Stockport so it’s nice to be back home and filming up north. I can get my family out to have a look at what’s going on so it’s nice. I’ve been looking forward to this show since last year when it was commissioned.”

Eight cast members and 10 background artists were at the betting shop location in Cheadle ready to start filming. The crew have been filming for three weeks and have got another three weeks left.

You can read the full article here.

BBC orders Poynton's White Man Van comedy

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Adrian PoyntonBBC Three has ordered a six-part sitcom about a reluctant handyman, written by stand-up Adrian Poynton.

In White Van Man, Two Pints Of Lager star Will Mellor will play Ollie, an aspiring restaurateur whose dreams are dashed when his father suffers a heart attack and he has to take over the family painting and decorating business. Clive Mantle will play the father.

The series will be shot with a single camera, documentary-style, with no laughter track, and filming starts in the summer.

Executive producer Saurabh Kakkar said: ‘The show has a kind of My Name Is Earl feel to it, in that it’s an everyday world populated with wonderful, larger-than-life characters.’
BBC Three commissioning editor Simon Lupton added: ‘Adrian has created a heart-warming world that can deliver big laughs. It’s rare to find a new writer who can write with such confidence.’

BBC Three Commissions ITV Studios Comedy White Van Man

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Will MellorLondon, 14th January 2010 --

ITV STUDIOS Comedy and BBC Three today confirmed the production of White Van Man, a major new 6 x 30 minute scripted comedy produced by ITV STUDIOS for BBC Three primetime. The series will star Will Mellor and Clive Mantle.

Saurabh Kakkar, Creative Director of Comedy at ITV STUDIOS (UK) said, “We‘re all incredibly excited to be making White Van Man for BBC Three. Having worked briefly in a White Van in my youth, I feel a little of Ollie’s pain as he tries to make the best of his unpredictable lot. I think audiences will too; it’s a real slice of modern working life, full of warmth and great gags and reinforces what a huge talent Will Mellor is.”

Kakkar added, “It’s also the first narrative created by writer and stand-up Adrian Poynton, and we’re really proud, along with BBC Three, to be developing new talent in this way.”

Simon Lupton, Commissioning Editor at the BBC said, "Adrian has created a heart-warming world that can deliver big laughs, and characters you quickly fall in love with.  It's rare to find a new writer who can write with such confidence, and with such a strong team beside him we firmly believe White Van Man will be a treat for the viewers.  We are also delighted that BBC Three can continue its relationship with Will Mellor.  A firm favourite in Two Pints of Lager, the audience is going to love him in this new role."

Commissioned by Danny Cohen, Controller BBC Three and Cheryl Taylor, Controller, Comedy Commissioning, White Van Man centres upon the reluctant heir of a family handyman business and the challenges and frustrations that his new calling presents.

When Ollie’s (Will Mellor, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) dad Tony (Clive Mantle, The Vicar of Dibley) has to take unplanned retirement following a heart attack, he is not convinced that his son is equipped for the world of painting and decorating. Ollie’s background is in the more refined world of catering - he has always dreamed of having his own restaurant, not a white Ford Transit. But, with no other options available to father or son, Ollie agrees to take time out from his plans to run a luxury eatery to hold the fort at his dad’s business.

The series profiles an underdog trying to scratch a living for his father while hurdling an onslaught of chaotic situations, which tempt him to flee in his van. That is, if it wasn’t for Emma (Georgia Moffett, Dr Who), a severe crush from catering college, holding him back and the least helpful helper known to man….

White Van Man stars Will Mellor (The Street; Hollyoaks; Casualty), Clive Mantle (Holby City; Casualty), Georgia Moffet (Merlin; Spooks), Naomi Bentley (Mutual Friends; Primeval) and Joel Fry (Massive; 10,000BC).

White Van Man will be filmed on location in Manchester summer 2010 and is written by Adrian Poynton, winner of the Fringe First Award for A Very Naughty Boy; directed by James Strong, who directed Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, The Voyage of the Damned (featuring Kylie Minogue) and affiliated series Torchwood; Director of Photography is Steve Buckland whose work includes Hotel Babylon and Shameless.  White Van Man is produced by Rohan Acharya and executive produced by Saurabh Kakkar, who also executive produced the highly anticipated The Fattest Man in Britain written by Jeff Pope and Caroline Aherne  for ITV1.

White Van Man is an ITV STUDIOS production.

Original press release here.