A local vicar has found himself starring in a BBC drama series, alongside stars from Gavin and Stacey and The Crown.
Filming is taking place in Tenby for a ‘twisty witty’ detective drama, Old Town Murders starring Steffan Rhodri, who played Dave Coaches in Gavin and Stacey, and Mark Lewis Jones, who has appeared in Baby Reindeer, Stella, Keeping Faith and The Crown.
Rhodi and Lewis Jones play two detectives solving a string of murders in a seaside community.
DI Glyn Walsh (Jones) and DS Sion Dearden (Rhodri) are two officers thrown together by circumstance. Among the cases they tackle are a university professor’s mysterious death, a head teacher’s poisoning during a wild swim, and a bizarre triathlon mix-up that turns deadly.
Written by Welsh screenwriter Matthew Barry — known for Men Up and The Guest — the six-part drama promises to combine crime and comedy with warmth and heart.
Filming is taking place all this week in Tenby and also at Wiseman’s Bridge.
Yesterday the crew descended on St Julian’s Church near the harbour where local vicar, Reverend Steven Brett found himself in a starring role.
“I was approached several months ago by the production team,” said Rev'd Brett. “They asked if they could use the church and asked about the sort of clothing a minister would wear for a certain service.
“I showed them pictures of what I would wear. They asked if I would play the part of the vicar. I thought that would be great.”
Rev'd Brett spent all of yesterday, Tuesday, May 12, filming in the church.
“We met at 7.15am for breakfast then went to the church and we were filming there all day.
“It was quite an interesting process,” he said. “The scene we were filming, a memorial service, will last about four or five minutes but it took all day to get it.
“We watch TV and don’t really have a concept of how much work goes into it and how many people it takes to make it work.
“For me it was an absolutely wonderful experience. It’s a wonderful thing that it’s going to showcase Tenby. It’s great to have the town in on a TV programme.”
The filming has benefitted the church too, as the crew has taken the protective screens off the windows for filming and will clean them before replacing them.
“This is great for us, as that will really help the church stand out,” said Rev's Brett.
“I had so many comments about how lovely the church looked without them, that the clean screens will hopefully give the same effect”
Reverent Brett got to meet the TV drama’s stars briefly.
“They were so busy, they worked so hard all day,” he said. “They were a bit surprised to find out that I was an actual vicar and not just playing a vicar.”
Old Town Murders will continue to film in Tenby until May 22.
Today, Wednesday, May 13, filming will take place at St Catherine Island and the Esplanade.
On Thursday the film crew will return to St Catherine Island as well as filming at Castle Beach and the benches area on High Street.
Friday will see filming at Pier Hill and Wisemans Bridge.
Filming will break for the weekend and Monday, May 18, will see the film crews back in Seagarth, St Julian's Street, Creswell Street, Quay Hill, Bridge Street and Pier Hill.
The following day filming will take place on South Beach, Tenby.
Filming in Tenby will conclude on Friday, May 22 in Castle Square.
Share