❉ Louise Jameson stars as Grandma Polly in a new web series from Third Time Lucky Productions.
The series, set during the current Coronavirus pandemic, is made up of three 3-minute dramas, following Jamie (Ashleigh Carter), a young Welsh man in his mid-twenties and his relationships with his partner Ben (Devante Fleming), grandmother Polly (Louise Jameson) and his friends.
When the virus hits, Jamie is at home in Wales, while Ben has gone to visit his mother in Australia. Separated, and with no hope of seeing each other till the travel restrictions are lifted, the couple find themselves caught between action and limbo, making plans for ‘when all this is over.’
Whenever that is.
Self-Isolation is a micro-drama that explores the impact of Coronavirus on friends, family, and partners, and the way in which we’re all responding to a world in isolation – with fear, with hope, with plans and sharing, and with determination to make the most of time and each other once the virus is done.
Assuming it’s ever done.
And assuming the people we love are all still here.
Jamie and his gran, Polly, played by Jameson, are the subject of Episode 2, written by Simone Greenwood (who wrote the short film Tabard, which aired on BBC Wales in 2019). The episode deals with character and conversation, with Polly reinforcing the importance of family, of inspiration, and of shared memories in an isolated world.
Louise Jameson will of course be familiar to a very wide audience, and is best known for a handful of pivotal TV roles, as Doctor Who companion Leela (1977-78), as Doctor Anne Reynolds in 1979’s The Omega Factor, as Blanche Simmons in Tenko (1981-3), as Susan Young in Bergerac (1085-90) and as Rosa di Marco in Eastenders (1998-2000).
In recent years, she’s added writing and directing to her CV, winning respect and plaudits for her award-nominated audio drama ATA Girls for Big Finish.
The series was filmed in ways compliant with the UK government’s advice on social distance and isolation, showing conversations through web media like Skype, both to keep actors safe and to reflect the reality of the isolating world.
On getting Louise Jameson for Self-Isolation, Producer and Director Andrew Creak said:
“We decided we wanted Louise early in pre-production for the series, and once we imagined Louise as Polly, we couldn’t imagine anyone else. Polly’s a source of inspiration, of fun, of love and of life to Jamie. Once you know that, you immediately hear Louise Jameson’s voice in your head.”
Creak added “It was important for us to try and create a series that would help highlight the current situation in the world, while supporting creatives who have been hugely affected by the current outbreak, with around 170,000 people losing their jobs within the television and film industry. We wanted to use the small budget which was assigned to a now-cancelled project to support writers, actors and other creatives as best we can.”
Self-Isolation is Third Time Lucky’s first outing in visual media, as the company launched at Christmas 2019 in audio with a frenzied family murder mystery, Christmas Buffet Roulette, written by crime novelist Gail Williams and starring Simon Fisher-Becker.
Third Time Lucky also has a Patreon supporters page for anyone who would be interested in supporting future projects.
❉ ‘Self-Isolation’ will be released on the Third Time Lucky Productions YouTube channel in early May.
❉ News source: Third Time Lucky Productions.
❉ We Are Cult is not responsible for the content of this news release.
