Bring the Drama is the new six-part BBC series opening up the world of screen drama to eight people who have always dreamt of becoming professional actors but have never had the opportunity.
Hosted by actor and comedian Bill Bailey, the eight aspiring actors are mentored over six weeks by renowned casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry, who has cast shows including Bridgerton, Gangs of London, Ghosts and Broadchurch. In each episode, the aspiring actors are welcomed onto some of the real-life sets from celebrated UK dramas and tasked with working together to recreate iconic scenes with the real scripts, real cameras and the real time pressures that professional actors face.
In episode 4 on the series, the actors’ skills are put to the test on the set of Casualty in Cardiff. They need to deliver instant and convincing reactions to a life-and-death situation while also conveying the personal narrative bubbling underneath. The filming is much tougher than they expect and a real taste of how intense screen-acting can be. Luckily, Casualty star Charles Venn (Jacob) is there to guide them through.
Bill Bailey says: “It has been a delight to work on Bring The Drama and witness first-hand how the actors have grown in confidence and skills over the weeks. What I particularly liked was the way it shows the whole process of making TV – being on an actual set, with a real crew to help you learn what it’s really like. It was great fun but also a brilliant insight into how casting works and a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of some of our most popular tv shows.”
You can catch the episode on BBC IPlayer
