BABYSITTERS
Babysitters: History
The story of this project goes back to 1998 when A. G. Longhurst had an idea for a stage play about a hardened criminal broken out of prison by colleagues and friends. The story was then developed into a screenplay and was to be made into a film.
Plans changed and the film idea was reverted back to a stage play and a test production took place at the Brookside theatre in Romford in 2015. It was then that Robert Putt got involved and once the short run was over they collaborated to rewrite the stage play together. During this time they decided to start Longhurst and Putt Productions Ltd. To help raise funds. A promotion investment event was staged, with scenes from the play and a promo video.
It was during the shooting of the promo video that Darren S Cook got involved, focusing the promo video on two of the characters, Lucas and Albert and it was Darren who suggested that Lucas and Albert would make a good stand alone film and the rest is history.
Lucas and Albert is completed, available on Blu-ray and DVD, Amazon Prime Direct. It was entered into festivals, and received nomination for Best Feature film at the National film Awards. Lucas and Albert was then hit badly by the lock down due to the covid-19 Pandemic but still went on to win The Best Feature Award at the National Film Awards 2021.
Babysitters: The Film
The script for Babysitters is completed but we will always be open to suggestions and interpretation, as this gives the production more of flexibility and the project becomes easier to work with.
The film will be shot on location in Tendring, Essex – the same location where Lucas and Albert was shot. We have built up good will with the Tendring Council and the surrounding area, local businesses, along with the local community. We have contacted the actors and actresses that appeared in Lucas and Albert and that reappear in Babysitters and all have expressed an interest in the project.
The Director Darren S Cook and his company Scruffy Bear Pictures has agreed to come on board, along with Neil Phillips again as D.O.P. ; both companies will be putting together the cast and crew that they want. Not all the cast from Lucas and Albert will return and there will be several new characters that were spoken of in Lucas and Albert, that will make an appearance.
Babysitters: Synopsis
Babysitters is not a prequel or a sequel to Lucas and Albert but rather the events in the film take place on the same time line as Lucas and Albert. The film looks at events leading up to what happened in Lucas and Albert but from the perspective of those who were in the safe house where Charlie-boy Davis was being kept. The story also has flashbacks to why these events take place and there are several crossovers to the Lucas and Albert film. This will also give answers to unanswered questions and also ask a few more?
We are also working on a one off mini series that looks at Crime in Britain form the end of the second World War to the present, through the eyes of a female journalist that is connected to the protagonist of the films.
The film begins with a robbery that goes badly wrong that sees a young female police office crippled and the murder of a known bank robber, Marcus Johnson. This results in the arrest and conviction of Charlie Davis who is imprisoned for life. Twenty years later he is broken out from a secure hospital by his old colleagues and now crime boss and old friend, Tony MacMann, better known as Mr Mac. He is taken to a safehouse where he is accompanied by his sister Maureen (Reen) and another Old Friend Peter Slater, along with a call girl Suzanne and one of the new bread of criminals, Ali Rasheed, eventually joined by Mr Mac.
But why Now? Is it because of a pending gang war with Marcus John’s Younger Brother Trevor? Is it because Mr Mac has decided that he owes Charlie-Boy after all these years? Or is it that it is Mr Mac’s opportunity to clear up the mess once and for all? As the story unravels more secrets are revealed and the real reason for the escape is made clear. Through flashbacks the revelations are revealed and it becomes clear there is only one conclusion and why things ended the way they did in Lucas and Albert.
To be shot in colour with the back drop of the beautiful rugged coast line of the East Coast, Babysitters is every bit the crime thriller it promises to be and more.
Babysitters: The Cast
No cast is written in stone yet and in life things change but it is hoped that many of the cast will return:
Michael McKell: Who played Tony Mac has been friends with A. G. Longhurst since drama school. He has gone on to appear in such films as: Allied, Hatton Garden the Heist, Essex Boys, 13 graves as well as stage musicals such as Blood brothers, Crazy for you and Tonight’s the night. But he is best remembered for his work as Dr Nick West.
John Altman: Who played Nick Cotton in EastEnders. He has also appeared in classic British films such as Quadrophenia, Birth of the Beatles and American Werewolf in London. John has just made an album but has been a stalwart of British TV for years.
Sidney Livingstone: Has over 80 credits on IMDb. He has worked alongside some great names including Hugh Jackman in the stage version of Oklahoma. He has also appeared in About a Boy, Clockwise and countless British TV programmes.
Kim Tayforth: Played Maureen (Reen) in Lucas and Albert but has been acting for over 30 years. Her appearances include Operation Good Guys, The Knowledge, Bad girls and Brookside.
James Osborne: Who gave an outstanding performance in Lucas and Albert and will be repeating that role in Babysitters has also appeared in Ten Percent, Hatton Garden the Heist. He and A. G. Longhurst have been friends since they were teenagers and grew up together on the same housing estate and were at Anna Scher’s together. They have appeared together on stage and on screen.
These are just a few but there are many more: Sidney Kean, Cassandra French, Claudia Grace McKell, Paul King and new comer Beth Linnell.
We also have on board some great investors including barrister James Pickering who appears in Lucas and Albert and we hope will reprise that role as well. We have the support of the local Tendring Council with Local Councillor Daniel Land, as well as Essex Councillor Mark Platt and MP Giles Watling who have given their support. This combined with local business and the local community helps to make things run smoothly.
New Cast
Babysitters is in pre-production mode and we hope that we will be able to start shooting later in 2023. Many of the original cast have expressed an interest in
returning and recreating the roles they did in Lucas and Albert. There are several new characters that were mentioned in the previous film that will now make an appearance in Babysitters. We have included some of these in a teaser trailer and these include: Steve Ward, David Biscoe and with two outstanding talents
Ian Burfield and Oliver Cotton, (who was A.G.Longhurst drama tutor back in the 1980’s). This production will be far more diverse as it a bigger production. We hope to give opportunities to everyone; younger and older artists from all ethnic backgrounds as the script allows.
Investment & Enquiries
After the success of Lucas and Albert we know there is a market for Babysitters, but Babysitters needs to deliver on a bigger scale. Yes the task is bigger, yes we need a bigger cast, crew and budget but this means bigger rewards. We have proved with Lucas and Albert that we are more than capable of delivering this project within time and on budget.
Investments are always a risk and investing in a film projects usually always ends badly, so we will start by saying that there is no guarantee that an investor will get their money back. But after the last year nothing is definite.
But what we can guarantee is that you will be embarking on a remarkable journey that will create memories that will last a life time. Whatever level you want to invest at be it for monetary or corporate reasons or both, this is a wonderful and still a great opportunity.
For investment and other enquiries related to our upcoming project, Babysitters, please also use the contact form or contact details below.