Northwest Vision and Media, create the bigger picture
Liverpool Lilies are a success
LIVERPOOL LILIES ARE A SUCCESS
THE new BBC1 drama, Lilies, started on Friday January 12, attracting 5.3 million viewers at 9pm, taking it above the channel’s slot average of 5 million.
The Liverpool Film Office, which is funded by the city council and located within the Culture Company, played a significant part in helping to get the 60-minute drama on to the screen, with Film Officer, Kevin Bell, particularly proud of the role he was able to play.
“Right from the start we were very hands-on in helping find the right locations for Lilies,” says Kevin, who together with Liverpool Film Office colleague, Tracy Owen, had worked on the project for two years before filming finally began.
The drama tells the story of three sisters’ coming-of-age in post First-World War Liverpool. “The producers researched the project locally, but the location manager looked at other locations across the Northwest before he decided on Liverpool,” confides Kevin, who works for North West Vision, the film, TV and digital media development agency for the Northwest.
Kevin was among the millions who tuned in to watch Lilies on Friday night, but as he reveals, his mind wasn’t fully concentrated on the story.
“I can’t enjoy a programme properly when I know it’s been filmed in Liverpool - I’m too busy pointing out where they filmed this scene or that, or what part of the city doubled for somewhere else, so I miss a lot of the story!” he says.
“But I always feel so proud when a production company
commits to filming here, and when the result is something as good
as Lilies, it makes me even prouder.”
