91Èȱ¬

"The trick of good TV is to make it all look easy. It's not easy. It's hard."

- Ben Mycroft - director of Bellamy's People (of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) TO GIVE IT ITS FULL TITLE

Hi! I'm Ben Mycroft, Producer/Director of Bellamy's People (of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to give it its full title) - it seems that Gary's not the only one who's been terrorized by these online guys! Still, it's a pleasure to be asked to write a few words and give you, the viewers (or what Gary likes to call the 'Great British Public') another perspective on the making of Bellamy's People (of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [tgiift*]).

* "tgiift" is an acronym for "to give it its full title".

First, though, let me tell you a little bit about how I got to where I am today in case there are any budding program makers out there who want to how you become a successful program maker. Well, the answer is two things - hard work and... hard work!

After graduating from Bristol I went straight into a job in the media, but with a reputable broadcaster as opposed to a station in a small Canadian settlement where their main audience is a couple of rednecks and 2000 moose.

It can be difficult getting into TV, but fortunately the then-head of current affairs at the 91Èȱ¬ was an old family friend and he helped me find a position in news that wasn't just photocopying or making tea for the producers. I quickly discovered that my real interest was behind the camera.

My true abilities were best realized when I was leading a team towards a common goal. I'm a team player at heart, and every team needs a captain, or manager, or both. Fortunately, Dan Sommersby, Series producer on Crimewatch remembered me from school and he gave me my first break directing the crime reconstruction sequences.

Since then I have worked on a variety of programs, from Factual Entertainment Programs such as Some Mothers do Hate 'em and Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride (both 91Èȱ¬ Three, and produced by Lisa Walsh, an ex-girlfriend form Uni) to more mainstream entertainment shows such as Top Gear and Junior Masterchef. Top Gear was a blast - all fast cars and explosions, like Bad Boys 2 set in Guildford. The guys are just brilliant as well - you might not think it but a lot of all the stuff they say and do is totally improvised. I honestly think they're funnier than most comedians, especially James May.

I also directed the DVD Extras for Coast, being the first person to shoot the whole of the eastern side of the country from the air, for which I won a craft award at the Bradford Documentary Film Festival. Some people are a bit sniffy about this but secretly everyone knows it's the flashy shots of beaches, not Neil Oliver, that shift the DVDs so I am pretty proud of it really. In fact, 91Èȱ¬ One liked it so much that they used a shot from just off the coast of Bamburgh for one of their idents (the one with the seagulls going round in circles).

Recently I made a one off documentary for 91Èȱ¬ Four with Andrew Marr, A History of the Village Green.Ìý Andy's a great guy - it's great working with professionals like him and Richard Hammond - they bring so much presence to a program and have a natural talent that really shows on screen. My long term aim, though, is really to make films. Proper films with actors. I am developing a short film script with Kelly Brooks' production company.

More Bellamy's People

• Read Gary Bellamy's introductory post, The Genesis Of BPOTTUKOGBANI
• Read Gary Bellamy's biography and see him behind the microphone
  

Ben MyCroft is the director/producer of the forthcoming Bellamy's People. In the run-up to transmission he will be giving weekly insights into working with presenter Gary Bellamy here on the 91Èȱ¬ Comedy Blog.