Bonekickers
Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah – creators, writers and executive producers
Matthew Graham, who co-created the series with his long-standing collaborator Ashley Pharoah, explains the genesis of Bonekickers.
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"I've always loved history, and after Life On Mars we couldn't really do another time travel show. So I started toying with ways to combine drama with history.
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"One Sunday night I was watching Time Team with the kids – it's compulsory viewing in our house - and it occurred to me that maybe there was a way of taking a team of archaeologists and making them exciting. And once I started thinking about archaeologists and universities, it seemed obvious to take the idea in a 'Da Vinci Code' and 'CSI' direction, using forensic archaeology to unravel historical mysteries and 'deconstruct' history as we know it."
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Matthew has a deep and abiding passion for history and this absorbing series mirrors that. The writer underscores the significance of understanding our past.
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"There are two ways of looking at the past," reflects Matthew, who cut his teeth as a writer on Byker Grove, before penning episodes for such acclaimed series as EastEnders, Doctor Who, Spooks, Hustle and going on to co-create the hugely successful Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes.
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"One view is that we haven't changed," says Matthew. "There's a famous quote by a writer about how he was concerned that the next generation didn't respect their elders. He saw society going to pot, with kids hanging around on the streets, unemployment and rising crime – and he worried about what kind of world the next generation was growing up in. That writer was Socrates!
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"So, in some ways, things don't change. You can go to the library and have a
look at loads of cardboard boxes marked, 'Bus Station Man' or 'Tudor Boy',
who was dug up in a rugby field. You look at him and think: 'This is a
just an ordinary boy. There was probably a girl he was interested in and he
kicked a pig's bladder around and had dreams and hopes like you and me'."
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Matthew continues: "The other way of looking at our history is the flip
side: how alien 'ancient' is. That fascinates me. Did a 14th century man think the same as me? No, because he had a different set of parameters.
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Our emotions may be the same - anger, envy, etc - but he didn't have notions of celebrity status or aspiring to anything because there weren't such notions in those days. We look at that in episode 3, but I'd really like to explore further the idea of how differently people thought in the past."
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Having hit upon such a strong idea, it was time to call in the experts. Ashley and
Matthew got on the phone to Bristol University.
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Ashley, who has made his name writing scripts for EastEnders, Casualty and Silent Witness before going on to create Where The Heart Is; Down To Earth; Wild At Heart and co-create Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes, recalls: "They said, 'we've got just the man for you – Professor Mark Horton,' and that was that.
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"We'd identify areas that interested us and then would contact Mark. He would add layers of possibilities and potential directions in which to take the story.
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"That was the essence of the show really, us having the ideas and then getting Mark to elaborate and elucidate on them. He shines a light into those moments in history that no one else can see. He just has it at his fingertips.
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"At one point, we describe Gregory as 'Google with a beer gut' – which is an accurate description of Professor Mark. Writers always rely on really good sources. It was invaluable and so motivating to be able to talk up ideas with him and then add them to our original thought."
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Ashley, who with Matthew also executive produced Bonekickers, continues: "Mark is also very good at finding a way for fantasy and reality to meet and bridging the gap.
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"We wanted to ask questions: what if Boudicca had escaped? What about the genuine, archaeological possibility that the sword of Arthurian legend did exist?
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"In fact, it's extraordinary how little is made up. The basic premise does have some fantasy to it, but not a lot. The core of each episode is true.
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"Take the episode about the slave trade, for example. We were thinking about how to approach the subject, and I thought: 'wouldn't it be interesting if the
bones they dug up were 18th century but not from black slaves?' I mentioned the idea to Mark, and he said: 'that's exactly what I'm working on in Devon'."
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Ashley, who first met Matthew when they both worked on EastEnders, adds: "I chose the slave trade as a subject because I was always aware that Bath and Bristol were built on the proceeds of that pretty disgusting trade, and I'd often thought about how you'd deal with that. How does an area or a city get to grips with its past? I love Bristol and was born and schooled there, so it was those questions that gripped me."
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For his part, Matthew really wanted to tell a medieval story. "I have always loved the medieval era. I think if I had my life again, I would go to Trinity in Dublin and read Medieval History. Trinity owns the Book of Kells. Maybe it's not too late to go back!"
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Another episode zooms in on the First World War. Matthew observes: "Tom MacCrae, one of our writers, was really interested in looking at the concept of where human memory ends and history begins. So he came up with the First World War story. That's one of the most fascinating aspects of that episode.
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"The team look at the skeletons in the First World War tank, and Hugh's character Greg says: 'we can talk about the Coliseum in Rome and Vlad the Impaler with total impunity because it was so long ago. But here we are standing on the edge of living memory'. It's a lovely line.
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"That episode is more to do with a philosophical notion than a period of history."
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Another of the creators' aims is to enthuse viewers about the idea of studying.
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"I want people to be excited by academia," says Matthew, the fervour clear in his voice. "It's cool to know things, dates, and elements of history. At one point in the series, Hugh Bonneville's character, Gregory unleashes a verbal tirade on a self-styled know-it-all. He just throws date after date at him – 'do you know that date? The Gettysburg Address? Agincourt?' I want kids to go away thinking knowledge is cool, dynamic."
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The series also touches on the way in which certain people try to twist archaeology for their own ends. According to Matthew, "our guys are always trying to be scientific and forensic, and in some of the episodes you find that someone is trying to spin it. Our guys are caught in the middle, what they do is part reality and part fantasy and that is the reality for archaeologists.
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"One modern-day archaeologist, who is looking for the Lost Ark, has now become
part of celebrity culture and is running the risk of not being taken seriously as a scientist. Our guys get embroiled in that at all times.
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"The real archaeology fraternity think TV makes the timeline unreal, but hopefully our show will make archaeology look exciting and dynamic."
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Ashley points out that the makers have been very careful to ensure that all the archaeological techniques are conveyed accurately in Bonekickers.
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"The forensics is real. The biggest liberty we've taken is with truncating time. For instance, carbon testing, which often takes days or weeks, takes an afternoon in our show."
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The creators' love of their subject extends to speculation about which real-life archaeological investigation they would like to participate in.
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"I would love to be part of the investigation into the Turin Shroud," says Matthew. "The technology involved in getting a negative image, the Carbon 14 dating, is amazing. The Church is resisting it and saying it's about faith. I would be fascinated in being part of the team investigating that."
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Ashley, on the other hand, would relish being on a team investigating Stonehenge. "It's close to home, so I travel past it regularly, and it never ceases to amaze me. I would love to be part of the forthcoming excavations planned there."
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Once the co-creators had outlined the ambitious project on paper, and the 91Èȱ¬ had given the go-ahead to film, the series had to be shot in winter. Locations needed to be found that looked good, come rain or shine. It was then that Bath residents Matthew and Ashley realised the answer was literally on their doorstep.
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"It dawned on us that we were living in the perfect backdrop for Bonekickers," Ashley comments.
"The city and the surrounding countryside are steeped in thousands of years of history from the Romans onwards and look stunning irrespective of the weather.
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"Using real locations in the series has made all the production excited. It gives you a sense that history is under your feet, which, we hope, will get people going
off and exploring. It's great to find out more about what's on your doorstep and to re-discover your history."
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With the locations sorted, the next major decision was casting. Matthew says
that the dynamic of the group was really important.
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"The first two actors in place were Gugu Mbatha-Raw, whom I had noticed on Doctor Who, and the irrepressible Julie Graham."
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Rumour has it that Matthew wrote the part of Gillian Magwilde with Julie specifically in mind. "I worked very successfully with Julie on Walk Away And I Stumble. She's a terrific actress and very versatile.
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"So when it came to thinking of characters to populate Bonekickers, Julie came straight to mind as the sort of left-of-field, fiery Celt that I really wanted to bring to the screen.
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"Professor Magwilde is not the sort of role we've seen from Julie before. I loved the idea of maintaining her unique earthiness as well as introducing viewers to her ability to take on such action-packed scenes as dropping down medieval caverns!
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"Once Hugh Bonneville and Adrian Lester came on board, our group of intrepid archaeological investigators was literally coming alive!
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"Our storylines begin with Gillian, but then branch off with the other characters who are just as strong in complementary ways. Actors of their calibre bring more creative energy and life to the show. And, because we were honing scripts as filming started, we were able to write for the specific actors."
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The producers of Bonekickers were equally blessed with their guest stars. Ashley recollects that, for example: "We were lucky to get Michael Maloney, who was signed at the eleventh hour. He was in Cornwall, and we weren't sure of his availability. He sent us a tape performing the scene when Daniel is supposed to have donned a Macedonian soldier uniform, but when the camera pulls back he's actually in his pants!
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"Michael was really funny to watch. He had absolutely nailed the character and the fun of the scene. We fell about laughing.
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"All the other actors who'd auditioned had been a bit po-faced and didn't get the humour. He rode to our rescue and really made the part his own.
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"Inevitably, there's a point at which a big series becomes a job of work, so it was great to get so excited each time one of the great guest artists turned up with a real presence and reminded everybody to get fired-up again. As Julie puts it, 'Bonekickers gives good guest!'"
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Matthew closes by underlining the passion that has driven him and Ashley to create Bonekickers: "I think archaeology is so moving. They found medieval drains during the recent building work in front of Bath Station. That illustrates that history and archaeology are literally under your feet, layer upon layer.
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"That is one of the most amazing things about living in Britain. So many people have lived and died here over so many years and that's what makes it so exciting. It's unique to this island; the possibility is that it could be any member of the audience.
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"For me, Bonekickers is not about history being dates and lists, it's about the human story. We give an insight into how people experienced or may have been affected by some part of history. I find that incredibly exciting and I hope our viewers will, too."
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