ANDY MACDONALD meets Patricia Drabble from Stone – you might well have seen her on TV. She’s a TV extra and has appeared in Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and more…
“Keep a green tree in your heart, and the singing bird will come.” Is it always better to know the truth?
Directed by Iain Ross-McNamee, horror movie The Singing Bird Will Come – which takes its name from the ancient Chinese proverb above – had a special screening at Stone Cricket Club over the summer.
One of the cast members, Patricia Drabble from Stone, who plays Emma, the lady from the historical society in the film works as a TV extra. Patricia has cropped up in the background in scenes of our established soaps like Coronation Street and Emmerdale, propping up the bar in the Rovers and the Woolpack. Recently, in her biggest role to date, she was behind bars this time, playing a bullying prison inmate in Channel 4’s popular teen soap Hollyoaks, when Maxine was banged up. Patricia has also appeared in Crimewatch reconstructions, including an especially emotional one where she portrayed the mother of a murder victim.
Patricia says she had never considered doing extra work or films previously. “I took my daughter Nicholl along to a casting agent. While I was there, they took my picture. They then had a call from the Emmerdale casting office, asking for me. It’s all gone on from there really.”
“Shows I’ve appeared in to date are Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Starlings, DCI Banks, In The Flesh, and Rockets Island.”
Patricia has also appeared as a zombie in the music video for Cardinal’s terrific I’ll Be Damned track (video above), parts of which were filmed at the Spode factory in Stoke. The video also features Stone residents Kris Grainger and Jason Metters, and was devised by renowned award-winning film maker Chris Stone, who was also the creative force behind Ben Owen’s Dirty Little Secret video.
Versatile Pat also has a number of short films under her belt. She played a lead role as the sister of a drunk in Trapped, an evil witch who turns her victim to stone in Witch, and the mother of a stroppy son in Fajitas, arguing over what to have for tea!
So what’s a typical day on set like?
“It is long hours, with lots of hanging around, but we are looked after with plenty of tea, coffee and food throughout the day. To pass the time we usually just chat to each other, as we always meet people we’ve appeared on the sets of other productions with.”
“My favourite show to work on is Emmerdale, the cast are great, but I seem to get similar roles set in prison, pubs or as a bully!” she laughs.
“My favourite soap has to be Coronation Street. I know most of the cast, and they know me by name too.”
What would your dream role be?
“Ooh, I’d love to be in Downton Abbey,” she enthuses. “I love period dramas, and have worked with Brendan Coyle, who plays Mr. Bates. I wouldn’t mind working with him again.”
Patricia has some useful advice for anyone thinking of giving TV extras work a try.
“You have to be quite flexible, and be able to get to some really out of the way locations,” she explains. “If you’re looking to work full time as an extra, then don’t do it! Like everything else, it’s not regular work unless you’re extremely lucky. I am also a licensed children’s chaperone so I get to go on loads of other dramas, films and so on with them, which gets me noticed and generates offers of work too.”
Finally, any amusing anecdotes?
“When I walked onto the Coronation Street set recently, Dolly-Rose Campbell who played Gemma Winter, Callum’s sidekick, called out across the cobbles “I saw you on Emmerdale last night!” and everyone applauded me – so embarrassing!” she laughs.
Find out more about the film, the talented cast and purchase the DVD online at www.thesingingbirdwillcome.com
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The Singing Bird Will Come – review
The packs in a number of genuinely scary jolts, writes ANDY MACDONALD, thanks to the ensemble of a gripping plot which gradually unfolds without giving too much away at once, excellent acting, believable characters, and an atmospheric score.
Lead character Lauren, played by pretty Gillian Harker, is a troubled lass. She returns home having been dealt two virtually simultaneous blows, following the death of her mother and the break-up of her relationship, and tries to rebuild her life while facing open hostility from her traumatised brother Reece, and looking after her father.
To make ends meet, she takes a job as a cleaner at a restaurant with a haunted past. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she attends a lecture about the town’s history of witch trials, inadvertently placing herself in danger.
There are lots of nice little scenes that wouldn’t look out of place in a prime time soap as the plot gathers momentum and we are gradually introduced to the other characters. Lauren’s bitchy school friends, Kelly, Jade and Page, Gerald, an eccentric restaurant regular, and former restaurant owner James who is not all he seems – a real Jekyll and Hyde type, the alarm bells start ringing fairly early on…
There are some tittersome tongue-in-cheek set pieces too. It’s fun identifying the Stafford locations where much of the filming took place as well, selected by Iain and producer Amanda Owen-Roberts. The Soup Kitchen features heavily, and provides the backdrop for a suspenseful and claustrophobic climax.
