Sunderland-made comedy film Where It Ends - featuring Museum Vaults and Langham Tower - in line for BAFTA Award

A short comedy film shot in Sunderland by a North East cast and crew is in line for a prestigious BAFTA award.

Where It Ends has been shortlisted in the Short Form category of the BAFTA Television Awards, hosted by Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan at a ceremony in May.

The historic Langham Tower in Ryhope Road acted as a care home for the short film, which is based on a budget two-person pantomime performing in a care home.

Meanwhile, The Museum Vaults, which dates back to 1871, is a pub in the film, which was shot in the city in spring 2023.

It was inspired by writer and star Jack Robertson’s own tragically comic experiences of performing a pantomime in care homes after he left college as a jobbing actor.

With most of the care home residents living with dementia, they’re more interested in the TV than the acting pair’s interpretation of Alice in Wonderland.

Jack said: “This is a deeply personal story inspired by an event that has stayed with me for years.

“Working with such talented individuals to bring this story to life on screen was truly amazing. And let's not forget the highlight of the experience - the perfectly seasoned chips on set!”

All bar one of the team was from the North East, with the film also featuring Charlie Hardwick, who found fame in Emmerdale and Billy Elliott, comedian Lauren Pattison and Dave Johns, who starred in I, Daniel Blake.

Roker TV producer Mark Kenny helped develop and produce the film, which is available to view on iPlayer as well as BBC3.

“I’d been to a baby shower at Langham Tower and thought it was a great building which could act as different care homes across three, four rooms,” he said.

“We really wanted to film in the North East, to demonstrate that you can cast, crew, locate and edit a film here. We spoke to the owner of Langham Tower and he agreed. With the Museum Vaults, it’s a pub I’ve often visited and is a real time capsule of a pub.”

The recent nomination for a BAFTA comes after Where It Ends won the Best Comedy Award at the recent Royal Television Society (RTS) awards.

The short film, which was directed by Fergal Costello and produced by Tiger Aspect, was funded by the BBC and North East Screen, the Sunderland-based agency which supports and develops TV and film production in the region.

Head of Talent and Business Development at North East Screen, Lisa Laws, said: “I’m thrilled that Jack, a hot new writer/performer has been given this first step to develop with BBC Comedy in mind. It is a brilliant opportunity to showcase original comedy characters rooted in real experiences and we are excited by the possibility that it could grow into a long-form series in the region.

“I have no doubt that this will not be the last we see of Jack, his comedy characters or, the on-screen talent showcased in Where it Ends.

“Hugely grateful to David Simpson, Head of Comedy Tiger Aspect who has pulled together an exceptional team and a stellar cast, including Dave Johns and Charlie Hardwick, to bolster our exciting new talent.”