Shrewsbury actor's robot caper comes to life on film

Brian and Charles, a feature length movie from Film Four, has already enjoyed success in America, as well as at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year where it scooped the 'Audience Favourite Award'.

The film, created by Shrewsbury writer and actor Chris Hayward and his friend David Earl, tells the tale of a lonely inventor living in the North Wales countryside.

Brian, played by David, who has appeared in Ricky Gervais's comedies Derek and Afterlife, spends his time working on inventions in a cow shed – all of questionable use, be it an 'egg belt', a 'pine cone holder', or a 'flying cuckoo clock'.

Depressed and alone Brian does what any talented inventor would do and creates his own companion – the robot Charles, played by Chris.

Built from a mannequin's head with a washing machine for a tummy, Charles might look cobbled together, but he surpasses all expectations, learns to speak, and is eager to expand his horizons.

Chris, who worked on video magazines in Ludlow during the 1990s before leaving for London, said he still has to pinch himself that Brian and Charles had made it to the big screen.

The idea actually started as a stage show, was then developed into a short film before being commissioned by Film 4. Crucially it then survived being filmed as the Covid pandemic shut down the UK.

Chris, who returned to live in Shrewsbury just before the pandemic, said: "We used to do it as a live show. It was a live stand- up show with me and David and our producer Rupert, he was operating the voice of Charles – it was a robot voice at that point. We were doing it in London, we performed it at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival.

"We did that for two or three years about 10 years ago with various results. Sometimes people liked it, sometimes they just looked baffled."

The short was filmed over a weekend in North Wales in 2017, and its online success was soon noticed by Film 4.

Chris said: "We had that online and it got a really good reception – better than we thought, and not long after putting it online Film 4 got in touch and said they really liked it and wondered if it could be developed into a film.

"That started the process of meetings and me and David working out what the story could be."

Chris has worked with Charlie Brooker on the the hugely popular Screen Wipe, appeared as an actor in the IT Crowd, and was a writer on comedies Smack the Pony and Big Train, as well as the sitcom Trollied.

But he has also suffered the frustration of all TV writers, seeing projects cancelled – working on a sci-fi drama which was dropped after four years in development.

He said that throughout the making of Brian and Charles he had never once taken it for granted.

"There were several times I did not think it would happen. Even when they first commissioned the script I did not think it would get made," he said.

"When the pandemic happened our fear was this could be the first one to get chopped if there are any problems with finance – 'the weird robot film will be the one the get the axe'.

"Also with Covid itself everything was uncertain, it was a case of who knows what will happen with the world in general."

The film was actually shot in Snowdonia after the first lockdown had lifted in Wales – but work was only finished one day before the country introduced its 'fire-break' lockdown.

Chris said that the fear of Covid impacting the production had added a whole other dynamic.

He said: "We were shooting in November in North Wales and the weather was pretty grim, and again because of Covid there was this slight anxiety hanging over the production – we could be shut down at any time if someone got ill – there was that anxiety of 'can we finish on time?'."

The film was first shown to a big audience last year, and Chris said that nerves of getting it made were replaced with the tension of seeing people's reactions for the first time.

He said: "That was where we first showed it to a big audience. It was kind of nerve wracking but it was really fun as well.

"It was kind of a relief knowing we did it – we made it, because the whole process, those years where you are making it, writing it, filming it, there are so many times you think 'is this going to happen?', and if it happens, is it going to be any good?"

He added: "It is almost like I still can't believe it really. Especially when I think back to our early days when we would perform to 20 drunk people in London, stumbling round in a robot costume. It is a surreal feeling knowing it has made it onto the big screen but really happy."

Now like a real life Brian, Chris and David are looking for their next project to bring to life.

Chris said: "I think now, having done a film and really living the process, I would love to sort of stay in that world if possible. I have got another script in development with Film 4, and me and David are also talking about some ideas, so hopefully it is something we can re-visit because it is a really fun experience."