Paul McGann: ‘It’s nice to work in Bristol as I can sleep in my own bed’

Paul McGann’s journey from his home to work was a grand total of 20 minutes when filming a new gothic gangster thriller at the Bottle Yard Studios in Whitchurch.

“In all the years I’ve lived here, I’ve really never worked here,” he told Bristol24/7.

“It’s nice to work in Bristol, not least because I can sleep in my own bed!”

The Undertaker, made entirely at the Bottle Yard, will be previewed at the Watershed later on October 17, with McGann taking part in a Q&A after the screening.

The latest film from director Michael Wright sees McGann play mild-mannered funeral director Arthur Morel, finding himself at a moral crossroads.

Sixty-three-year-old McGann is best known for his starring role as Marwood alongside Richard E Grant in cult classic, Withnail and I, and as the eighth Doctor in Doctor Who.

His multifaceted portfolio includes everything from film and TV to theatre, voice acting and narration.

Despite being a long-time Bristol resident, The Undertaker has been one of McGann’s relatively few Bristol projects.

He also filmed the 2020 series McDonald & Dodds in his home city, three decades after his first Bristol film, Paper Mask, a hospital thriller set in a Bristol hospital.

The Undertaker was entirely shot at the Bottle Yard, even the scenes outside, with the closest the crew came to fresh air being the Bottle Yard backlot.

“Michael needed the intense studio situation,” explained McGann.

“It created the atmosphere and the intensity. You’re almost in a weird, militarised, cell like-vibe. The film itself is quite dark so it’s meant to be like that. It’s a trick but it works.”

Tara Fitzgerald plays Vic in The Undertaker – photo: Riot Communications

Much of the set design for The Undertaker was made using detailed miniatures, creating a richly textured world

Director and producer Michael Wright draws on his experience working at animation studio Aardman, as a designer on Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out and the memorable music video for Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, where he began his career before going on to direct Heavenly and Dark Side.

Bristol’s film scene continues to thrive – something that McGann thinks is helped by our city’s aesthetic.

“Things are shooting in Bristol all the time because it’s a great place to shoot,” he said.

“Bristol is just one of those kinds of places that look fantastic. There’s almost a timeless look to it. You can shoot different things here: sunny, warm period things to cold and scary films.”

Doctor Who, Rivals, Malory Towers and Borders have all been filming in Bristol recently, and the Bottle Yard has increased the list of production companies eager to film in the city.

“You’d hope Bottle Yard utilises the local people and feeds into the local community so I really hope it does that,” McGann added.

“If you can attract the arts, particularly if you can attract film to your city, and stick with it, it will pay you back.”

The Watershed will host the first-ever public screening of the Undertaker on October 17 ahead of the film’s official release on November 3. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with Paul McGann, Michael Wright, and producer and actor Roger Barclay. For tickets and more information, visit www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/12218/the-undertaker

All photos: Riot Communications

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