Article
February 5, 2010
Comedy Film PR: Beyond The Pole.
Stephen Mangan (Green Wing, Free Agents), Rhys Thomas (The Fast Show, Bellamy’s People), Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet, Friends) and Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood, Generation Kill, Zoolander) star in Shooting Pictures’ new theatrical release, Beyond the Pole, about the first ever carbon neutral, organic and vegetarian expedition to the North Pole.
Best friends Mark (Stephen Mangan) and Brian (Rhys Thomas) attempt to save the planet and get into the Guinness Book of Records by venturing to the Arctic unaided. But there’s just one problem – neither of them has had any expeditionary experience before and their idea of training is to visit a meat freezer. No one said saving the planet would be easy, but does it have to be this hard?
Luckily they are followed by Steve, their hardened arctic cameraman, for the digital channel Adventure Plus. That is until they accidentally shoot him. All alone on the ice, the lads are left to fend for themselves and tackle polar bears, try to beat off competitive Norwegians and keep Mark sane as he rapidly loosens his grip on reality.
It’s not just sub zero temperatures and a lack of food that they face, both men also receive life changing news whilst away. Mark learns his wife wants a divorce and Brian is told his partner is expecting a baby. As they struggle to come to terms with the developments back home their bond becomes strained, but together they must face their biggest challenge yet: to reach the North Pole.
David L Williams, Director, says: “Beyond the Pole was a triumph of sheer bloody mindedness over resources, funds and time. It’s wonderful to see a Brit indie up on the big screen that has such ambition, is funny and shot somewhere most of us will never visit in our lifetimes. I watch it now and I can’t believe we were there!”
Helen Baxendale, star and executive producer added “ We’re absolutely thrilled with the press response to the film. I think it’s a film we can all be incredibly proud of and as an actress I hope the actors are recognised for giving us the performances of their careers. They really are standout great and I can’t wait to see how they go down with the public”.
Beyond the Pole is a heart-warming, satirical tale of two friends on a journey of self-discovery somewhere between a humorous take on Touching the Void and Withnail and I on ice. Beautifully shot on location in Greenland and featuring breathtaking scenery, Beyond the Pole is released in cinemas from March 2010.
Cast – Stephen Mangan (Green Wing; Confetti; Free Agents), Rhys Thomas (The Fast Show; Bellamy’s People), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood; Zoolander) and Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet; Friends)
Crew – Director David L Williams, Screenplay Neil Warhurst, Co-writer David L Williams, Based on a radio series by Neil Warhurst and Paul Barnhill, Produced by David L Williams and Andrew Curtis, Co-producer Dean O’Toole, Executive Producer Helen Baxendale, Director of Photography Stuart Biddlecome, Film Editor Rob Miller, Original Music Guy Michelmore