ThThe Uninvited

"I couldn't sleep so I wrote a TV Thriller"................

"The first day of shooting THE UNINVITED was one of the most exciting days of my life - and I wasn't even involved in any scenes", says Leslie Grantham. He was there as Executive producer for the series he created with Archie Tait from the independant production company, Zenith.

The Beginning

When Leslie first had the idea for THE UNINVITED, science fiction was not a particularly popular TV genre. "Everyone asks me if this was inspired by The X-Files, but I first thought of it The X-Files had barely started," he says."I don't watch much television but I have always been a big fan of old black and white movies.

Leslie would be happy if THE UNINVITED were compared to a good B movie. "We're lucky to have a great cast but like the best B movies, the story is more important than who's in it.It's not a vehicle for the stars and that's unusual in mainstream TV these days."

Not all as it seems!!

Leslie as Chief Superintendent Philip Gates. Not your average friendly copper!!!!!

The Plot

Photo-journalist Steve Blake (Douglas Hodge) is the only witness to a horrific car accident in which the driver is incinerated in a gigantic fireball. Yet the next day, Blake finds the same man alive and well.

Blake discovers that this is not the only case of apparent death and resurrection - all investigated by Chief Superintendent Philip Gates (Leslie Grantham) and all somehow linked to the drowned village of Sweethope. Blake becomes convinced that the Sweethope suvivors are taking over the country in an invisible alien invasion.

The tense drama races from intriguing mystery to gripping sci-fi thriller as Blake finds himself embroiled in a global conspiracy too terrible to consider and possibly too powerful to stop.

Location

The Uninvited was filmed over a period of 8 weeks in Norwich and on the north Norfolk coast in april and may 1997. Film crews don't often use this area so the scenery helped to give the series a different feel.

Leslie Grantham Executive Producer

The Uninvited is Leslie Grantham's first project as a producer. and although it won't be his last he found it very different to acting.

"I'm new at this, but I reckon that being an executive producer is one of the most boring jobs ever! Having said that, it was great to do and it's fascinating to see what happens on the other side of the cameras. I've learn't a lot through the experience of The Uninvited.

"Writing and producing are areas I'd certainly like to develope. I look at it this way: there are a certain amount of actors who can front a series, but there aren't enough series to keep everyone gainfully employed for 52 weeks of the year. And as some people won't employ an actor like me as a second lead or as a guest spot because they think you are too famous, what do you do for the rest of the time?

"I decided to come up with something to fill in the time when I'm not acting so I'm not one of the 80 per cent who's resting 80 per cent of the time. And I do genuinely enjoy everything about this business.

Acting will always be his first love. "There's another idea I've had on the back-burner for some time, and my experience with The Uninvited has inspired me to shake off the mothballs and take another look at it.You never know where it might lead!"

Merchandise

THE UNINVITED is available on VHS Carlton Home Entertainment (1998) and on a recently released DVD distributed by Prism Leisure(2003).

The book based on the ITV series THE UNINVITED by Paul Cornell was first published in 1997 in paperback. And the CD soundrtack featuring the original score composed by Martin Kiszko was released in 1997 by Oceandeep Soundtracks Ltd.