BRITAIN'S BIGGEST WARSHIP GOES TO SEA
NEWS STORIES
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Tune in for our latest series
Posted 25 October
As HMS Queen Elizabeth embarks on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic, the ship's company face many challenges preparing for the first landing of F35B Lightning Stealth Fighters.
Filmmaker Chris Terrill provides us with an intimate insight into the workings of Britain's Biggest Warship and introduces us to the people who make it tick - everyone from the Captain to the test pilots, the engineers and the chefs.
Series start Sunday, 27th October at 8pm on BBC2
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Britain's Biggest Warship at Sea
Posted 7 January
Britain's Biggest Warship at Sea
Following on from the success of Britain's Biggest Warship, Chris Terrill once more joined the ship's company of HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden voyage to America for a new BBC2 series. Their main task this time around was to test the top secret F35B Lightning Stealth Fighter for the first time.
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NEW SERIES - BRITAINS BIGGEST WARSHIP
Posted 5 April
To be broadcast on BBC 2, Sunday 15th April at 8pm.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most advanced warship ever constructed in Britain. As she embarks on gruelling sea trials we see ship and crew pushed to breaking point.
Taking viewers on an epic voyage of discovery – from construction in the building yard to the rigorous trials in which everything is tested for the first time – Britain’s Biggest Warship tells the extraordinary story of a super-carrier that will be in service for the next 50 years. Embedded within the ship’s company of 700 sailors, Emmy award-winning filmmaker Chris Terrill captures an intimate and personal portrait of life on board as the men and women learn the intricacies of a warship that will change the way Britain goes to war.
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EXCITING NEW COMMISSION
Posted 1 June
NEW SERIES FOR BBC2
We are proud to announce that we have been granted exclusive access to the story behind Britain's largest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and have secured a commission from the BBC for a three-part series to be shown in 2017. We have been following and filming the ship's build since the first steel was laid down in 2009 and now, with our co-producers STV Productions, we are in a position to make an exciting and important series to mark the aircraft carrier's arrival in Portsmouth next spring. Watch this space for further inside stories.
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Award
Posted 11 December
Chris Terrill given Lifetime Achievement Award
Two weeks ago at the Institute of Directors Chris Terrill had the honour of receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Maritime Foundation. The award was in recognition of many years of broadcasting on maritime subjects, in particular with the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.
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WATCH TONIGHT: 'The Great Yomp'
Posted 7 October
Royal Marine WAGs and The Great Yomp
Tonight on Forces TV is your chance to see a fascinating film that reveals what it is really like to be a wife or girlfriend of a Royal Marine. We know it's tough for the boot necks, but we don't often hear the other side of the story. Chris Terrill joined 12 brave women on a 104 mile yomp along the entire length of the South Downs Way in their attempt to complete the journey in just 36 hours. First showing on Wednesday the 7th of October at 9pm on Forces TV (Sky Channel 264, Virgin 244, Freesat 652). Look out for repeats!
 and Hilary (right) on The Great Yomp.jpg)
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WATCH TONIGHT: 30th June 9pm
Posted 30 June
Return to the Jungle
Our latest film for Forces TV follows three ex-Paras back to the jungles of Borneo to visit the site of the little-known Battle of Plaman Mapu exactly 50 years ago. The thee veterans, Les Simcock, Mick Murtagh and George Averre remember details of the two-hour long battle that saw 36 Paras face up to 400 Indonesian Special Forces and win the day, against all odds. It's an emotional journey for all of them, particularly when they pay their respects to the two Paras who lost their lives that day in 1965.
9pm Tuesday 30th June, Forces TV (Sky Channel 264, Virgin 244, Freesat 652)
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Battle Scarred repeat
Posted 17 March
Forces TV are repeating this series on Tuesday nights.
Forces TV (Sky Channel 264, Virgin 244, Freesat 652) are currently repeating our 4-part series 'Battle Scarred' with the second episode Exit Wounds on tonight (Tuesday 17th March) at 9pm. Episode 3 Nightmare on Civvy Street airs on Tuesday 24th March at 9pm and episode 4 Soldering On goes out on Tuesday 31st March at 9pm.
Sadly, there are still many young men and women out there suffering with the after effects of military life and so if you know anyone in need of help, we hope you will encourage them to watch this series and get in touch with some of the wonderful organisations who are able to offer support.
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DON'T MISS ...
Posted 9 December
'LIVING ON THE EDGE: BLOOD IN THE SAND'Episode two of Chris Terrill's latest series is on Channel 5 tomorrow night, Wednesday 10th December at 7pm. If you're not home in time then set your recorders to see Chris travelling across Africa where the creeping menace of drought is one of the most deadly hazards on earth.
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NEW SERIES
Posted 1 December
FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT!
Wednesday night sees the start of our exciting new series 'Living on the Edge' in which Chris Terrill travels alone with his camera to some of the most extreme environments on the planet to find out how and why people live in the grip of nature at her most ferocious and threatening. Tune in to Channel 5 at 7pm on 3rd, 10th and 17th December. In the first episode, 'Blood in the Water', Chris travels to Mauritania where he takes to the high seas with some of the hardest fishermen in the world who risk their lives daily to eke out a meagre living.
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AWARD WINNER
Posted 30 September
’Marine A: Criminal or Casualty of War?‘ wins award!
Uppercut Films won the Broadcast Award at the EVCOM Clarion awards last Friday for Chris Terrill’s film ‘Marine A: Criminal or Casualty of War?’. These are the UK’s leading awards for the communication of Corporate Social Responsibility and social and ethical debate and we’re extremely pleased to have won the broadcast category.
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Chris Terrill workshop this weekend
Posted 16 September
Last chance to book your tickets!
In this one-day workshop this Saturday the 20th September at the London Film School Chris will share his experiences and offer tips born of his pioneering work as a director/cameraman/recordist. Using his own films as examples, Chris will discuss the great advantages of self-shooting – including the great editorial and storytelling benefits.There are still a few places available so follow the link to book yours now http://lfs.org.uk/workshops/lfs-workshops/249/chris-terrill-one-man-and-his-camera
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INVICTUS GAMES
Posted 10 September
Documentary Special
Uppercut is making a special one-off documentary for Forces TV about one of our amazing contributors from Mission Afghanistan - Paul Vice, aka 'Vicey'. Despite the life-changing injuries he sustained in 2011, Vicey is taking part in the Invictus Games which start today, competing in the Archery (firing the arrow with his mouth!) and cycling events. Chris Terrill has been filming with Vicey on and off since he returned from Afghanistan three years ago. This film promises to be an uplifting story of recovery and will of course feature that well known Commando quality - Cheerfulness in the face of adversity.
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COMMANDO: DIRECTOR'S CUT
Posted 16 July
Place your orders now!
Great news - the hour-long director's cut versions of Commando: On the Front Line (with added extras including Commando: Return to the Front Line and 55 year old Commando) are being released on DVD on 11th August and available to pre-order now from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Commando-Front-Line-Directors-Cut/dp/B00LEM1VVA/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_1_1
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On TV this week...
Posted 2 July
The new Forces TV channel shows Uppercut Films programmes.
The new Forces TV (Sky Channel 299/Virgin 244/Freesat 652) is showing a lot of our military films over the coming weeks and months. This Friday, 4th July at 9pm you can tune in to the first programme in the series Royal Navy : Caribbean Patrol. The five-part series was made in 2010 on board HMS Manchester and looked at the exciting work of drug intervention in the Caribbean. Plenty of action, great characters and lots of laughs.
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The Commandos are back
Posted 18 June
Commando on The Front Line - another chance to see Chris Terrill's landmark series about the Royal Marines
It's 8 years since Chris Terrill filmed the original series but it's as good a watch as ever. Tune in at 9pm on ITV4 for 8 weeks from 17th June to follow 924 troop through training and out to Afghanistan. The series will finish with a repeat of the new programme update - Commando: Return to the Front Line.
Happy viewing.
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New programme clips
Posted 24 April
Please see 'our work' for clips from our latest programmes.
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Watch Tonight
Posted 9 April
Marine 'A' - Criminal or Casualty of War?
Last November Sergeant Alexander Blackman was convicted of murdering a Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan and sentenced to life imprisonment. Tomorrow he is appealing against the conviction and the sentence. Filmmaker Chris Terrill, who has witnessed the horrors of the Afghan conflict first hand, looks into Blackman's case, asking questions about the ethics of combat and rules of engagement in war as well as the mind bending nature of active duty on the front line.
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New Series Starting
Posted 27 November
Surviving the Arctic with Chris Terrill
Don’t forget this week is the start of our new series. Episode one sees Chris travelling with the Sami people of Northern Norway as they follow the great reindeer migration across the arctic. The Sunday Times says, “It is an experience that provides a moment of impressive and unstaged tension, worthy of the finest wildlife documentary”. Surviving the Arctic with Chris Terrill, Thursday 28th, Channel 5 9pm.
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November Transmissions
Posted 29 October
Battle Scarred and Living on the Edge
November is going to be a busy transmission month for Uppercut. The great news is that ‘Battle Scarred’ is continuing on Channel 5 with ‘Nightmare on Civvy Street’ airing at 9pm on 16th November looking at the difficulties our servicemen face when leaving the armed forces; and ‘Soldiering On’ on the 23rd November following the remarkable story of 92 year old ex Bomber Command John Hall. Details of our new series Living on the Edge, also starting in November, will follow soon.
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FINAL POST
Posted 10 October
Living on the Edge
Great to be doing the post production with Timeline TV on our latest series Living on the Edge.Masterfully edited by Jamie Hay we also have the talented Darren McQuade working his magic on the sound, Chris Packman giving a marvelous zing to the pictures, and Andy Barker pulling it all together in the online.And with remarkable maps and graphics from Mark Kessler at Cumi and epic music from maestro Yann McCullough the first episode ‘Chasing Reindeer’ is starting to look and sound great. Behind the scenes, Lisa Travers and Erica Banks continue to work their butts off whilst still finding time to be fabulous.
Watch this space for broadcast dates ... coming soon.
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GRIERSON AWARDS NOMINATION
Posted 23 September
Imagine: Theatre of War
Imagine: Theatre of War, the film we almost didn’t get commissioned, has made it through to the final 4 in the Best Arts Documentary category at the Griersons. Thanks to Alan Yentob, we were able to showcase the amazing collaboration between injured ex-servicemen and the Theatre Royal Haymarket in Owen Sheer’s groundbreaking play ‘The Two Worlds of Charlie F’. Watch out for the award results on 4th November.
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Indonesia bound
Posted 9 September
Living with Volcanoes
Chris will soon be packing his bags again and heading to Indonesia for the C5 series “Living on the Edge” where he will be exploring volcanoes and the people who live beside these unpredictable but fascinating natural wonders. The recently erupted Paluweh will be Chris’s first destination where he hopes to meet the people who refuse to leave and who carry on their day to day lives with the threat of another eruption, potentially capable of destroying everything and everyone around them.
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AWARD SHORTLIST
Posted 27 August
Grierson Awards
Imagine: Theatre of War has made it onto the long shortlist for the prestigious Grierson Awards. Independent judges will whittle down the eight contenders for the title of Best Arts Documentary to the lucky four who will go forward for the awards ceremony in November. Finger’s crossed the judges will appreciate the extraordinary process the injured servicemen went through in order to bring ‘The Two Worlds of Charlie F’ to the West End stage.
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NEW COMMISSION
Posted 27 August
Return to Commando on the Front Line
Those avid fans of Chris’s ITV series Commando on the Front Line, following new Royal Marines recruits through training and out to the frontline in Afghanistan, will be pleased to hear there is to be an update to mark the withdrawal of British Troops next year. Chris will catch up with all the main characters to discover what they’re doing now and to hear their thoughts on Afghanistan. Due for transmission in June 2014 on ITV1.
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Currently Filming
Posted 27 August
Living on the Edge
Commissioned as Savage Nature and now re-named Living on the Edge, this 4-parter is to be shown in two blocks on Channel 5 (one in November 2013, the other February 2014). In the series Chris seeks out the people and communities living on the very edge of survival in extreme locations around the globe.For the first episode Chris follows the great reindeer migration with the Sami community in Northern Norway and disguises himself as a rock and a snowy landscape in an attempt to capture a reindeer birth on camera for the first time.
Other films in the series include Drought in Africa, Volcanoes in Indonesia and Typhoons in The Philippines. Watch this space.
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NEW COMMISSION
Posted 6 February
Savage Nature, 4 x 60 Channel 5
Chris Terrill is packing his bags again for more adventurous travel around the globe. He’ll seek out Blizzards, Sea Storms, Drought and Typhoons to see what impact they have on the communities that live and work in these severe weather conditions. Watch this space for regular updates from Chris as he travels to some of the world’s most extreme locations. Transmission Autumn 2013.
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Charlie F online
Posted 6 February
TheSpace.org hosts extracts from our BBC One documentary.
Two extracts from Uppercut Film's BBC One documentary about the extraordinary production of The Two Worlds Of Charlie F, performed by injured servicemen and women, are available to watch online at thespace.org.
Highlights from the performance can be viewed here.
A short behind the scenes film can be viewed here.
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Date for the Diary
Posted 2 November
Theatre of War Repeat
Imagine: Theatre of War is scheduled to repeat on Tuesday 13th November @23:20 on BBC 2. You can now order a DVD of the entire play, The Two Worlds of Charlie F from amazon
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IN PRODUCTION
Posted 23 October
Broken Soldiers - 4 x 60, Channel 5
Earlier this year Chris Terrill gave a talk at Doncaster Prison and discovered a significant number of the prisoners were ex-servicemen. Knowing how many of his own military friends have struggled when they returned to civvy street, Chris saw the potential for an insightful and important series about the subject. He took the idea to Channel 5 who commissioned a 3-part series straight away. ‘Civvy Street’ will explore the whole issue of ex servicemen trying to readapt to civilian life including those who struggle with PTSD, alcoholism and homelessness as well as the increasing number ending up in the criminal justice system.
Tx spring 2013
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Theatre Of War DVD released!
Posted 4 September
The DVD of Theatre Of War by Uppercut Films has just been released on DVD.
Uppercut Films has released a DVD of Theatre Of War, originally part of the BBC Imagine series. The documentary follows the extraordinary theatrical production of The Two Worlds of Charlie F. Professional front line soldiers, all of whom sustained injuries ranging from amputation to post traumatic stress, joined forces with a professional theatre company to help write, rehearse and perform a play based on their experiences of war in the killing fields of Afghanistan. What happened when they swapped the theatre of war for the London stage?
The DVD is available to buy from Amazon.
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Imagine: Theatre Of War
Posted 25 June
Theatre Of War airs at 10.35 on Tuesday, June 26th 2012
Last year Uppercut embarked on an extraordinary project like no other we have ever attempted. It was to film a group of badly injured soldiers putting on a play about their collective experiences of war at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. We started filming on day one of rehearsals and followed the story through to the triumphant performance three months later. It was an inspiring story from the beginning and wonderfully uplifting thing to observe and film. To our great surprise and disappointment we simply could not get a commission from any broadcaster. Extraordinary.
As the story grew, we pushed on regardless - for us it had become a classic case of 'never say die' and, at the eleventh hour everything came good. Chris Terrill wrote to Alan Yentob, Creative Director of the BBC's flagship arts series Imagine, and simply stated he had been filming a a story that "he would stake his reputation on". Alan responded immediately, came down to watch some of the footage and within days Uppercut had secured a commission for BBC1. Theatre of War launches the new series of Image onBBC1, at 10.35 on Tuesday, June 26th.
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We've moved
Posted 6 April
Uppercut Films moves....
As part of the company's expansion, Uppercut Films has moved to a bigger premises in Covent Garden. Our ethos, staff, and dedication to making ground-breaking documentaries remain the same but now we have a large open-plan production office, two edit suites and plenty of space to house Chris’ soldier collection and Molly’s toys. We also have the top-class post production facilities of The Mews at our disposal and look forward to a long and happy relationship.
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DVD Release
Posted 9 March
Uppercut Films is pleased to announce the DVD release of Royal Marines Mission Afghanistan (19/03/12) and Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol (02/04/12)
Uppercut Films is pleased to announce the release of Royal Marines Mission Afghanistan and Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol on DVD.
Royal Marines Mission Afghanistan is released on 19 March 2012 and is available for pre-order now from Amazon, Play.com and HMV.
Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol is released on 2 April 2012 and is available for pre-order now from Amazon, Play.com and HMV.
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Uppercut Films launches new series
Posted 25 January
DON'T MISS Uppercut Films latest series, Royal Marines Mission Afghanistan, starting Monday, 30th January at 9pm on Channel 5.
Chris Terrill embeds with the Royal Marines of 42 Commando Company during their six month deployment to Afghanistan. The marines' mission is to defend the small village of Loy Mandeh against Taliban attack, and also to patrol one of the most dangerous square miles in the world, riddled with IED's and crawling with insurgents.The series starts at 9pm on Monday, 30th January 2011 on Channel 5 and runs for six weeks.
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Save a puppy
Posted 2 August
Chris gets up close and personal with a puppy
While Chris was filming in Afghanistan with 42 Commando Royal Marines they stumbled across a thin and neglected stray puppy. They named him Trigger and back at base shared their rations with him until he was fighting fit. Since then he's been the forces sweetheart, boosting morale and melting the hearts of these tough bootnecks. Now Corporal Steve Sharrard wants to bring him home. 'I knew the chances of him surviving we pretty thin. He would probably have starved to death or stepped on a landmine'. To bring him home costs money so they've set up a Just Giving page for donations. They need to raise �3,500 for vets bills, inoculations and transportation so dig deep in your pockets and help give a poor puppy a decent home. Visit justgiving.com/nowzad-trigger to make your donation.
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Afghanistan
Posted 30 June
Chris back from the Front Line
Chris has just spent a month in Afghanistan with 42 Commando filming for a six part documentary series. He had a very eventful and exciting trip (though he is currently keeping some of the details secret!) but is clearly extremely excited about the material he shot. He returns to the front line in a couple of weeks for a further period with the Royal Marines. There will be a third and final 'embed' before cutting starts on the series for Five.
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Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol
Posted 5 February
Chris Terrill has now returned from a 6-month stint on board HMS Manchester in the Caribbean. It wasn’t so much palm trees and cocktails, more like hurricanes and drug smugglers. The series ‘Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol’ starts on Monday, 7th February at 9pm on Five – don’t miss it. (And see if you can spot Chris Terrill doing a Hitchcock in episode 2!)
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Awards
Posted 26 January
We were shortlisted for the Mind Mental Health Media Awards in December for War Torn Warriors and were thrilled when one of our contributors, Danny Claricoats, was awarded the Speaking Out Award for being courageous enough to talk about his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
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Molly Malone
Posted 11 January
The cold spell after Christmas affected us particularly badly when the office heater broke down. We sat at our desks in coats and gloves but couldn’t find anything for Molly that she was happy to wear – not even Vicki’s hat!
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Setting Sail
Posted 1 September
Chris Terrill is packing his bags for the second leg of his filming trip to the Caribbean. It’s not all deckchairs and cocktails – he is filming on board HMS Manchester for a Channel Five series about drug interdiction and sharing a ‘grot’ with five others in close proximity.
Chris Terrill is packing his bags for the second leg of his filming trip to the Caribbean. It’s not all deckchairs and cocktails – he is filming on board HMS Manchester for a Channel Five series about drug interdiction and sharing a ‘grot’ with five others in close proximity. To accentuate the healthy living quarters, last month the desalination system broke down and so, in 100 degree temperatures, each of the 250 sailors on board were restricted to 30” showers and no water to wash out their smalls!
