Series Producer Joel Wilson chats about how the show was made, the filming of Cast Offs and his memories of the shoot...
'From the very beginning, we decided that the casting process would inform the writing. If we found a brilliant deaf actor, we'd have a deaf character. If we didn't then maybe the character would be blind, or be affected by cerebral palsy.
'While Jack, Tony and Alex (writers) got on with plotting the series, Judy (executive producer), Amanda, Miranda (directors) and I got on with auditioning pretty much every disabled person in the UK who had even a passing interest in acting.
'As the scripts developed, we became profoundly aware that we were onto something really exciting: a genuine un-pricked taboo. For many people, disability has the whiff of hospitals and care homes about it. Able-bodied people are often desperately worried about saying the wrong thing, or not offering the right kind of "help".
'We were in the happy position of creating a drama that was loud and provocative but with an absolutely worthwhile purpose: to shake up preconceptions about disability and perhaps - just perhaps - change the way some people view disabled people.
'The shoot was grueling. Muddy forests, steep hills, sand dunes and boats are not the best places for disability access, so it was all hands on deck. Cast and crew all mucked in and were happy to forgo everything but their most basic needs. When Peter's wheelchair couldn't transport him over a hill, we'd carry him.
'My abiding memory of the shoot is dragging a generator down a steep and muddy hill at 4am with George: a task which usually doesn't fall to the Director of Photography but it was that kind of shoot.
'The whole thing was a wonderful experience. Exhausting, but wonderful. I think the fun we had permeates what you'll see on screen and I'm very proud of what we've achieved. Together, we created something truly worthwhile and that is a fantastic feeling.'
