Single in W4

Chiswick perfect location for new drama starring Michelle Collins

Chiswick stars in a new ITV1 drama series about a woman thrown back into the dating game after the breakdown of her marriage.

Former EastEnder Michelle Collins plays Sarah, the mother of two teenagers, in Tiger Aspect Productions’ Single.

“Sarah is 40 and has reached a turning point in her life. The series is funny without being in your face, because it’s how life is,” explains Michelle, whose credits include Real Women and Two Thousand Acres of Sky.

The six hour-long episodes were filmed in W4 and other areas of west London. Producer Amanda Davis says Chiswick was the perfect location.

“We used Chiswick’s streets for a lot of scenes because we wanted somewhere outside central London that looked urban, but not suburban, and not too edgy.

“Chiswick is leafy and urban but without feeling inner city. We just wanted a backdrop that felt comfortable and local.”

Filming also took place inside Chiswick Town Hall, used as the location for a wedding reception where Sarah is a guest. “The Town Hall just lent itself to that,” adds Amanda.

Other locations include both the exterior and interior of The Sun Inn in Barnes and a house in Ealing, which became Sarah’s home. “We shot it all around west London - but a lot was in Chiswick.”

Written by London-based Peter Bowker, Single also co-stars Brendan Coyle as Sarah’s estranged husband Paul, Morwenna Banks and Alastair Galbraith. It follows Sarah as she tries to remember how to operate as a single woman, and features a soundtrack of eighties’ hits.

“It’s a series for the baby boomer generation, people with their roots in punk,” explains director Rebecca Frayn. “It’s post-ecstasy but pre-senility, certainly not a comedy where middle-aged people wear slippers. This generation still listens to the same music and wear the same clothes as they did – they’re people who don’t grow old easily or quietly.”

Executive producer Jane Fallon adds: “I wanted it to look filmic with very big shots and beautiful
landscapes. We used Wood Allen’s Manhattan as one of our references. It’s a very intimate film and goes close in on the relationships but has beautiful big cityscapes.”

Single begins on ITV1 at 9.30pm on Saturday October 25th.

October 17, 2003