Littlehampton set to get its own detective series

Littlehampton-based actor, producer and film-maker Mark Beauchamp is hoping to start work this October on a Littlehampton-based detective series.

Mark needs to raise between £5,000 and £10,000 to make it happen. You can support him on https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lowtidela

It comes under the working title Low-tide.

“I have lived in Littlehampton since about 98. I consider it home now. I've had a couple of businesses here. But when I was young it was either sport or drama. I knew that I probably wasn't very good at sport... and maybe not very good at drama either!”

But Mark became a professional actor: “I have been acting now for a long time. I didn't go to drama school. I went through the ranks of variety when there was a variety scene. I started as a blue coat and got into a production show and then I set up my own production show. I travelled up and down the country doing theatres and holiday camps, and that's how I came down here.

“I love this area. In this area you have got everything in such a small place.

“The series is about a retired police officer who comes here to get away from his previous life of policing, just to relax but he finds a dead body on the beach. He is straight back into the thick of it, and he uncovers a crime syndicate. He also finds love...

“I have released a little teaser on socials at the moment and really now I'm looking for funding. The premise is to put out six episodes and to film it as a vertical drama, something you can watch on your phone. People consume in such different ways now.

“Each episode will be something like three to six minutes long and it's going to be almost like a soap opera. It will be about an hour long in all, including bonus features.

“I want to use local actors and I want to use local crew and just keep it local. I'm looking for about £5,000 to £10,000. I've got some equipment myself. It's not about making money. It's about getting something done. It is about helping the film scene locally and helping businesses. I lived on Jersey for a while and I saw the effect that Bergerac had on the island. It feels like Littlehampton has got the feel of Jersey, a small town and self-contained and I just want to help the businesses.”

The hope would be to start filming in October and then to film across six months, with perhaps the first chance to screen the series in October next year.

“The positive effects on the area are not to be taken lightly. With the town in the ascendancy, having a home grown production made here brings benefits beyond imagination in terms of changing the perception of the area, local morale, the focus of business and commerce and of course the fame that comes with having a series set in a town.”