TRANMERE IN THE MOVIES
W L W L
TRANMERE IN THE MOVIES
Martyn Best , our inside man at Tranmere Rovers Football Club , reveals the background behind the inspiration behind Daniel P . Lewis ’ s , new blockbuster , OUR KID .
Whilst Wrexham Football Club may appear to be the “ Hollywood team ” of the English Football League , with movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney , together with Netflix having rejuvenated the local rivals of Tranmere Rovers ; it is Rovers that have a truly heartwarming claim to fame in this area .
Multi-award-winning writer , Danile P . Lewis with veteran “ bad guy ” actor Sean Cronin who directs , has brought OUR KID to life , with the Wirral premier at the Light Cinema on Monday 11th December , fresh from it ’ s World Premiere in London last month at the world leading Raindance Film Festival .
The movie , derived from Daniel ’ s award winning short “ THOMAS ” has an amazing star-studded cast , featuring an all-star British cast of many local favourites including Connor McIntyre ( Coronation Street ), John McArdle ( Brookside ), Mark Moraghan ( Holby City ), Leanne Best ( Tin Star , Young Wallander , Bolan ’ s Shoes , Carnival Row , Compulsion ), Ricky Tomlinson ( The Royle Family , The Brothers Grimsby ), Louis Emerick ( Layer Cake ), Angela Dixon ( Never Let Go ), Daniel P . Lewis himself ( Billy Smith ), Sharon Byatt ( Bread ) and 14-year-old Poppie Jae-Hughes , as the young female lead Laura Reilly ).
The story is told through the eyes and imagination of twelveyear-old Laura , whose only goal in life is to one day play football professionally . Although Laura has many footballing heroes , her older brother Thomas has won her ultimate admiration – with his quest to raise money for charity through a sponsored bike ride while overcoming the challenges he faces from his Cerebral
Palsy . Family and friends pull together to help Thomas overcome adversity and show the community what determination and perseverance can achieve .
The character of Thomas was inspired by writer Daniel ’ s cousin Paul , who was a big Rovers fan , and of course what better backdrop to have for a pivotal scene in the movie than Prenton Park , and who better to enlist than Chairman Mark Palios to make his big screen debut .
As Daniel outlined , “ I knew Martyn , and his fellow Associate Director , Lee McAteer , and had met Mark and Nicky on a number of times . Rather cheekily I suggested the idea to them , and Mark jumped at the idea of a small , but key role in the film . He was an absolute natural and got really stuck into the part and made the banter of the scene so funny and engaging . It ’ s a must-see part of the film .
“ Rather coincidentally , Martyn and Lee are indirectly featured , with their PROGRESS Wrestling business being featured on a poster scene – so the wider Tranmere family are well represented .”
Any Wirral Life readers can find more details on the Light Cinema New Brighton website .
OUR KID - Wirral Premiere + Q & A - New Brighton - The Light and follow either @ danielplewis _ or @ ourkid . film on instagram .
14 wirrallife . com