HeadLine: COMPENSATION STREET

The Mirror, 30/12/2000, p19
by SHAUN MILNE

BILLY Connolly was caught in the middle of an angry street brawl while
filming a new TV drama.
The funnyman was shooting the pounds 2million BBC film Gentleman’s
Relish in an East London street when an angry local resident
approached.
He threatened to disrupt the filming of the Edwardian drama – in which
Connolly is rumoured to strip off – unless he was paid £ 1000. When
producers refused, the man started to make as much noise as he could
and only shut up when producers Sarah Boote and Martin Auty went to a
cash machine and gave him the cash.
Boote said: “This happens a lot when filming period pieces to film and
people who own the houses know the score.
“There is nothing to stop somebody walking into the close the road off.
They see you filming and think you have got lots of money.
“There is always someone who sees the opportunity.
“It is a real problem which the London Film Commission will have to
take on.”
The cheeky romantic comedy, in which Connolly plays whacky Edwardian
artist and photographer Kingdom Swann, co-stars Sarah Lancashire and
Dougie Henshall.
The film will be screened tomorrow.

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