35. Royal Mistresses. Mistresses to British Kings, sounds like SHADES OF BAD

Mistresses to British Royalty, or Royal Mistresses just happens to be the one woman show of actress Jean Heard who plays Doris Shades in Shades of Bad. Now, she walks us round London and reveals the haunts of Royal trysts. How did we get there from Shades Of Bad?

The drama web series Shades Of Bad has won Jean Best Actress twice and is now well into season 3.

There is now a well established travel show spin off. Doris, as Jean, or Jean as Doris has reviewed cruise ships, been to many of the Caribbean stops and has videos on ski resorts. Click here for the list.

Obviously there is a travel show film on the Fjords in Norway on the list, but unlike the other travel films which are purpose shot, that is a collection of film out-takes and views from when they were shooting the Norwegian episodes of Shades Of Bad the web series which are now going out weekly. Click here for the first Norwegian show.

However, it is odd that a London based travel show ignores the jewel of London. Add the train of thought that Jean Heard has a series of five one woman shows called Royal Mistresses, it was obvious that the team should trek into London and see just where these little elicit meetings took place. Her show is booked via Jennie Storr, her agent at the famous The Speaker's Agency.

There are some fantastic surprises in the films like being allowed to film in the famous Rules Restaurant for the Lillie Langtry film and finding the table where she sat with Edward VII.

Discovering that there was a tunnel from the Drury Lane Theatre to the pub opposite for Charles II to see Nell Gwynn.

The fantastic statue of Queen Alexandra who had to share Edward VII with many mistresses, including Alice Keppel who was the great grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles! In Edwardian high society, affairs and mistresses were more acceptable than divorce!  We visit Clarence house, once home to King William 1V, previously the Duke of Clarence who had a 20 year affair, and 10 children with Dorothy Jordan.

On top of that there is a film on Buckingham Palace and the area.

If you are not all Royalled out by then Doris, Jean, went up to Edinburgh for the Queen's 90th birthday and does a full tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia.  One of three films in Edinburgh, Doris also found a take of Lillie Langtry while in Scotland, That appears in the Lillie Langtry film.

34. Jean Heard, who was voted Best Actress for Doris, talks on shooting a web series abroad and the UK plus her travel show.

Shades Of Bad web series shooting abroad and the travel show go hand in hand.

There are many industry professionals on a cruise ship, so it is easy to find cast and shoot episodes of a web series, and a travel show. Enter Shades of Bad and Doris Visits, they both now have extensive and growing playlists.

If you have never cruised, then Doris Shades has just reviewed the Azura and given tips. The travel show is shot on the same Black Magic camera the web series is shot on, and with just as many edits and cuts, it is one of the many travel episodes in the travel show spin off now feeding back to the drama series.

On the ship the Azura, the final episode of season 3 was shot, some clips have found their way into promos even though the episode is not scheduled to go live until 2nd September. Before then, starting episode 44 (click here), Doris has been sent to Norway to collect a package, and all of that was done while on the Azura.

You will already have seen in episode 43, the arrival of new star Derek Redmond who sends her abroad. Click here to catch up.

In episode 45 I arrive in Stavanger to meet with someone and pick up a package, but I am being followed. So I am told. Leaving Wilma in the house with Drek meant that I was not required on the the UK side of the shoot so I got my first chance to direct, and after 40 episodes I felt I knew the show and was confident enough to do it. Click here for episode 45.

The best way to see the show is via the play list and if you are new to Shades OF Bad I suggest you jump in at Episode 40 otherwise you have a lot of catching up to do. Click here for the play list.

The Barcelona episodes are due to go live after the Norway episodes which run for about ten shows. Barcelona episodes were shot while on the Britannia. The ship stops for about six hours and during that time considerable inserts for two episodes were shot with Manuel Martinez, actor Gary Keates.

The tour of P&O Azura is one of our many films, please visit our YouTube channel and subscribe free.

P&O AZURA cruise ship tour and review is below at the end of this blog. In it I tour the cruise ship Azura walking through all the major features of the ship. This was done on a tour of the mirror like still Fjords in 2015 and then on a Caribbean cruise in 2016.

This adds to the many films I have of cruise stop destinations from Fiji to Barbados, and gems like Bequia or botanical gardens. These help you orientate and choose before you travel.

I have also listed the cruises, by their cruise number in playlists that contain the films of the cruise stops in order.  I wish I had started earlier as I only have stills of Asia, India and previous cruises in the Mediterranean but I am playing catch up. Next I am off to St Petersburg in Russia.

I have tried to list most of the new Caribbean season cruises with playlists on our channel, please subscribe to the channel and help circulate to those interested in cruises.

For those of you who have never cruised then I hope this helps you. The ships are all totally different so it is a case of finding the cruise you want. Within the larger ships no two people will have exactly the same experience. You can be exclusive and you can party and play.

Some people prefer a small ship, others a large ship which is more like a city.  The Azura came into service in 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell. It has so many features you will find it hard to discover them on just one visit.

The Azura is a mid size ship that takes 6 minutes 11 seconds to stop when at 24 knots.
Normally the ship only turns at one or two degrees to correct course, but the Azura can go over to 35 degrees. She can carry 3145 tonnes of fuel and at 23.5 knots is using 260 tonnes per day.

There are 900 cabins with private balconies and a number of staterooms. It has stabilisers that go out when seas are rough.

Cruising can be a totally casual affair, buffets and never needing to dress. Or, they can be an excuse to dress up and engage in formal nights and visit the fine dining spots. Cruising can be about 'Food Heroes'. Like many celebrities they can be found visiting on some cruises and they leave their mark and menus. Select dining and fine wines are part of cruise life like dressing up for formal nights. The Atul Kochhar's Sindhu restaurant, Olly Smith's Glass House, the Epicurean experience, the Beach House and others are all mentioned. If you need more information take a look at the P&O Fine Dining page. 

With a shopping centre, medical centre, laundry, and every other facility you would need, the Azura

normally has about 1174 crew to 3000 passengers. P&O have a great web site and list many details and crew there.

Azura is a stylish ship that was built by Fincantieri in Italy, started in 2008 finished in 2010 and has a gross tonnage of 115,055 MT, its displacement is 53,967 MT. Length is 288.6 meters and width is 36 meters which is 2 meters too wide to go through the Panama Canal. The bridge is 50.5 meters wide. Deck 15 and above is made of aluminium, the decks get lighter as you go up. The heavy plant, engines and sewage pumps, propellors and fresh water making equipment put most of the weight at the bottom. Fresh water is made by 3 large evaporators that can produce 90,000 gallons per hour.

If you are thinking of a first cruise, then the Azura is not a bad choice. You can then decide if you wish to try a smaller or a larger ship, or, it's sister ship the Ventura. Here is my tour, please share.

Links for playlists are as below....

AZURA A630 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A630
AZURA A631 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A631
AZURA A632 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A632
AZURA A633 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A633
AZURA A701 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A701
AZURA A702 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A702
AZURA A703 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A703
AZURA A704 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A704
AZURA A705 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A705
AZURA A706 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A706
AZURA A731 there is a playlist of stops for P&O AZURA A731

Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, Totola, Miami, Canaveral, Bequia, Azores, Key West, Fiji, Norway, Mediterranean, Baltics, Canaries..... take a look....

Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and review some of our other films.

33. Emma Bunton asks, Blowing up Emmerdale village to Shades Of Bad, then Norway? Doris has left the kitchen !

Shades Of Bad got spiced up when Stuart went on Too Much TV. 

Doris has left the kitchen ! Shades Of Bad the UK web series arrives in Norway and it all started in Emmerdale, ask Emma Bunton.

Doris arrives in Norway but there is a problem.  Over the next ten episodes Doris is on a mission in Norway, and she starts by refusing to get a cheap flight!   If you are searching via the Shades Of Bad playlist that starts to run from episode 44.

So, Doris and the crew go walkabouts abroad with a Black Magic camera, DR70D mixer and a radio mic, small lamp and a defector. What more does a film crew need?

Derek (Derek Redmond), the man who sent her there has had a tip off that she is being followed, already! She must avoid the police at all costs, though it will not be the police who are after her.
She was meant to go to Oslo to collect a package, she has arrived in Stavanger. Someone has to travel. Either she now gets a train to Oslo, that is not going to happen, it is Doris ... or the man travels to Stavanger. Where? Exactly. Doris has left the kitchen.

Exec producer on Shades Of Bad, Stuart St Paul, first worked on the TV soap Emmerdale in 1986 because he was working on other ITV shows like Prime Suspect and (Band of) Gold in Manchester, and in Yorkshire TV on shows like Stay Lucky as stunt coordinator as well as looking after other shows including The Bill and Casualty. They had a very special need and a conference was called, infant many conferences and meetings to discuss a major change.

Emmerdale then decided to go from the sleepy Emmerdale Farm afternoon show to something bigger and the transition was to be the historic passenger plane crash into the village. To this day, and it is 2016 that is thirty years on, Stuart still has requests fto be interviewed on that topic. He was recently with Emma Bunton on Too Much TV being asked about that huge game changer that Emmerdale from afternoon soap to evening daily drama.

Though it was never admitted, one could suggest it was to recreate what may have happened at Lockerbie. He joined a team of three to plan the action. The rest is history, he stayed at Emmerdale as an advisor to the show right up until Bula Quo in 2012 winning many awards for Best Episode, Best Exit etc... That was 26 years as a creative advisor to the show.

So the cruise link is that Emmerdale posted Stuart to a cruise ship as a celebrity guest to talk about the action he put into the show. That was a Fred Olson ship and he and Jean (Doris) both loved it. Though they never thought we would like cruising, wild horses would not have dragged them to sea for a holiday, they had a great time. Now they both appear as guests on many ships, 'Doris', has just done a tour and review of the AZURA. It has spawned a travel series which they wish they had started years and years ago.

Stuart started his career as a compare, radio broadcaster (hence the connection with James Whale and his appearance in the show) so he has no problems taking the stage and talking. As he has no shortage of great stills with huge stars like Van Damme, huge action plans from some of the biggest films and stories from working on Mrs Brown's Boys to horrors like Chucky, Superman, Aliens and three Bond films he puts on a great show.

Jean is now directing Shades Of Bad since Buster left, and the Norway episodes are the start. Her being abroad meant that she was not required when shooting in the UK and that was when Buster got a movie, so Jean naturally helped and directed Derek Redmond.

The first episode that goes abroad is 44. Click here to go there. Please subscribe to the channel and share and tweet. @shadesofbad

32. New black actor could be mega star - Derek Redmond in Shades Of Bad

New black actor could be mega star - Derek Redmond in Shades Of Bad

There is nothing more exciting than discovering talent !

Stuart St Paul met Derek Redmond on the 'after dinner speaker's circuit ', where they have both often been on the same bill. The two have became friends.

When Stuart suggested that Jean was looking for an actor to play a complex part and they both thought he would be perfect, Derek was interested.
The rest is now history.

Derek is an Olympian, won the Men's 4x400 metres event at the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Tokyo, Japan and 400m with team mates Roger Black, Kriss Akabusi and John Regis. St Paul had already worked with Akabusi on the TV show 'Do You Want A Smack'. So there was even more common ground. It is funny how this really is a small business and the players have long and inter tangled roots.

Explaining the part was not easy because Redmond appears as a bad guy, the kind who would kill anyone, but, he is there to save Doris from someone even worse. To say more would give too much away, but Derek, playing Drek, sends Doris Shades to Norway to collect a package and waits for her at home with the annoying Wilma.
(Click this para for Derek's first episode.)

These international sports stars have charisma, they have something special which is why they make such great presenters and panel show guests.

They already live the life of strange hours, world travel, TV cameras, panel shows and being under the press microscope at every move.

However, as celebrities, guests and keynote speakers they are plied with more bucks than actors are thrown, so it was the friendship that swung the deal and the fact that as it was a web series  his contribution could be shot around his very busy calendar.

Even then he often arrived late from another engagement, had to leave for an engagement, and while there Sky Sports were sending a satellite unit to the set to have him go live into the news. Shades Of Bad was a perfect fit as all the players have other engagements, but it did make scheduling a little bit of a challenge.

Stuart confirms that these were the first episodes that actress Jean Heard directed, purely as she was not in the UK in the story and as such was without a job while they were to film, and Buster Blackledge had gone off onto a movie.

Jean's Norwegian sections had been shot ages ago, long before Derek was cast, which to some extent sadly locked the flexibility of the script.

However it has all been made to work and series three ends with him able to come back for another season should he want to, however, the reality is that season 4 will no doubt start shooting around the time the Rio Olympics are on and Derek will be busy as a commentator or expert on a TV network somewhere round the world.

Research, here are a number of films you can click on to see what is going on

Click here for the 2016 trailer with Derek in, long before the episodes were cut, but it is a good taster.

The very first episode Derek appears in, click here. They then follow on each week.

This is the very first time Derek has acted, so let's share and tweet.... maybe it is the start of something.

Click here for the full Shades Of Bad playlist. Derek starts in Episode 43, if you want to jump in somewhere, episode 40 is not a bad place to start.

Since Norway, Jean has started a Travel Show spin off, DORIS VISITS, click here for the whole playlist. 
But click here for the cuts of Norway cobbled into a travel show episode, whilst not in the normal Doris Visits style gives a little of what was going on. All this was shot before Derek was cast.

Finally, please subscribe.