Spike is Back tour press kit

COMING SOON
TO A TOWN NEAR YOU
PRESS KIT
10 August 2005, for immediate release
Media release
The godfather of alternative comedy is back
Comic legend Spike Milligan, voted “the funniest person of the millennium” in a BBC poll
and known to fellow comedians as the “godfather of alternative comedy”, always broke
conventions and made up his own rules. Following in this tradition, the makers of a new
documentary about Spike, have created a bold and unprecedented venture which will tour
the east coast of Australia in August and September.
Led by a life-size doll of Spike, the tour will bring back memories and shed new light on this
extraordinary man. It will include radio broadcasts, a live show featuring Spike’s eldest
daughter Laura telling stories and reading some of his letters accompanied by musician
Glenn Cardier who toured with Spike in the 80s, and a new documentary film.
The documentary film “I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SPIKE
MILLIGAN” sold out at its world premiere in Adelaide in February this year and has since
played to packed houses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the far North Coast of NSW.
The show brings tears of laughter and sadness as it takes audiences on a roller coaster ride through his life,
reminding fans of his brilliant and outrageous humour and shedding new light on his tortured and troubled personal
life. For the first time, his family have opened up their personal archives to reveal Spike as a father, brother and
husband: a man of passion and contradictions who trod the thin line between genius and debilitating depression.
The producers of the film, Hatchling Productions, have been inundated with requests from Spike fans around the
country to bring the film to their town, and have decided to take the show on the road as the SPIKE IS BACK:
PICK UP A PEN TOUR.
“The ‘Pick up a Pen’ subtitle relates to how active Spike was with his pen,” said Laura Milligan.
“He wrote 83 books and was a dedicated activist and prolific letter writer who took a stand on many, many issues
that he considered important”.
“The film highlights this aspect of Spike’s legacy and I will encourage audiences to get active with their pens
again” said Laura. Special Spike pens will be available along with other Tour memorabilia such as T-shirts, bags,
badges and the DVD of the documentary, which also contains a wealth of extra material.
“A life size Spike doll, with pen in hand, has been created to lead the Tour and will ride on top of the tour bus as it
arrives in each town.”
“I call this ‘payback time’ for those nights when we were children and Spike would wake us, tie us to the top of his
mini and take us out bunny spotting!”
“The Spike doll will welcome fans as they arrive, start the show and may even sign autographs.”
Ends
Interviews: Laura Milligan and Glenn Cardier are available for interviews in all regional areas
Photo opportunities: the Spike doll welcomes ideas for photo opportunities,
no matter how outrageous or ridiculous.
For further information, photographs or interview opportunities:
Carolyn Anderson:
M: 0407 665 179
T: 02 6685 7251
E: caroand@bigpond.net.au
For more information about Spike and the full story of this ground-breaking project, visit
www.spikemilliganlegacy.com
Images to download
Jane and Laura Milligan in Woy Woy
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Spike is Back: Pick up a Pen Tour
Glenn Cardier
Page 3
About the documentary……
Film Finance Corporation Australia presents
a Hatchling Productions film
in association with 2005 Adelaide Film Festival
I told you I was ill:
the life and legacy of
Spike Milligan
An intimate portrait of comic legend Spike Milligan, a complex and multifaceted man
who trod the thin line between genius and debilitating depression.
“We don’t have a plan, so nothing can go wrong”
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Brief synopsis
I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SPIKE MILLIGAN is an intimate and deeply
personal portrait of comic genius Spike Milligan through the eyes of his brother, three daughters and
third wife. Each saw a very different side of this complex and multifaceted man who forever changed
English comedy and trampled on the notions of decorum and deference. For the first time his family
have opened up their personal archives to reveal Spike as a brilliant, tortured and visionary man who
brought laughter to millions around the world while battling debilitating depression.
Jane Milligan with Spike
“The godfather of alternative comedy” Eddie Izzard
“Modern British comedy started with Spike Milligan” Michael Parkinson
The funniest person of the millennium” BBC poll
“A great inspiration” Michael Palin
“Pure madness” Robyn Williams
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Spike is Back: Pick up a Pen Tour
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One Page Synopsis
This is the definitive story of the man dubbed ”The Godfather of Modern Comedy”
For the first time, Spike’s family have agreed to open the archives and reveal the real Spike Milligan:
visionary, comic, writer, father, husband, knight of the realm, and the most famous manic depressive in
England. Featuring commentary from a cast of Milligans, including his brother, three daughters and
third wife, plus Joanna Lumley, Michael Palin and Eric Sykes, this intimate portrait uncovers the man
behind the silly noses, funny accents and unending love of the absurd.
From 19th Century vaudevillian Ireland to an Australian backwater he satirically christened "the largest
above ground cemetery in the world", and all points in between (including Rangoon, London and outer
Lewisham), Spike’s story unravels like one of his scripts. Alternately comic, dramatic, romantic and
often surreal, it paints a picture of an idyllic childhood tempered by war, depression and English
weather, and casts a light on the reckless and sometimes tortured
trail left by a man burdened with the gift of genius.
For centuries there has been debate about the connection between creative genius and mental illness
and particularly manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. Aristotle asked in the 4th century BC
"Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry or the arts are melancholic?" English
poet John Dryden wrote: "Great wits are sure to madness near allied" and throughout the 20th Century
the claim has been made that "there is a thin line between genius and madness". The life and legacy of
Spike Milligan adds a new chapter to this debate.
The central storyteller of the film is Spike’s youngest daughter, Jane Milligan. She and her sisters Laura
and Sile have agreed for the first time to open their family archive and tell the story of their father as
they knew him. They do not believe that Spike’s depression was inherited or that it has been passed
down to the Milligan children and grandchildren. Jane speaks to people who were close to Spike during
key periods in his life, and through these interviews and archive footage, the story of Spike’s life is reexamined and reviewed.
Much of the story is located in a small Australian town just north of Sydney called Woy Woy, where
Spike’s parents lived for 40 years and where Spike made frequent visits. He wrote many of his famous
books in his parent’s small weatherboard house and became involved in local campaigns to protect the
environment and heritage of the area. Over the years, Woy Woy came to regard Spike as one of their
own, and after his death, the town came together to stage a unique festival called Spikefest in honour
of their famous visitor. Spike’s brother Desmond and daughters Laura and Jane played an active role in
the festival, and Desmond allowed the crew to film in the Woy Woy house which is a treasure-trove of
Milligan family history and memorabilia. His own archive plus Jane’s discovery of Spike’s old home
movies shot in Woy Woy create a vivid picture of Spike’s family history in Ireland, India and their
connection to Australia.
The story of Spike’s professional life is revealed through his manager Norma Farnes, and colleagues
such as Eric Sykes, Joanna Lumley, Eddie Izzard and Michael Palin. His children reveal what he was
like as a father, sharing their memories as well as their photographic, audio and visual archives.
Shelagh Milligan talks about Spike from the perspective of a wife and partner for 25 years.
This unique portrait of a man who changed the face of English comedy and left an indelible impression
wherever he went is accompanied by a comprehensive web site with a rich array of additional features.
A DVD is currently in production. The film includes a rich archive of Spike Milligan material from the
BBC and ABC as well as valuable personal and family photographs, audio tapes and home movies of
Spike with his family, where he claims he came closest to finding some kind of happiness and a sense
that his life was worthwhile.
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Principal Characters
Spike Milligan
Jane Milligan (Spike’s daughter)
Laura Tierney (Spike’s daughter)
Sile Harrower (Spike’s daughter)
Desmond Milligan (Spike’s brother)
Shelagh Milligan (Spike’s third wife)
Norma Farnes (Spike’s Manager)
And interviews with:
Michael Sellers (son of Peter Sellers), Joanna Lumley (Actor), Eric Sykes (Comedian), Michael Palin
(Comedian), Eddie Izzard (Comedian), Richard Lester (Film Director), Beverley Spiers (very close
friend of Spike’s), Georga Malcolm (Spike’s Granddaughter), Paul Gunning (Historian), Myles Dungan
(Radio Presenter and Author).
Principal Character Details
Spike Milligan
Terance Alan (Spike) Milligan was born in Ahmadnagar, 100 miles from
Bombay, on 16 April 1918. His only brother, Desmond Patrick Milligan was
born in Burma in 1925. Their father, Leo Milligan, was in the British army,
but his post was abolished in 1933, and the family sent back to London. In
April 1940, Spike’s call-up papers arrived and he joined the British Army - D Battery in Bexhillon-Sea - and his war adventures began. In 1944, he was sent to an officer’s rest camp south
of Naples where he joined a dance band. From there he was posted to the newly formed
Central Pool of Artists (CPA) near Naples and his career as a performer took off. After the war,
he teamed up with ex-gunner, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine to write a
comedy show. The first recording of The Goon Show was made at BBC Variety headquarters
on Sunday 21st May 1951 and went on to become an international sensation.
On the Spike Milligan website (www.spikemilliganlegacy.com), a series of icons provide links
to detailed insights of Spike’s life. Scroll over each icon to reveal an intimate portrait of Spike
as:
- Godfather of comedy
- Professional
- Friend
- Soldier
- Citizen
- Traveller
- Explorer
- Conservationist
- Father
- Family man
- Romantic
- Mentally ill
- Looking Back (the alarm clock icon) provides a timeline of key dates/descriptions of
the Milligan family and Spike’s life
- Looking Beyond (the tombstone icon) provides Jane Milligan’s commentary about her
father, his life and his legacy.
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Jane Milligan (Spike’s daughter):
Jane is Spike’s youngest daughter. She is 38, single and works as a professional
performer and singer. She is the only daughter of Spike’s second wife Paddy, and
lives in North London. She says of her father: “He was a wonderfully funny, sexy
guy, unconventional, talented, great to be with, and I think he was very hard to
resist. And he loved that. He knew he was a catch. I think he was certainly having
affairs, probably several at one time. I know he made two other kids. But I know he was in love
with my mother, which is a wonderful thing to know, because he told me that until the day he
died”.
Laura Tierney and Sile Harrower (Spike’s daughters):
Laura is 52, married with two children, Jay and Georga. She
lives in Sydney and works part-time while maintaining an active
interest in writing, drawing and cartooning. She is involved in
the development of the Woy Woy comedy festival, Spikefest.
Sile is 47 and lives in North London near Monkenhurst where the family lived
until the mid 1980s. She is married and has three sons, Hasty, Callam and Brodie. She works
in a local school and is on the committee of the Finchley Spike Milligan statue fund.
Desmond Milligan (Spike’s brother):
Desmond is 79, married with one son and lives in Sydney. He is retired following a
long and successful career as a graphic artists, cartoonist. He continues to draw
and paint, and is also actively involved in Spikefest. He says of his brother:
“He was a man of extremes. He was about three or four different people, all
locked into one body. Some of them wonderfully passionate and saving of the
world, and others mad as Adolf Hitler, raving and screaming at you. It was sort of like Jekyll
and Hyde, but I suppose if you put the various facets of it together, it was the sort of mad
genius that gave us the Goons and changed British comedy”.
Shelagh Milligan (Spike’s third wife):
Shelagh Sinclair met Spike in July 1974 and they were married in 1983. They
moved from North London to the south of England near Rye in 1988 and Spike
died there in 2002. She is now in legal dispute with Spike’s four children over
Spike’s last will and what will become of Spike’s estate and legacy.
“I wasn’t attracted to Spike because of his humour. I was never a fan of his. But I
loved his energy, and how he never behaved properly. Spike wasn’t a sycophant. He never
could be. He thought differently from everyone else in the world as far as I’m concerned.”
Norma Farnes (Spike’s manager):
Norma Farnes began working for Spike at Orme Court in August 1966. She
became his manager and stayed with him until his death. She still runs “Spike
Milligan Productions” on behalf of his four children. She says of his legacy:
“What’s in the pot now is going to stop because he’s not writing anymore so they
will get the royalties from that but there comes a time when it will stop … and yes
Yeats and Oscar Wilde & George Bernard Shaw – but how much do they earn from it? Not a
lot ‘cos they’re not writing anymore.”
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Partners in this production
“I told you I was ill” is collaboration between Hatchling Productions and the following partners:
ƒ Film Finance Corporation Australia
ƒ 2005 Adelaide Film Festival
ƒ South Australian Film Corporation
ƒ ABC and ABC Content Sales
ƒ RTE, Ireland
ƒ The Documentary Channel, Canada
ƒ Australian Film Commission
ƒ NSW Film and TV Office
About Hatchling Productions
HATCHLING PRODUCTIONS is an award winning production company creating multi-platform
content for the international marketplace. The company specialises in documentaries for television and
interactive digital content for DVD and on-line delivery. The company is also developing educational
programs and two feature films. Whatever the subject matter, the Hatchling Productions approach is to
shine light into the darkness, to find new and creative solutions to some of the great concerns of our
time, and to tell universal stories than resonate with audiences around the globe.
Hatchling Productions consists of CATHY HENKEL and JEFF CANIN and is based in Clunes, in the
Northern Rivers region of NSW. Since its formation in 1992 the company has produced over 30
programs including 5 documentaries for television, 20 commissioned works for the educational and
training market, 5 self-initiated programs, 2 award winning short films, and two large-scale content rich
web-sites. Their credits include “Walking Through a Minefield”, (SBS) “Losing Layla”, (ABC),
winner of the ATOM award for Best Documentary in 2001 and nominated for an AFI Award, and
“The Man who Stole My Mother’s Face” (ABC) winner of the Tribeca Film Festival award in 2004
for Best Feature Documentary and the Discovery Channel IF Award for Best Documentary in
Australia in 2004. This program also has a web-site located at www.hatchling.com.au/face The team
recently launched a new feature length documentary entitled “I told you I was ill: the life and legacy
of Spike Milligan” at the Adelaide Film Festival and an associated web-site with dynamic content,
animations and rare archive material at www.spikemilliganlegacy.com
Summary of recent successes and current activities:
2005
I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL: The life and legacy of Spike Milligan, ABC/FFC non-accord documentary
in association with Adelaide Film Festival, The Documentary Channel (Canada) and RTE (Ireland).
Distributed by ABC Content Sales.
Launched at the Adelaide Film Festival to sold out screenings in February 2005 by South
Australian Premier Hon Mike Rann. The film begins its theatrical release in Byron Bay on 8th
April, 2005. The associated website was also launched in February 2005.
2003/4 THE MAN WHO STOLE MY MOTHER’S FACE, ABC/FFC non-accord documentary: a daughter’s
search for justice for her mother following a traumatic sexual assault.
• WINNER: BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, New York
• WINNER: DISCOVERY CHANNEL IF AWARD for BEST DOCUMENTARY, Australia
• SELECTED: MELBOURNE & BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
• FINALIST: 2003 LEXUS IF AWARDS: Independent Spirit Award
• FINALIST: CAPE TOWN WORLD CINEMA FESTIVAL
• SELECTED: HOT DOCS, Canadian International Documentary Festival
• NOMINATED: AFI AWARD for Best Achievement in Directing.
• NOMINATED: FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA award for Best Documentary.
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Websites:
www.hatchling.com.au/face - companion to “The Man who Stole my Mother’s Face”
www.spikemilliganlegacy.com - companion to “I told you I was ill”
In development: UNDER THE TURBAN. A window into the Sikh community of Australia through the eyes of
one fascinating family. A 4 x half hour series.
The company is also developing three other documentary projects, two feature films and a major DVD on sea
turtles. Other Hatchling Production highlights include:
2004
2003
2001
•
•
•
1999
CROSSING THE LINE: training DVD for long-line fishing industry on sea turtle handling.
COASTAL DREAMING: The Casuarina Beach Story. A DVD for Consolidated Properties.
LOSING LAYLA, ABC/FFC, documentary about birth, death and grief
WINNER: 2001 ATOM AWARD.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: DENDY AWARDS.
NOMINATED: AFI AWARD Best Achievement in Directing
WALKING THROUGH A MINEFIELD, SBS Documentary about Jabiluka uranium mine
1996
TAPA TRADITION, Fiji TV Traditional Fijian village life,
1995
TORIKA’S DAY, Fiji TV A Day in the Life of a Fijian Girl,
Other achievements:
•
•
•
•
“The Man who Stole My Mother’s Face” has been picked up by The Sundance Channel for
broadcast in the USA and by Women Make Movies for non-theatrical distribution of the DVD.
The film been sold in six countries, (The Netherlands, Israel, Canada, South Africa, Denmark
and USA) with sales pending in Germany and the UK. It has also been selected for screening at 15
international film festivals including: International Film Festival, Israel, Köln Film Festival,
Germany, Irish Film Institute Festival, Festival of Women’s Movies, Netherlands, One World Film
Festival, Czech Republic, 31st Flanders Film Festival, Belgium and Commonwealth Film Festival,
UK.
Losing Layla sold internationally in 16 countries and continues to generate interest worldwide. A
DVD of the film with added features is in development to be launched in conjunction with a new
book with the same title by Vanessa Gorman later in 2005.
Cathy Henkel is doing a PhD research project with QUT (Queensland University of Technology)
on the development of screen industries in regional areas with a focus on the Northern Rivers Region
of NSW. The research has three industry partners: The Northern Rivers Regional Development
Board, Northern Rivers Screenworks and Hatchling Productions and will provide new research data
of interest to regional development and screen industry organisations. The final report will be
delivered as a DVD in 2006.
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Image Gallery
There is a comprehensive image gallery on both the disc provided with this pack, and on the website
(www.spikemilliganlegacy.com/image_gallery.htm). Each full size image is a large file suitable for
300dpi printing. The average file size is 1Mb, so if you are accessing images online, it may take several
minutes to download these files on slow connections.
The following thumbnails show some of the images available:
Jane Milligan
Jane Milligan
with Spike
Jane Milligan
signing autographs
Jane Milligan
at Spike's grave
Jane Milligan
with Spike (2)
Jane Milligan
with Spike (3)
Jane Milligan
and Michael Palin
Jane Milligan
and Michael Palin (2)
Jane Milligan and
Laura Tierney at
Spikefest, Woy Woy
Joanna Lumley
and Jane Milligan
Joanna Lumley
and Jane Milligan (2)
Cathy, Sile and Jane
with the Milligan
grandchildren
Jane and her nephews
outside Carpenters
Director Cathy Henkel
filming Jane Milligan
On location in Ireland
Cath, Jane, Laura
and Conan filming
at Milligan's Cave
Sile and Jane
outside Munkenhurst
Laura and Jane with
Laura's daughter Georgia
Jane in Ireland
Jane with Beryl Vertue,
Spike's first manager
Shelagh with
one of Spike's
paintings
Jane inside her
grandfather's house,
Sligo
Sile and Jane
out the back of
Monkenhurst
Portrait of Jane
Milligan
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Jane at Monkenhurst
Cathy and Sile
with Spike's letters
Jane with
Spike's mini
Norma Farnes
Jane Milligan
reflective
Director Cathy Henkel
with Jane Milligan
Desmond Milligan at
Spikefest, Woy Woy
Spike with a
young Prince Charles
Desmond Milligan
close-up
Desmond Milligan
close-up (2)
Michael Palin
and Jane Milligan
Lyndsay de Paul
at the Spike Statue
Fund launch
Reg Bennett with
director Cathy Henkel
Reg Bennett with Spike
Eddie Izzard and
Cathy Henkel
Spike with third
wife Shelagh
Producer/director
Cathy Henkel and
producer Jeff Canin
Director Cathy Henkel
filming
Director Cathy Henkel
Cathy Henkel and
Desmond Milligan
Sile, Wendy and Jane
Spike meets
Queen Elizabeth
Desmond Milligan
and Mayor of Gosford,
New South Wales
Desmond at Walking
Backwards parade,
Spikefest 2003
Beverley Spiers
Glenn Cardier
Cathy Henkel
at Orme Court
Charlotte Robson,
wife of Spike's
therapist
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The making of the film by director Cathy Henkel
The idea for the film began when, after finishing our previous documentary, “The Man who
Stole my Mother’s Face”, our sound mixer said in parting “I hope the next film will be a
comedy”. With these words in my head, I stopped in at Woy Woy on the NSW Central Coast
my way home to visit a friend of mine, Nina Angelo. Nina told me about a committee she was
part of called Spikefest and their efforts to create a festival in honour of Spike Milligan who’d
spent so much time in Woy Woy. I didn’t know this, and in fact realised how little I knew about
this comic legend that had infiltrated my childhood through The Goon Show and had somehow
profoundly influenced a whole generation of comedians and the nature of comedy itself. So I
began reading and researching Spike’s life and found so much more that intrigued me. He
wrote 83 books and was a campaigner for the environment and animal welfare in the 1960’s
before it was common for celebrities to speak out on these types of issues. He suffered manic
depression (now known as bipolar disorder) most of his life, and was very outspoken about it.
He defied conventions and notions of decorum and lived by his own set of rules. He was
profoundly sensitive and compassionate and quietly supported many people and organisations
who wrote to him for help. He signed his letters “love, light and peace”. The more I read, the
more I began to think he would make an interesting subject for a film. And after spending
almost four years focussed on survivors of sexual assault, this felt like it would be a more lighthearted and entertaining journey.
So in September 2003, I packed my camera and headed to Woy Woy in the lead up to the first
Spikefest. I stayed there for six weeks, getting to know the festival organisers and people
who’d met Spike and had stories to tell. I met Desmond, Spike’s brother and he opened up his
parent’s house to me. Inside I found a rich Milligan museum, and together with the stories and
archival material Desmond showed me, revealed a man very different from the public
perception of Spike, the mad comedian. Then Spike’s two daughters turned up. Laura, who
lives in Sydney, is Spike’s eldest daughter from his first marriage and with her was Spike’s
granddaughter, Georga. Laura’s youngest sister, Jane, Spike’s only daughter from his second
marriage, also came to the festival, all the way from London. When I heard the two daughters
talking about Spike as a father, I became really interested. Spike created an unbelievably
magical, creative and wildly chaotic childhood for them, and the quality and depth of his
relationship with his children, revealed through letters he wrote them as well as stories they
told, really surprised me. It also became clear to me that Spike’s legacy was in jeopardy since
he died, because of what was happening within the family and what Jane calls Spike’s “close
circle of people”. The effects of the dispute were felt right throughout the family and this deeply
disturbed and saddened me. My relationship with the daughters grew, and they came to trust
me and opened up their family archive to the film. I offered to make the film from their
perspective as it was a unique perspective that had not been seen publicly before, and as a
way of reminding people of the enormous breadth and depth of Spike’s legacy and finding a
way to maintain and preserve it for future generations.
During the shooting period, I kept a diary of events and wrote them up for our website which
we launched in its early form in late August 2004. This became the place to communicate with
Spike enthusiasts who were already contacting us about the film, and wanting to know how
things were progressing. Extracts from these “blogs” are included in this press kit and can be
found on the Spike web-site. These provide anecdotes and details of the shooting period of the
film.
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The post-production phase of the film was from September until early January 2005. Producer
Jeff Canin and I then headed for Adelaide to complete the sound mix, grading, graphics and
inserting of the animations. We decided early on to use a selection of Spike's funny sayings as
chapter links and to animate the character of Spike and some of his children’s work. There was
an air of mania throughout the edit, partly induced by Spike and the material and partly by the
looming deadlines. Spike kept us laughing, even when we were dealing with the difficult and
unfunny aspects of the story and we tried to keep to the spirit of: "we don't have a plan, so
nothing can go wrong". However, when you are editing a feature length and two television
versions of a film, you have to have a plan, and it has to be clear.
Our plan was to show the personal side of Spike, what he was like as a father, brother,
husband and friend, and how his personal life and his "illness" affected both his family and his
work. This meant the film was going to be a mix of humour and sadness, and would roller
coaster from one mood to another just like Spike did when he was alive. He was very open
and articulate about his manic depression and we wanted audiences to hear in his own words,
what it was like for him. We also wanted to show how the family dealt with it and how
profoundly it influenced his work.
The inclusion of the dispute over Spike’s will and the conflict between Spike’s children and his
third wife Shelagh was always a difficult issue. I did include it in the first version of the film,
motivated by a desire to tell the truth as we knew it, and to convey the deep emotion and
distress felt throughout the family because of these events. The children had not yet publicly
told their side of the story and this was a way to do so without going through the British tabloid
press. Also they hoped that by telling of their version of the story, they might bring about some
clearer understanding and resolution within the family. As it happens, this has occurred. The
children have withdrawn from the legal battle and there is now hope of a resolution within the
family. I decided to change the ending of the film after the Adelaide screenings and the first
three screenings in the Northern Rivers region for two reasons. Firstly the ending as it stood
dated the film and I wanted an ending that was more timeless. I therefore decided to put the
story of the conflict over the will onto the website where it can be easily updated. Secondly I
wanted an ending that was more uplifting and reminded people of the enormous amount of
active support Spike gave to a wide variety of causes and issues and how he believed that it is
the individual who can make a difference. I decided that, in the end, this was the resonant
message I wanted audiences to take home with them.
The website was launched at 11.15pm on Sunday 20 February 2005, while Spike's eldest
daughter Laura was driving home from a publicity function with web director Kerry Sunderland
and Laura’s friends Nina and Trish (who are on the Woy Woy Spikefest committee). It was a
suitably 'virtual' and madcap moment all at once because, while Kerry was on the phone, there
was some confusion about which way to turn and the Milligan clan got themselves lost. One
hour later, Nina pulled into a petrol station and discovered the group was about 70kms north of
where they wanted to end up. Dressed uniformly in Spike Milligan Legacy t-shirts, the petrol
station attendant enquired whether they were members of a religious group. The Cult of LatterDay Milligan’s was officially born.
The film was launched at the Adelaide Film Festival on Tuesday 22nd February by the premier
of South Australia, Hon Mike Rann. Desmond, Laura and Spike’s granddaughter Georga
attended the premiere and 350 Spike masks were handed out to the audience. The screening
was sold out and a second screening on Thursday 24th was also full. The audience and media
reaction to the film to date has been extremely positive.
As the end credits of the film say, the story continues at…..www.spikemilliganlegacy.com
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Credit list of key creative personnel
Produced by Cathy Henkel and Jeff Canin
Written & directed by Cathy Henkel
Edited by James Bradley
Website produced & written by Kerry Sunderland, Evolve Media
Website developers: Chris Joyner, Jason Sidoryn, Kipp Brady, Malte Wiegand, Katalyst Web Design
Website host: RUCC
Title sequence: Rapt Animations
Animators: Murray Debus and Jon Kudelka
Character voices: Jonathon Atherton
Music: Spike Milligan, Glyn Lehmann, Glenn Cardier
Cinematographers: Cathy Henkel, Richard Butchins, Richard Kendrick,
Additional camera: Hugh Miller, Mike Rubbo, Ian Spruce
Sound recordists: Jeff Canin, Conan Fitzpatrick, Matthew Moline, Trish Waddington, Rainier Davenport
Sound post production: Pete Best, Peter Smith, Tom Heuzenroeder, Best FX
Online Grade & graphics: Dale Roberts, Oasis Post Australia
Consultants: Barry Stevens, John Edginton, Barry Dowdall, David Jowsey
Narration recording: Matthew Williams, Matthew Gulliford
Production accountant: Belinda Roberts
Edit assistants: Liliana Munoz, Barbie English
Line producer, Ireland: Paul Tully
Production assistants, London: Lisa James, Emma Mitchell
Production assistants, Woy Woy: Trish Waddington, Conan Fitzpatrick
Cathy Henkel with Jane Milligan & Michael Palin
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About the filmmakers
Hatchling Productions
Hatchling Productions was formed in 1992 by Cathy Henkel
and Jeff Canin to produce documentaries, educational and
training videos and short films. The company established the
first digital post-production editing studio available for hire in
the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Since its formation,
Hatchling Productions has produced more than 30 programs
including five documentaries for television, 15 commissioned
works for the educational and training market, five selfinitiated programs, two on-line documentaries and two short
films. They have won numerous international awards for
their work including the Tribeca Film Festival Award in New
York for Best Feature Documentary and the Discovery Channel IF Award for Best Documentary in
Australia in 2004.
Cathy Henkel - writer/director/producer
Cathy has worked as a producer, writer and director of documentaries, educational and information
videos since 1988. This followed a 10-year career working as a director of theatre, particularly youth
theatre. Her first documentary for television was HEROES OF OUR TIME (broadcast in 1991 on the
ABC series "True Stories"). This first inside look at Greenpeace during one of its direct action
campaigns was co-written and directed with Catherine Marciniak and produced by Film Australia.
Cathy’s subsequent directing credits include TAPA TRADITION, WALKING THROUGH A MINEFIELD,
THE MAN WHO STOLE MY MOTHER'S FACE and I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL. Cathy also now has a
decade's experience as a cinematographer, shooting almost all the education and training videos she
has directed for Hatchling Productions. She was also director/DOP on the documentary WALKING
THROUGH A MINEFIELD for SBS and producer/DOP on LOSING LAYLA for the ABC. Cathy shot
most of the personal interview material with her family and friends and much of the police investigation
in THE MAN WHO STOLE MY MOTHER'S FACE, and was principal cinematographer on I TOLD YOU
I WAS ILL.
Cathy is a founding member and Chair of Northern Rivers Screenworks Ltd, and has served on the
national Board for the Australian International Documentary Conference. She is currently on the board
of SPAA (Screen Producers Association of Australia) representing documentary producers. Cathy
completed a Master of Arts Degree at Queensland University of Technology in 2001 researching the
development of creative industries in the NSW Northern Rivers region, and has commenced a PhD
further exploring this topic.
Jeff Canin - producer, sound recordist
Jeff worked for Greenpeace International as a sea turtle campaigner for seven and a half years, based
in London, Florida and Amsterdam. In 1991, he met Cathy Henkel on a sea turtle nesting beach in
Queensland and they decided to team up together in life and in work. In 1992, following the birth of their
daughter, SamLara, they formed Hatchling Productions to produce environmental, social issue and
community-based documentaries and establish a digital post-production editing studio in the Northern
Rivers region of NSW.
Since then Jeff has worked as a producer, editor and sound recordist. His editing credits include:
LOGGERHEADS and JABILUKA, and Production credits WALKING THROUGH A MINEFIELD,
LOSING LAYLA, THE MAN WHO STOLE MY MOTHER’S FACE, I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL, two
websites (www.hatchling.com.au/face and www.spikemilliganlegacy.com and many educational and
information videos and DVDs.
More recently, Jeff has established DVD production facilities at the Hatchling studios, and with partner
Cathy Henkel, is currently developing a major series for television, two new documentaries and two
feature films.
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Contact Details
Hatchling Productions
119 Elliot Road
CLUNES NSW 2480
Australia
Ph: +61 2 66 291449
Fax: +61 2 66 291089
Email:
jeffcanin@hatchling.com.au
cathyhenkel@hatchling.com.au
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