TV show '˜No Offence' to show some familiar faces from Wakefield

Fans of a Channel 4 show may recognise a few familiar faces thanks to an agency that has supplied around 20 supporting artists from the Wakefield district.
David Clayton from FX Vision Group with Blake Allan, Charlotte Green and Dean Whiting.David Clayton from FX Vision Group with Blake Allan, Charlotte Green and Dean Whiting.
David Clayton from FX Vision Group with Blake Allan, Charlotte Green and Dean Whiting.

The extras signed up to Pontefract-based specialist recruitment company, Policelot, were drafted into the new series of ‘No Offence’, the dark comedy focusing on a fictional police unit set in Manchester.

Written by Paul Abbott, who also penned Channel 4 hit series Shameless and BBC’s State of Play, the third series of the hit show began last Thursday and will run for six episodes.

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For Policelot, which supplies props, costumes and actors for police roles, it’s one of the largest cast list of supporting actors they have supplied.

Company director David Clayton said: “Within the industry we normally have one or two people per scene, but with No Offence there’s a higher turn over because they jump between different time frames.

“It’s not the most we’ve had but it’s one of the most, I think we had about 30 people do Hollyoaks during a big scene once.

“But they are generally from the Wakefield area, we have people on the books from all over but we try to us local people.

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“It’s something that people tend to do part time for a bit of extra cash, but it’s like having the bragging rights in the pub if you’re on television.

“A group of us got together to watch the first episode and messages started popping up on Facebook about how people had just seen them.”

Since launching 22 years ago, Policelot has supplied to numerous shows and films, including Eastenders, Ackley Bridge, Peter Kay’s Car Share the James Bond movie, Skyfall.

And Mr Clayton says it’s the attention to detail that attracts the producers.

“We get the props from the same manufacturers that supply the police themselves.

“We have a duty of care to be authentic, the quality has got to be absolutely spot on.”