Biopic of famous scientist being filmed in Yorkshire

A biopic about the most famous British scientist of the 19th Century, widely regarded as the "father of electricity", is currently being filmed in South Yorkshire.

Based on a screenplay by Murray Watts, the film titled Power & Glory tells the story of chemist and physicist Michael Faraday, who transformed the study of electricity and magnetism.

Starring James Cosmo, Andy Harrison, Conor Sánchez, and Gaia Wise, the film is primarily being shot at Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham and Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in Sheffield.

Sánchez, who plays Faraday, said Power & Glory was "a great exploration of what it means to be human, and it delves into the man behind the great discovery".

Faraday grew up in poverty in London and received little formal schooling.

As a teenager, he was apprenticed to a bookbinder, where articles on electricity and magnetism in the Encyclopaedia Britannica captivated him and sparked a lifelong interest in science.

Self‑education, combined with his curiosity and determination, ultimately led him to attend public lectures by the chemist Humphry Davy and set him on the path to becoming one of the most influential scientists of the 19th Century.

He is celebrated for carrying out pioneering research into the relationship between electricity and magnetism.

Davy, who is played by Andy Harrison, saved the lives of countless miners thanks to his invention the Davy lamp.

Harrison said his character had a "loving, sweet relationship with his also very ambitious wife".

"[He] has at times a good friendship with Faraday but then seeing how that gradually unfolds and cracks up gives plenty to get stuck into as an actor."

Watts, who wrote the screenplay for films such as The Dream and The Miracle Maker, said he had been waiting nearly two decades to see his work brought to life.

"It's quite emotional seeing it happen," he said.

"Every day I'm standing at the monitor with my headphones on and I'm watching scenes unfold which I imagined sitting in my shed in the garden at my home in the north of Scotland."

Filming at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet on Wednesday came with its own quirks however, with passing trains influencing when scenes could be shot.

"Most scenes are only about one or two minutes long, so we've just got time between the trains to get the take and then the train sometimes comes as we're recording and we just have to go again," said Watts.

There were other challenges the crew had to contend with, such as the fact that Faraday's story pre-dates electricity.

"That means the whole film has got to be without electricity," said director Norman Stone.

"And that's giving my camera man, Andy Roger, the chance to paint with shadows and have that darkened look with brilliant candles or lamps, but it really is a different look and I am rejoicing in it deeply at the moment."

Wentworth Woodhouse, one of the grandest stately homes in the country, has been chosen as the main filming site, with location fees supporting the work of the preservation trust.

Its 365 rooms have offered the production team a range of settings, allowing multiple scenes to be shot in a single place.

"It's a beautiful location and it's set in fantastic surroundings," said producer Emma James.

Scottish actor James Cosmo, who played Jeor Mormont on Game of Thrones, has been cast as the storyteller and said he had been positively surprised by Yorkshire.

"When Norman Stone said we're going to be filming up near Sheffield, I thought 'oh, golly, you know, the dark north'," said Cosmo.

"And I couldn't have been more wrong. It's the most stunning countryside, beautiful locations and the local people have been absolutely fantastic."

Power & Glory is expected to have a Yorkshire premiere later this year.

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