Back in September I produced and directed Europe's Strongest Man for Giants Live, filmed up in Yorkshire at Allerton Castle. It hits the screens this Christmas on the 21st and 23rd December at 7pm on Channel 5.
This event had a different look and feel about it compared to the usual sell-out arena razzmatazz due to Covid regulations, but the crew and athletes went full throttle with their commitment to the 2-part series which resulted in a few hours worth of Christmas prime time family entertainment that hopefully would lift and pull you through any winter blues.
The backdrop of the castle itself felt very 'strongman-esque' and the events, which were largely stone based, had a rawness about them which all married up well with the overall vibe.
In lieu of there being no indoor fireworks and big athlete entrances that we are used to on these shows (seeing as there was no crowd!) I came up with the idea of having fire-torches and filming the hero shots this way instead. With a fire warden and extinguishers standing by, we managed to film all 12 athletes safely and the finished article once we hit the edit turned out even more epic than I had imagined.
Another aspect that stood out that weekend in September, was the bond between athletes and crew. Everyone in attendance was determined to make this work, against the odds... such is the Giants Live way.
As for World's Strongest Man, this will be the first time in five years that I can watch the series more as a fan. For half a decade I used to work between Christmas and New Years, promoting the entire series I produced each day... so I'm very much looking forward to kicking back with a few mince pies stress free this time around.
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