A PROPERTY consultant has unwittingly helped Ashton become a magnet for television production companies.
Stephen Gooderson, who works form WC Dawson Estate Agents, has become a go-to person as companies search for suitable film locations.
And the latest production Stephen has assisted with is the Netflix drama Stay Close which stars James Nesbitt, Eddie Izzard and Richard Armitage.
A former carpet shop has been transformed into a pet shop ‘Hannibal’s Animals’ for the filming of the eight-episode series.
The pet shop was owned by Izzard and used as her office in the show which is an adaptation of American writer Harlen Coban’s book Stay Close.
As a thank you, Netflix have given Stephen a £1,000 donation to 19, the charity he set up to source PPE equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I am a dinosaur. Having been here such a long time and being in property, people recommend me when they are looking for film locations,” he explained.
Stephen previously recommended WM Walton & Sons Ltd which, until its recent closure had changed little in almost 200 years, for the BBC’s Ridley Road and for Snatch, a crime-comedy drama.
In Ridley Road, the shop was kitted out in November as a tailor outfitter as the show was about life in the 18th century while earlier in Snatch, the production company also took over the street to create a 1960s market.
The BBC also gave Stephen a donation to purchase PPE equipment.
- Photos by Gemma Carter