Blast from the Past
Philip Glenister stars in an explosive drama set against the backdrop of the 1996 IRA bomb attack on Manchester
On the morning of the 15th June 1996, much of the UK was gearing up to watch England play Scotland in a Euro 96 football match taking place at Wembley that afternoon. At 11.17am however a dark shadow fell over that warm Saturday when an IRA bomb ripped through the centre of Manchester injuring more than 200 people and changing the face of the city forever…
That cataclysmic event is the starting point for From There to Here, a new BBC1 drama written by Peter Bowker, the BAFTA winning writer of Eric and Ernie and Occupation. The three part series explores the fall out and rebuilding of Manchester through the changing fortunes of three generations of the Cotton family; the long-time owners of a sweet factory in the area. At the centre of proceedings is Daniel Cotton, played by Philip Glenister, who runs the business with hi belligerent adoptive father Samuel (Bernard Hill). Struggling to keep the factory afloat, the pair are at odds over whether to embrace the bold new ideas of Daniels’ financial whizz-kid son Charlie (Daniel Rigby), while there are deeper family tensions concerning Samuel’s reckless other son Robbo (Steven Mackintosh).
As the story begins on the fateful morning, Daniel is in a hotel in the city with Samuel and Robbo, trying to build bridges between the pair. ‘At the heart of the drama is how families work and the complexity and divisions within them,’ say Glenister. ‘Daniel is trying to appease the relationship between Samuel and Robbo, but he also has this fractious relationship with Charlie over the business, In fact, he has complex relationships with everybody – even himself.’
After the bomb explodes, Daniel, Robb and Samuel manage to get to safety but each is changed by their experience. For Daniel the explosion is the catalyst for a bond he strikes up with the hotel’s sparky cleaner Joanne, played by Glenister’s former Life on Mars co-star, Liz White, whom he rescues from the wreckage. As the story unfolds Daniel forges a secret relationship with Joanne, while still married to the warm and supportive Claire (Saskia Reeves). Daniel genuinely loves these two women and feels guilt and fear,’ says the 51 year old Glenister. ‘He’s in this weird situation where he falls in love while still loving his wife.’
The three episodes span four years and show how Manchester was altered irrevocably after the bombing as a result of social, economic and political changes. The rise of New Labour and the 1997 election are seen through the eyes of Daniel and Claire’s aspiring politician daughter Louise (Morven Christie), before the series reaches a climax with the dawn of a new millennium in 2000. ‘I remember that summer of 1996 clearly,’ says Glenister. ‘We’d had years of Conservative government and that was going nowhere, the country was crying out for change and we had this amazing football tournament. There was a feeling of euphoria across the country that we could be going somewhere.’
For Glenister, the opportunity to recreate such a key period in the history of Manchester, the city where he previously filmed the likes of Life on Mars and Clocking Off, was one he embraced. ‘I think this piece, ultimately, is Peter Bowker’s love letter to Manchester and being in Manchester was lovely for me too. I have probably done the majority of my work there so it has become a bit like my adopted home.’
Witnessing the meticulous recreation of how the city looked in the aftermath of the bomb was also a powerful experience. ‘It has been done brilliantly,’ says Glenister. ‘The bombing scenes inside the hotel were great too; it was just us and some very limited CGI. There were no stunt doubles. We looked around at the crew and they all had big goggles on and shields up. As soon as they called ‘Action!’ we could see them all running towards Salford.
Who’s Who
Daniel (Philip Glenister)
The sweet factory owner’s life falls apart when he embarks on an illicit affair in the aftermath of the bomb blast
Samuel (Bernard Hill)
Daniel’s adoptive father runs the sweet factory with him and is deeply at odds with his other son Robbo
Robbo (Steven Mackintosh)
The hard-living nightclub owner is close to his brother Daniel and makes a shocking decision after the bomb
Claire (Saskia Reeves)
Daniel’s wife is a strong support to him through the family’s crises, but she is in the dark about his double life.
Joanne (Liz White)
The cleaner and single mother is rescued by Daniel during the bombing of the city centre and the gradually fall in love
Louise (Morven Christie)
Daniel’s daughter in a mother of two and enters the political arena as New Labour starts its rise to power
Charlie (Daniel Rigby)
The aspiring businessman is doted on by his grandfather, but locks horns with Daniel over his plans for the factory
On the morning of the 15th June 1996, much of the UK was gearing up to watch England play Scotland in a Euro 96 football match taking place at Wembley that afternoon. At 11.17am however a dark shadow fell over that warm Saturday when an IRA bomb ripped through the centre of Manchester injuring more than 200 people and changing the face of the city forever…
That cataclysmic event is the starting point for From There to Here, a new BBC1 drama written by Peter Bowker, the BAFTA winning writer of Eric and Ernie and Occupation. The three part series explores the fall out and rebuilding of Manchester through the changing fortunes of three generations of the Cotton family; the long-time owners of a sweet factory in the area. At the centre of proceedings is Daniel Cotton, played by Philip Glenister, who runs the business with hi belligerent adoptive father Samuel (Bernard Hill). Struggling to keep the factory afloat, the pair are at odds over whether to embrace the bold new ideas of Daniels’ financial whizz-kid son Charlie (Daniel Rigby), while there are deeper family tensions concerning Samuel’s reckless other son Robbo (Steven Mackintosh).
As the story begins on the fateful morning, Daniel is in a hotel in the city with Samuel and Robbo, trying to build bridges between the pair. ‘At the heart of the drama is how families work and the complexity and divisions within them,’ say Glenister. ‘Daniel is trying to appease the relationship between Samuel and Robbo, but he also has this fractious relationship with Charlie over the business, In fact, he has complex relationships with everybody – even himself.’
After the bomb explodes, Daniel, Robb and Samuel manage to get to safety but each is changed by their experience. For Daniel the explosion is the catalyst for a bond he strikes up with the hotel’s sparky cleaner Joanne, played by Glenister’s former Life on Mars co-star, Liz White, whom he rescues from the wreckage. As the story unfolds Daniel forges a secret relationship with Joanne, while still married to the warm and supportive Claire (Saskia Reeves). Daniel genuinely loves these two women and feels guilt and fear,’ says the 51 year old Glenister. ‘He’s in this weird situation where he falls in love while still loving his wife.’
The three episodes span four years and show how Manchester was altered irrevocably after the bombing as a result of social, economic and political changes. The rise of New Labour and the 1997 election are seen through the eyes of Daniel and Claire’s aspiring politician daughter Louise (Morven Christie), before the series reaches a climax with the dawn of a new millennium in 2000. ‘I remember that summer of 1996 clearly,’ says Glenister. ‘We’d had years of Conservative government and that was going nowhere, the country was crying out for change and we had this amazing football tournament. There was a feeling of euphoria across the country that we could be going somewhere.’
For Glenister, the opportunity to recreate such a key period in the history of Manchester, the city where he previously filmed the likes of Life on Mars and Clocking Off, was one he embraced. ‘I think this piece, ultimately, is Peter Bowker’s love letter to Manchester and being in Manchester was lovely for me too. I have probably done the majority of my work there so it has become a bit like my adopted home.’
Witnessing the meticulous recreation of how the city looked in the aftermath of the bomb was also a powerful experience. ‘It has been done brilliantly,’ says Glenister. ‘The bombing scenes inside the hotel were great too; it was just us and some very limited CGI. There were no stunt doubles. We looked around at the crew and they all had big goggles on and shields up. As soon as they called ‘Action!’ we could see them all running towards Salford.
Who’s Who
Daniel (Philip Glenister)
The sweet factory owner’s life falls apart when he embarks on an illicit affair in the aftermath of the bomb blast
Samuel (Bernard Hill)
Daniel’s adoptive father runs the sweet factory with him and is deeply at odds with his other son Robbo
Robbo (Steven Mackintosh)
The hard-living nightclub owner is close to his brother Daniel and makes a shocking decision after the bomb
Claire (Saskia Reeves)
Daniel’s wife is a strong support to him through the family’s crises, but she is in the dark about his double life.
Joanne (Liz White)
The cleaner and single mother is rescued by Daniel during the bombing of the city centre and the gradually fall in love
Louise (Morven Christie)
Daniel’s daughter in a mother of two and enters the political arena as New Labour starts its rise to power
Charlie (Daniel Rigby)
The aspiring businessman is doted on by his grandfather, but locks horns with Daniel over his plans for the factory
