I was an extra on Queer As Folk 2

The sequel to Queer As Folk arrived on our screens here in the UK on 15 February 2000.

One rainy afternoon, the previous Autumn, I came across the crew on Canal Street, as they filmed some scenes for the final episode. I had my camera with me, so I was able to take these shots.

The weather was awful. They were struggling to get the shots they needed and so was I — my camera kept telling me 'not enough light'.

If you look at the finished programme, and the final daytime sequence on Canal Street, you'll see the weather changing.

Charlie Hunnam (Nathan) was a bit reluctant to have his photo taken. Perhaps he'd been told not to pose, or maybe he thought I was some kind of pervert and would put his picture up on my website (ooops!).

A couple of weeks later I was an extra on the wedding reception scenes (left), which were filmed at Knutsford in Cheshire.

HOW I GOT TO BE AN EXTRA

So how did that come about? By the time I heard about the filming of the first series it was too late to apply. Besides which no one had any idea what it was about.

There have been some awful shows on British TV — including 'That Gay Show' and 'Gaytime TV' — so I was worried that QAF might turn out to be something equally embarrassing.

However, when the second series was announced, I knew I wanted to be part of it and kept my eyes open. I walk through Canal Street just about every day and soon I saw them filming. So I asked one of the crew how to apply.

He advised me to telephone Red Productions, which was based at Granada TV in Manchester. I got in touch with them and was asked to complete an application form with my measurements and a photo.

However, instead of getting to play a gay boy on Canal Street, as I expected, I ended up being a 'straight' guest at the wedding reception!

I saw an American film crew making a documentary and discovered later that it was for a behind-the-scenes video called 'The Boys of Manchester: On the Set of Queer As Folk 2'. This only seems to have been released in the USA and, unfortunately, now appears to be unavailable even there. If anyone has a copy they can loan me (I'm in the UK remember) I would love to see it.

I had a great time on location, met some good people, and we got paid and well fed! The actors don't usually talk with the extras. Denise Black (Vince's mum) was an exception and was very friendly.

I'M IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE!

The sequence at the wedding reception begins with me on the left in the foreground (I'm wearing a green shirt and black trousers).

Although on screen there is music and chatter, scenes like this are shot in complete silence except for the sound of the actors speaking.

This is so that a clean recording of their dialogue can be made without any background noise or music. Those are added later by the film editor.

You may have spotted a downside... Yes we had to dance with no music at all! Although they played a short burst to get us going before the cameras started rolling.

As Vince jumps up and runs to the bar to break up the potential fight between Stewart and the groom, he passes me on the dance-floor. But, when he gets to the bar, as if by magic I'm behind the groom too.

MY TOP TIP

As a photographer I know that there are 'foreground' colours (red is one) that jump out at the viewer and background colours, like green and blue, which we associate with more distant things such as hills and the sky. White, on the other hand, can appear over bright and glaring on camera.

So I wore my green shirt for the shoot and sure enough, because that colour would blend into the background, I was picked to appear in three different shots.

Contact info

How to get in touch with me by e-mail, chat or telephone.