Introduction

Castles in the Sky is a British fact-based television drama first broadcast on BBC Two on 04 September 2014. The movie shows Robert Watson-Watt and other British scientists’ struggle to invent radar in the years leading to World War II.

Outline

It is the mid-1930s and Germany is making rapid advances in weaponry, especially aircraft. Suspecting that a war is likely, the British War Ministry look to new and advanced inventions of their own. This film charts the work of Robert Watson-Watt, the pioneer of Radar, and his hand-picked team of eccentric yet brilliant meteorologists as they abandon their initial direction of a death ray and struggle to turn the concept of Radar into a workable reality. Hamstrung by a small budget, challenging technical problems and even a spy, Watson Watt also has to deal with marital problems. By 1939, Watson Watt and his team have developed the world’s first Radar system along England’s south east coast – a system that, in 1940, will be critical in winning the Battle of Britain.

Cast

• Eddie Izzard as Robert Watson-Watt
• Laura Fraser as Margaret Watson-Watt
• Alex Jennings as Henry Tizard
• Tim McInnerny as Winston Churchill
• David Hayman as Frederick Lindemann
• Julian Rhind-Tutt as Albert Percival Rowe
• Karl Davies as Arnold “Skip” Wilkins
• Celyn Jones as “Taffy” Bowen
• Iain McKee as Higgy
• Joe Bone as Bell

Celyn Jones and Eddie Izzard also worked together on the 2020 film Six Minutes to Midnight.

Production

Castles in the Sky was commissioned by Janice Hadlow for BBC Two and Kim Shillinglaw, head commissioner for science and natural history. It is produced by Simon Wheeler for Hero Film and Television with Arabella Page Croft and Kieran Parker as co-producers for Black Camel Pictures. The director is Gillies MacKinnon and the writer is Ian Kershaw, who has previously worked on Shameless. Castles in the Sky is produced with Open University, BBC Two, BBC Scotland, BBC Worldwide and Creative Scotland with Glasgow Film Office, Robert Watson Watt Trust and Brechin Civic Trust.

Filming took place in various locations on Scotland’s east coast; on Dunbar Beach and Hedderwick Sands in East Lothian, Newbattle Abbey and Arniston House in Midlothian, Gosford House in Longniddry, and in Edinburgh. Mark Russell composed the musical score, whilst the costume designer was Gill Horn.

Producer Wheeler said that he hoped the film would illuminate the “sex appeal” of science. He said, “The time is right for a contemporary approach to this rich and under-reported vein of British history—it’s not like other war stories—if anything it’s more akin to a combination of The Social Network and Chariots of Fire than The Dambusters or Reach for the Sky.”

Release

The film was previewed at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 23 June 2014.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Gillies MacKinnon
• Producer(s):
  • Ewan Angus … executive producer: BBC Scotland
  • Mark Hubbard … co-producer
  • Tom McDonald … commissioning editor
  • Judy Naake … executive producer
  • Arabella Page Croft … co-producer: Black Camel
  • Kieran Parker … co-producer: Black Camel
  • Kim Shillinglaw … commissioning editor
  • Simon Wheeler … producer
  • Simon Wheeler … executive producer
• Writer(s):
  • Ian Kershaw
• Music:
  • Mark Russell
• Cinematography:
  • Alasdair Walker … director of photography
• Editor(s):
  • Anne Sopel
• Production:
  • Hero Productions
  • Black Camel Pictures
  • The Open University
  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (for)
• Distributor(s):
  • BBC
• Release Date: 04 September 2014 (TV Premiere).
• Running time: 90 minutes.
• Rating: PG.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)