Frodsham recently made headlines when filming in the town for a gangster drama ‘Semolina Pilchard’ didn’t quite go to plan. Actors and camera crew were forced to stop abruptly after armed police swarmed their set and ordered them to drop their guns.
Producer Matthew George Walsh, a Frodsham resident, said they were filming a sequence where the robbers stormed the post office with their fake machine guns “so even though we had about 30 members of crew on the pavement someone must have thought something was going on and called the police”.
He said the scene had taken months to organise and the crew had permission from the post office and police to carry fake firearms. Happily the misunderstanding was soon resolved and filming continued.
The film’s unusual title derives from a famous line in the song “I Am the Walrus” by the Beatles. It tells the story of a terminally ill Liverpool gangster who summons his estranged eldest daughter back to their hometown after a five year absence. Liverpool actor Joe McGann stars as the mob boss dad, alongside Sarah Louise Chadwick and former Brookside star Louis Emerick. TikTok viral sensation Philip Regan – best known as the Queen of Scotty Road – plays a comedy Post Office clerk.
The producer has praised the people of Frodsham for helping make the film happen and he hopes it will shine a light on the community. Localities including Castle Park Café, the Red Lion pub, former restaurant the Yuet Ben and St Lawrence’s Church were used as film locations, and viewers may recognise local friends who were included as extras! A special charity screening will be held at the Community Centre in 2025.