On the set of new BBC police drama Cuffs

FILMING for a brand new police drama commissioned by the BBC has been taking place around Adur and Worthing.
Peter-Frank Dewulf with Martin HosierPeter-Frank Dewulf with Martin Hosier
Peter-Frank Dewulf with Martin Hosier

Cuffs, an eight-part mini series, focuses on both the working and personal lives of modern-day police officers on the beat.

The Herald was granted access to the series’ film set at Worthing Town Hall earlier today. The venue, along with the neighbouring Assembly Hall, was being used to film court scenes, while the office of Alex Bailey, chief executive of Adur & Worthing councils, was dressed as a head teacher’s office.

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While the series is officially set in Brighton, many locations will be filmed in Adur and Worthing including Teville Gate, The Castle Tavern in Newland Road, Portland House in Richmond Road and a Long Feng Foods in Southwick Square.

Peter-Frank Dewulf, the project’s location manager, said: “Worthing is actually a lot more film friendly than Brighton. So most of the filming of the interiors is done in the Worthing and Adur area and we go to Brighton for the station, the pier and the exterior street scenes.”

Martin Hosier, facilities manager for Adur & Worthing councils, added: “You kind of cluster. So for instance, when the crew is filming at Teville Gate, on the same day across the road they’re going to film at the Castle Tavern. The good thing about the pub is the interior is fantastic so you don’t have to dress it.”

The production company has transformed the Adur Civic Centre, in Ham Road, Shoreham, into a police station. The ground floor has been turned into a cell block and custody suite, while the first floor is being used as offices.

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“That cost quite a bit of money to do so we want to leave it in place and to get our money’s worth we need to film a certain amount of days in there,” said Peter-Frank.

“If, let’s say, we had the film in the court room for 30 days it might be worth building it because it might be cheaper than actually hiring this out for 30 days in a row.”

Cuffs is the first new drama series to be commissioned for an 8pm weekday slot on BBC One in eight years.

When asked what separated it from other police drams Peter-Frank said: “At the moment there’s not that many BBC or British police dramas out there. The BBC obviously spotted a gap, that’s not my job that’s the commissioners’, for a new police drama. It’s an on-the-beat police drama, it’s not a forensic team or CSI.”

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