Michael Palin and Ben Chaplin have begun principal photography on feature film ‘The Wipers Times’ in Co Down in Northern Ireland.
Shooting is currently taking place in Ballywalter Park Estate in Down, with ‘Monty Python’ star Palin and ‘London Boulevard’ actor Chaplin playing lead roles opposite Emilia Fox (silent Witness), Julian Rhind-Tutt (The Hour) and Steve Oram (Sightseers).
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, whose co-writing credits include ‘My Dad’s the Prime Minister’, have both written the script for ‘The Wipers Times’. The film charts the true story of Captain Fred Roberts, played by Chaplin, who set up a satirical magazine called ‘The Wipers Times’ in Ypres in Belgium in 1916. With ‘wipers’ being army slang for Ypres, the magazine was poignant, subversive and funny.
Oscar winner David Parfitt (Shakespeare in Love) is producing for his Trademark Films. Parfitt’s other credits include ‘My Week with Marilyn’ and ‘Parade’s End’.
The film was funded by the BBC, Northern Ireland Screen Fund (supported by Invest NI and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund), Goldcrest Films and Content Media. It will continue to shoot in various Northern Ireland locations for four weeks.