Introducing Awaydays

This week sees the release of Brit film Awaydays, directed by Pat Holden, introduces a new string of acting talent to the big screen.

Set on the Wirral in the grim early years of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, the opportunities for thrill-seeking young men looking to escape 9 to 5 drudgery are what they’ve always been: sex, drugs, rock n’ roll, fashion, football and fighting.

Paul Carty (Nicky Bell) goes to the game, chases skirt, pores over records in the racks at Probe, and gets to see Echo and the Bunnymen, but his fraught family life and dull job leave him feeling bereft.

Becoming mates with the Berlin Bowie romantic Elvis (Liam Boyle), Carty is drawn to The Pack, a faction of football hooligans who own the terraces, a gang that Elvis is finding hard to distance himself from.

So FemaleFirst introduces you to the actors that may not be familiar faces.

Nicky Bell - Paul Carty

Bell began acting at the age of fifteen beginning in television with roles in hit BBC show Life on Mars and Channel 4's Hollyoaks: In the City.

He has slowly begun moving into movies with roles in Creep and 93 Til Infinity but Awaydays is his first lead in a feature length movie.

Liam Boyle - Elvis

Liam has worked in TV since 2005 with roles in the likes of Shameless, The Bill, The Street and Northern Lights.

More recently the actor enjoyed a ten episode run in Drop Dead Gorgeous before moving into Spooks: Code 9. He was last seen in Saturday night BBC series Robin Hood.

Awaydays is his first movie.

Holliday Grainger - Molly

Since finishing Awaydays, Holliday has been very busy filming a leading character in a new television series called The Last Van Helsing, along with Merlin and the pilot of Dis/Connected - all for Shine Ltd.

She is about to start filming the lead role of Emily in the film The Scouting Book for Boys for Celador.  Holliday is also studying for a degree in English through the Open University.

Sacha Parkinson - Natasha

Northern based Actor Sacha Parkinson, began her career with small roles in ‘Always and Everyone’, ‘The Illustrated Mum’ and ‘The Royal’, before landing her first major television role in Jimmy McGovern’s ‘The Street’, moving on to a more regular role within Grange Hill.

After years of Theatrical and Television Training from some of the North’s most influential Tutors and Artistic Directors, London beckoned, to which Sacha was cast in productions such as ‘The Bill’, and ‘Doctors’.

Whilst studying for her GCSEs, Sacha launched into her busiest period yet, shooting ‘Shameless’, as well as the television drama ‘Clay’ starring Imelda Staunton.

Oliver Lee - Baby

Oliver obtained a National Diploma in Acting from City College, Manchester.

His television credits include:  Lee Trail in Gemma Factor for Freeform Productions and B.B.C.3;  Dan in Wired and I Love The ‘70’s for ITV Granada;  Paul in The Bad Mother’s Handbook for Television Ruby Ltd;  Josh (Series Lead) in Hollyoaks In The City for Lime Pictures; Owen (Recurring Character) in Emmerdale for ITV Yorkshire;  Liam in Legless for Red Productions.

Oliver’s film credits include: Baby Millan in Awaydays for Away Days Films; Gaz in King Ponce for South Yorkshire Filmmakers’ Network; Joe King in Exhibit A for Warp Films.

His theatre credits include:  Jamie in The Beautiful Thing for Pilot Theatre Company and the Octagon Theatre, Bolton for which he won the Best Newcomer in the Manchester Evening News Awards 2005;  Dynamo for the Manchester Festival;  Squealer in Animal Farm and Richard Rowe in Machinal for Activ8 at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton;  2095 for Contact Theatre Festival;  Des in Blue, Christie in Christie In Love, Riff Raff in Rocky Horror Picture Show, Douglas in Silly Cow, Ubu in Ubu Rex all at City College, Manchester.

Awaydays is released 22nd May

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw