Shaken But Not Stirred

WORKING with James Bond was a surprisingly damp day in Martin Shenton’s career history. As Stunt Performer on Tomorrow Never Dies, the Morecambe-based Stuntman was hit with 50,000 gallons of water and he loved it. This was, he considers, one of many enjoyable days at work.

Martin, 42, a married father-of-two, has accumulated a vast experience in a range of TV and film stuntwork over the last 16 years. He also holds the World Record for the longest fall down a set of concert stairs (109 stairs to be exact). As well as having a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, Martin has a reputation for being one of the safest people to ever have been hit by a car (on purpose, of course).

Now, for his commitment to bringing stuntwork to the region and for the remarkable achievements in his career so far, Martin has been named Crew of the Month for July, by Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the TV, film, radio and digital content industries to grow a world-class media economy in the Northwest.

“I’m over the moon about being recognised for my work. It’s so behind-the-scenes that it often gets overlooked, but it’s vital that stuntwork is done well, and safely,” says Martin. “I also run Regent Park Studios, an extreme sports centre in Morecambe that teaches people stunts and is open to anyone interested in getting involved safely. I’m always learning in my career, and it’s great to pass that knowledge on.”

Martin admits he ‘fell into’ stuntwork. He joined the Army at a young age, and after leaving at 26 years old, he suffered through a series of nine-to-five jobs.

“I didn’t like doing repetitive tasks, and going to the same place every day,” remembers Martin. “I’d always been a bit of a comedian and admired the traditional stunts of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, and I suddenly realised I enjoyed copying them. I went to the job centre to see if I could get into stunts, but they told me to think again!

“I eventually signed up to Equity, the trade union representing performers and artists, and worked with a magician for three years in a stunt illusion show, for the experience. At the same time I was training in all sorts of disciplines. Sports like gymnastics and trampolining all helped to hone my co-ordination and reflexes, before I launched myself into TV work,” he adds.

Martin’s first job was to fall down a flight of stairs on Casualty for the BBC. His diligent approach to researching the best and safest way to perform stunts led to more and more work.

He calmly explains a typical day: “Working on Wire in the Blood, I had to do a high fall through a third floor window, on to a moving car, while handcuffed. My adrenalin does rush when I do these things, but I enjoy it all. I like to take measured risks. High falls and car knock downs are my favourites.”

His Stunt Performing credits range from British blockbuster 28 Days Later… and several Bollywood movies, to over 30 independent and 50 short films. He has also worked on a wealth of TV programmes, including Jonathan Creek, The League of Gentlemen and The 11th Hour. A good proportion of Martin’s stuntwork has also taken place in the Northwest, for well-loved programmes like Coronation Street and Hollyoaks.

The other venture that takes up his time is Regent Park Studios. Registered with the British Safety Council, the centre comprises of a number of professional stunt teams who deliver high quality qualifications and training.

“The idea to start Regent Park Studios was in my head ever since I started learning stunts. There was no real structure when I was going through training, and I wanted to give that guidance to others starting out. I’m qualified to teach in lots of activities, including trampolining, fencing and taekwondo. I adapted my own practice spaces so they could be used to teach, and the centre took off from there,” says Martin.

The most recent piece of equipment Martin and his teams are using is a Port-a-pit, a specialized, smaller airbag used for high falls in confined spaces. Using new technology from America, it’s the only one in the country.

“Competition in the stunt world is fierce,” confirms Martin. “It’s a fickle business. There are only about 270 Stunt Performers and Co-ordinators in the UK, so when mistakes are made, or even when a stunt goes badly through no-one’s fault, there are always people just waiting to take over and do it better. We’re all adrenaline junkies and want to be the best.”

After what Martin calls the recent ‘greenscreen years’ of film and TV production, he’s noticing that filmmakers are moving away from special effects, back towards using real stunts.

He explains: “These days, productions are moving away from greenscreen work. People know when it’s real and are impressed when it looks like it hurts. Our job is to keep all the action on the screen as realistic and safe as possible.

“Choreography and planning is key to safe Stunt Co-ordination. I’ll take two days to plan a sequence, and when it comes to performing, the whole thing will only take 10 minutes, and that may be 30 seconds on the screen. Although that might seem an odd amount of time, it’s necessary in order to make sure things go right,” he adds.

Martin’s most recent stunts have been performed for TV comedy programmes, which requires a new skill – being funny.

“I’ve recently finished a stunt for new ITV programme Teenage Kicks, where I was Stunt Double for Ade Edmondson. For an upcoming episode of My Family, I had to walk precariously along a rooftop, then fall off. We spent a lot of time working with the actors to make that sequence as funny as we could.”

Fight choreography is an area Martin’s been in for many years, and now he’s branching out even further in his career. Advising filmmakers on which shots to use to make the most of stuntwork is a new talent he’s offering.

And it looks like next year will bring even more challenges. Martin is aiming to break as many stunt-based World Records as he can.

“I might even create some new ones,” he smiles. “I like pushing the envelope. Maybe I’ll try to be knocked down by a car the most times in a minute. There are plenty of things I’d love to do yet.”

Looks like it’ll take more than Bond to stop Martin.