Doing the dirty work
Mudtown series producer Hannah Thomas outlines how a key scene in the opening episode sets up the show’s central clash between a magistrate and a local crime boss, and reveals how its impactful courthouse bathroom setting was recreated in an old Newport factory.
Mudtown follows Claire Lewis Jones, a respected local magistrate whose troubled past is about to resurface with devastating consequences. Produced by Severn Screen and co-commissioned by UKTV for U&alibi – where it debuts on Wednesday, August 20 – S4C and All3Media International, the series is set and was filmed in and around Newport, Wales.
In the show, from writing duo Hannah Daniel and Georgia Lee, the city is not just a backdrop; it is woven into the fabric of the story, as vital and vivid as the characters who inhabit it.
The drama unfolds as the different facets of Claire’s existence – her court, family and past life – collide, forcing her to choose between upholding the law and protecting her family.
At the heart of Claire’s troubles is local gangster Saint Pete. Smart, intelligent and atypical as the local mobster, he is very much the product of his environment. Will he prove to be Claire’s saviour or her downfall?
A key scene takes place about halfway into episode one. It’s the first time we truly see Pete and Claire together; these two characters who are the spine of our story. Paving the way for this moment is an earlier scene when Pete walks into Claire’s courtroom and we sense that there’s a connection between them.
It begins with Claire being accosted by Saint Pete in the most unexpected way – in the ladies’ toilets at the magistrates’ court, during a break from court being in session. It’s the moment when we understand that they have a shared past and a deep connection that goes way back.
The tense conversation sets up the relationship between them, including a ‘kiss or kill’ dynamic that carries through the rest of the series. Saint Pete is someone who knows an awful lot about Claire – in some respects more than even her husband. He sees her and knows exactly who she is.
This interaction between them also says a lot about Saint Pete, a man who will go anywhere to get what he wants. Accosting Claire in the toilet is designed to unnerve her, but this fails because she is a strong woman who is also used to Saint Pete’s ways.
The toilet location makes the scene feel secretive, small and compact. There’s nowhere for either of them to run; they have to have this conversation.
The practicalities of achieving this atmosphere meant we couldn’t use the actual magistrates’ court in Newport – which we did use extensively as a location for many other scenes – because it was just too small. While we wanted that slightly oppressive feel, we did need space to shoot.
There’s an old factory complex just outside of Newport that we used for other scenes, and it happened to have a toilet block that fitted the bill. Even better, it had everything we needed creatively for the scene, so we could walk in and shoot. It just worked.
We particularly liked it because of the mirrors mounted to the walls, as you would expect to see in any public loo. With these, there was a lot of great stuff the actors could play with in terms of eyelines. The director, Rhys Carter, and DOP, Sam Thomas, used the reflections very cleverly, tinkering with how the two characters could both hide from and see one another. It served the scene well, and our two leads, Erin Richards and Tom Cullen, were fantastic at making the most of this moment.
Most importantly, the mirrors and their reflections gave us multiple Petes. You can see him in front of you and you can see him reflected, giving this impression of omnipresence. He’s everywhere. This reflects the reality of Pete as we come to realise that his tentacles reach far and wide in Newport.
It’s a great setup for the character, and Pete looks unnervingly handsome in this most unglamorous location, which in many ways is a microcosm of the beauty and the grit of our broader setting of Newport.
Newport is a beautiful part of the world, and some of the architecture is stunning. It’s the last Welsh town before you get to England. So, you’re looking across the Severn Estuary towards Portishead and Avonmouth and behind you, you’ve got the rolling hills. It’s got beauty and it’s got some starkness and neglect because, when an industry moves away, often the buildings are just left. This is the same for most post-industrial cities in Wales.
Newport is a place that hasn’t always been front and centre in drama in its own right. Much more often, bits of it have been used to double as elsewhere. This was a great opportunity to show the different facets of this city, particularly because Mudtown was filmed entirely on location. We had a lot of fun with our location manager, Paul ‘Bach’ Davies, discovering unseen corners that give something extra to the story.
Our episode one toilet scene powerfully sets the tone for the series, capturing the inevitable and explosive collision between Claire and Saint Pete’s lives. It’s a visceral, beautifully constructed moment that blends grit and grace – anchored by nuanced performances, sharp direction and striking visual storytelling. More than just a meeting point, it signals the beginning of Claire’s emotional and moral reckoning, and we hope it immediately draws the audience into the depth and complexity of these characters’ worlds.
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tagged in: All3Media International, Georgia Lee, Hannah Daniel, Hannah Thomas, Mudtown, S4C, Severn Screen, U&Alibi, UKTV