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First-time director and former rally driver Nick Rowland is in the hot seat for the climax of BBC1's pacy crime series. Adrian Lobb visits him on set
At the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, it is not immediately apparent that filming is taking place.
'Keep offthe grass' a sign urges, yet the gardens are full of picnickers, a pink ukulele is strummed, cyberpunks lurk in the shadows and pigeons graze on the lawn. Into this serene summer scene bounds a young hoodie with a red handbag, pursued at speed by two uniformed police officers - one of whom is played by actor Ashley Walters.
Later, Walters will confess that he had to overcome his ornithophobia to race through the pigeons. "The first time I did it, I flinched," he says. "A group of tourists said 'that was crap', so I had to grin and bear it on the next take and run straight through them."
Following the action is a small, agile filming unit overseen by young director Nick Rowland. Over the course of the day, they will shoot this chase in reverse, winding back from the tranquility of the green in front of the iconic Regency pavilion through the vibrant, narrow lanes that are equally synonymous with the city.
For any director, filming at high speed in public spaces with a huge cast of extras - the ukulele player, goths and picnickers in the gardens were all plants - would be a challenge. For Rowland, this is a baptism of fire, as Cuffs is the 26-year-old's first television job since graduating from the National Film and Television School at the end of February.
"I'd like to say it is not a risk, because hopefully I am doing a good job," he says. "But I have a lot of respect for Will Gould and everyone at Tiger Aspect Drama for being willing to take a leap of faith with someone who...