The Best Medicine: Darlington pals produce dark comedy

Medicine

A group of friends have teamed up to produce an independent comedy film set in Darlington.

Mark Timmins wrote the script for dark comedy Medicine in 2006, though admits he never had the money or time to produce the film. But after saving up to buy camera and editing equipment – as well as help from pals in the area – his idea is now in production.

Timmins, from Darlington, told the Northern Echo: “There are not enough films shot in the North, and we are here to make a little project just to prove that it is possible. It is not something that is done very often – a crew of friends getting together to put something out there that is a bit different and truly independent.”

The story focuses on two Darlington blokes, Tim and Tom – played by Timmins and his friend Tom Langlands – who wake up after a night on the town and can’t remember anything from the night before. A murder mystery follows after they find out their girlfriends have been killed.

Timmins explained: “It is comic, but it is also dark, and we wanted to offset that with the beautiful scenery that we have got in the Darlington area. It is being filmed completely in the town, mostly in the West End, Hummersknott and Mowden areas, and it is going really well.

“It is great to see the words I wrote six years ago coming to life.”

The ten-strong cast and crew are filming in Darlington until the end of the month, though Timmins expects it will take him three months to edit the film. Once complete, he plans to showcase Medicine at independent film festivals across the UK in the hope it catches the eye of distributors.