Here’s how I ended up spending a day with David Bradley.
David won a BAFTA in 1969 for his portrayal of Billy Casper in Kes when he was (I think) 11 years old.
It all started in Byker, Northern England, in September 2017 when I really did see a young boy carrying a hawk down the street against the urban backdrop.
This came to mind:
And I hit on the idea of recreating Kes themes images for Always Wear Red. Images like this, from 50 years ago:
And images like this:
And, of course, this:
I found photographer Dan Prince:
And falconer John Kirtley:
And one of John’s beautiful Kestrels:
I needed a Billy Casper and John’s son Ayden was perfect:
The photoshoot happened:
There were beautiful, unpredictable, nostalgic moments:
But I wanted more.
I wanted the real Billy Casper as well – I wanted actor David Bradley.
So I set out to find him…
