Street Portrait (for and of David Bradley) #1, 2013

Today, I went out with the express intention of shooting some portraits. There was a chill in the air, so most people were bundled up in scarves, hats, thick coats. So, all but invisible; I was just giving up hope of taking any shots at all when I spotted a very dapper gentleman crossing the street. I tailed him for a bit and then asked him if I could take his portrait. It was only when I asked his name that I realised who he was.

Street Portrait (for and of David Bradley) #2, 2013

You might know David Bradley as Argus Filch from the Harry Potter films (2001-11), or as Walder Frey in Game of Thrones (2011 and 2013), or perhaps King Lear at the Royal National Theatre (1991) for which he was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award. The list of his appearances in films and TV programmes is too long to post here. But there’s a pretty good entry about him on Wikipedia. Personally, I loved him as Arthur Webly in Hot Fuzz (2007)! This year alone he’s appeared in Broadchurch and The World’s End.

Now, here’s one for your diary: David is William Hartnell in Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time, which is broadcast this Thursday on BBC 2 at 9pm. Here’s the trailer.

David was one of the nicest famous people I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. Thanks very much for stopping, David! Hope you like your pictures.

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This post is dedicated to my friend and collaborator, Richard.

And also to Frivolous Monsters, a brilliantly funny writer and Whovian. And Carla, a very cool artist who makes interesting and surprising connections.