A Charles Bowden Production for Tyne Tees Television that explores the life and work of pioneering Victorian photographer, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe marking the 150th anniversary of his birth. Experts in the field of photography, maritime, rural, and local history explore the importance of Sutcliffe's work which captured the people, place and identify of the Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby and its surrounds at the end of 19th century. The programme also looks at how Sutcliffe influenced...

A Charles Bowden Production for Tyne Tees Television that explores the life and work of pioneering Victorian photographer, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe marking the 150th anniversary of his birth. Experts in the field of photography, maritime, rural, and local history explore the importance of Sutcliffe's work which captured the people, place and identify of the Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby and its surrounds at the end of 19th century. The programme also looks at how Sutcliffe influenced photographers and artists today as well as how his legacy is being preserved. Filmed in sepia an actor dressed as Frank Meadow Sutcliffe walks the streets of Whitby carrying his camera over his shoulder; the scenes are intercut with Sutcliffe's photographs. In the graveyard of the Church of St Mary he sets up his camera on the tripod. At West Cliff, with both the West and East Piers, in the background he goes under his dark cloth to take a photograph. Title: The Cameraman The replica of Captain Cook's ship HMS Endeavour moored in the harbour at Whitby and various visitors or tourists taking photographs of it with modern cameras. The Endeavour turns sepia and is replaced with a photograph of the same spot taken during the 19th century of a sailing ships moored there. A portrait photograph of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and more images of the town and surrounding countryside taken by him during his 50-year career. Interview with Michael Shaw, Curator of the Sutcliffe Gallery about the quality of the photographer's work. On West Cliff next to the Captain Cook monument Michael sets up a digital camera on a tripod and prepares to take a photograph of the old town and the Church of St Mary in the distance. Again, the image turns sepia and is replaced by that of Sutcliffe's taken from the same position. In the graveyard of the Church of St Mary Michael preparing to take another photograph from the same position as Sutcliffe which is intercut with both the actor playing Sutcliffe taking a photograph and Sutcliffe's original image. In the Sutcliffe gallery a selection of framed Michael images hangs on the wall alongside those if Sutcliffe's original. Michael stands beside the images of Whitby abbey and discusses its importance. A montage of Sutcliffe photographs, including nearby Robin Hoods Bay, that fade to be replaced with the same locations today. A series of portraits done by Sutcliffe fading to similar images produced by Michael Shaw of contemporary figures. A Sutcliffe image of a wave crashing onto the West Pier changes to an interview with Joe Cornish, a landscape photographer from Great Ayton who describes the difficulty of taking such images on camera's used by Sutcliffe. As Joe walks along West Pier he talks about how Sutcliffe sets up his shots of similar scenes. Joe takes out his landscape camera from a bag and sets it up on a tripod, he describes the similarities as well as the differences between it is to the one used by Sutcliffe. Joe looks through a lens and continues to prepare to take his photograph as the sunsets in the background. Title: The Cameraman Former rock musician Ray Randall and his partner Jenny Matthews walks along a pier at Whitby before passing under the whale bone arch atop West Cliff. Interview with Ray about his connection to the Sutcliffe photograph 'Portrait of Polly Swallow'. Ray walks along Church Street in Whitby and enters the 'White Horse and Griffin' public house. Jenny talks about how the two of them met and her interest in another Sutcliffe image that of Lizzie Hawksfield. Ray performs a song he has written about Polly Swallow entitled 'Remember 1889', an actress dressed like Polly and filmed in sepia walks through Whitby Market Place tossing an apple, along Tate Hill Beach and across cobbled stones in bare feet. A photograph of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe in a garden, his shop in the town and various portraits of people he photographed. In the graveyard of the Church of St Mary the sepia filmed actor playing Sutcliffe sets up a camera to take a photograph changing to a colour view of the replica HMS Endeavour at sea just off the coast along with a number of other smaller boats. A Sutcliffe photograph of Whitby harbour followed by children playing games outside a shop is followed by an interview with Rosalin Barker, a local historian, who describes the town at the time of Sutcliffe's photographs intercut with more images. A photograph of the Whitby fishing fleet changes to Robb Robinson from Hull College walking along Pier Road passing several fishing boats. He talks about the towns fishing industry and their inherent dangers again intercut with more Sutcliffe images. In sepia again the actor playing Sutcliffe walks up the cobbled pavement beside the 199 Steps making his way towards the Church of St Mary at the top. Michael Shaw, Rosalin Baker and Robb Robinson all talks about Sutcliffe's connection with the people of Whitby and its fishing industry all illustrated with images. Interview with Mick Krupa of the Ryedale Folk Museum about the images of rural life captured by Sutcliffe and those of ploughing which are of most interest to him. Joe Cornish, Robb Robinson and Mick Krupa each defend Sutcliffe's work from being described as overly constructed and painting an overly rosy picture of that time all intercut with more images. Michael Shaw says that in his day Sutcliffe was considered a leading photographer and had three studios running at the same time, the actor playing him walking through the graveyard of the Church of St Mary. The film changes to St Margaret's Church in the village of Aislaby and the gravestone of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and his wife Eliza. One of Sutcliffe's most famous images featuring Whitby Abbey changes to a room at the Sutcliffe Gallery and Michael Shaw cleans the original glass-plate negative with a brush. He places the negative onto a scanner and captures a high-resolution image. Michael talks about the importance of modern computers and the brilliant details that can be captured. The programme ends with final comments by Michael Shaw and Robb Robinson in praise of Sutcliffe and his work intercut with more of his photographs as well as several images of the man himself. Credit: Narrator Andy Lutz Credit: Camera Lee Sutterby Credit: Sound Malcolm Flynn Credit: Dubbing Mixer Andy Ludbrook Credit: Editor Dave Hindmarsh Credit: Executive Producer Clare Morrow, Graeme Thompson Credit: Producer Charles Bowden. © Tyne Tees Television 2003 End credit: A CBTV Production for Tyne Tees and Yorkshire Television. Granada