The Hole

Once again Road Tech's HQ makes a starring appearance in a feature film. This time it's in The Hole, which is now on general release around the UK and stars Thora Birch, who previously starred in American Beauty. Thora Birch plays Liz, one of 4 school friends who become trapped in a disused World War II bunker, somewhere in Wales. Liz escapes and the fate of her friends is gradually revealed. Shenley Hall is the setting for a number of scenes, in part the hospital where Liz recovers and the school heads study. The film crew were here for a week and for some of that time much of our main building became a hospital and school film set. The previous year Sean Bean filmed here in the ITV drama "Extremely Dangerous".

Sean Bean at Shenley Hall

Road Tech's offices at Shenley Hall featured prominently in the powerful TV production Extremely Dangerous. The 4 part drama, made for the ITV Network, was first screened in Autumn 1999 and starred Sean Bean (Sharpe, Bravo Two Zero, GoldenEye). Bean played wrongly accused fugitive Neil Byrne.

Convicted of the gruesome slaughter of his own wife and young child, Neil Byrne jumps off a speeding train and escapes into the night, leaving behind only his guards and a paperback novel.

Byrne is forced undercover and during his pursuit of the truth visits Shenley Hall, (renamed St Jude's Hospice), to try to get information from a dying man. Scenes were filmed over a two day and night period at the front and back of the building, reception and our training office, which was transformed into a private hospital room.

Written by Murray Smith (Paradise Club, Bulman) and produced by Malcolm Craddock (Sharpe, A Life for a Life) the series also stars Juliet Aubrey (Middlemarch, Unknown Soldier) and Tony Booth (Till Death Us Do Part), who also filmed scenes here. Directed by Sallie Aprahamian (The Lakes, City Central, Casualty).