Behind the scenes with Warwick’s Greatest Sports Man

At 6AM on a Saturday morning, the cast and crew of the Comedy Society took to the Warwick Sports Centre to film David McIver’s The Sports Man along with Warwick TV. It was not light outside. Not even sure the birds were chirping.

This production is the first in what hopes to be a number of collaborations with Warwick TV Entertainment and Comedy Society, and I play the small part of the interviewer in this mockumentary piece. Florrie Sheehan, the director, is standing next to me, running purely on several cans of Monster and sheer adrenaline. She shakily informs me she hasn’t actually been to bed yet.

Director Florrie Sheehan insists the real star of the show is her good friend, the lacrosse stick.

The subject of the interview is Robbo, played by resident ladies man and general BBOC (Buff Body on Campus) David McIver.

McIver is a renowned connoisseur of method acting.

Imagine your typical gym lad. The kind that revels in the Baywatch Song being played at POP so he can merrily peel his skin tight Hollister T-shirt from his purple-strewn abs and gleefully thrust about. Now imagine all this, packed into the sinewy physique of a Discrete Maths student. That’s Robbo.

McIver’s cutting edge take on the common use of gym equipment invariably pays off in his extensive training for the role.

The mockumentary follows a day in the life of Robbo, a character with more delusions of grandeur than a biochemistry student still thinking that a medical conversion is a possibility. We are given truly invaluable insight into what it takes to truly become a Sports Man. This entails extreme table tennis capabilities, being able to chug a pint of purple in under ten minutes, charming women on the street by shouting mild and yet distinctly disturbing compliments and, of course, all whilst still finding time to take your mum out for tea.

Is that a shuttlecock in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
–Said no one, ever.

Its six minutes of hilarity you won’t regret watching. If you’ve ever felt like a loser because you forked up £150 to join the gym, only to have your esteem shrivel like a penis on MD, this is the film for you.

“Before filming this sketch my body was what could only be described as “superfluously muscular” and I was frequently mistaken for some sort of Greek statue whenever I wore my loincloth. For this role I lost 8 stone and I have become permanently saddled with the body of a teenage girl. I only hope it was worth it.”

-Lead Actor, David McIver

“This fantastic collaboration means we can keep making our art. If the film is as much fun to watch as it was making it, we all deserve a pat on the back.”

-Director, Florrie Sheehan

“This has been an exciting collaboration between WTV Entertainment and Comedy Society. It was a lot of fun to film, hopefully everyone will enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!”

-Head of WTV Entertainment, Katie Earl

“Make sure to look out for the bit with the boner.”

-Film Editor, Greer Riddell

The Sports Man will be released during the week of Monday 4^th November on the Warwick TV YouTube page, which can be accessed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/WarwickTV