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Cunning Stunts, A Podcast Series Profile

Cunning Stunts, A Podcast Series

English, Cinema industry, 1 season, 41 episodes, 18 hours, 28 minutes
About
David Holmes was a Gymnast and Stunt Performer. He began his Stunt career at the age of 14 on “Lost In Space” and for the following ten years he performed on many productions, including; Prince Of Persia, The Golden Compass and all eight Harry Potter films as the main Harry Potter Stunt Double. David qualified for the Stunt Register when he was 22 years old, then on January 28th 2009, at the age of 25 David was left paralysed after an accident on set whilst rehearsing a stunt. It’s been over a decade since David’s accident and his love of stunts, the stunt community and movies has never wavered. In this Podcast Series, David hopes to highlight and pay tribute to the amazing work that our Stunt Coordinators and Performers do whilst on set in the name of entertainment. Produced by David Holmes & Amy Stares
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Episode 41: Episode 41 - Greg Townley

Greg began as a gymnast, which soon turned to Tumbling at the age of 7, when Damien Walters became his coach. It was Damien that got Greg his first job on a film, where he performed his first stunt on Kick-Ass, when he was just 12 years old. Since then Greg’s credits include, The World’s End, Kingsman, Wonder Woman and Spiderman as one of the Spiderman Stunt Doubles. In this podcast episode Greg talks about his early years competing in tumbling, his memories as a child stunt performer and some of his more recent jobs and stunts. We hope you enjoy. Released 15th December 2022 (recorded August 2022)Running Time: 30 minutes
12/15/202230 minutes, 42 seconds
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Episode 40: Episode 40 - Sam King (Dent)

Horses have been in Sam’s family since the early 1940’s and her Father is the well-known Stunt Coordinator, Steve Dent. Sam started her career with a shovel in her hands and is now an established Horse Master. As well as her on set duties, Sam’s job also includes training horses and teaching Actors to ride. All this and more is talked about in this episode. We hope you enjoy. Released 8th December 2022 (recorded August 2022)Running Time: 20 minutes
12/8/202219 minutes, 59 seconds
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Episode 39: Episode 39 - Bobby Holland-Hanton

Bobby began as a gymnast, which eventually led to a career in Stunts. He is now Chris Hemsworth’s Stunt Double, part of the successful fitness company Centr and has just released a children’s book, all of which are discussed in this podcast episode. David and Bobby also chat about who else Bobby has doubled, stunts that Bobby has performed and upcoming projects. We hope you enjoy. Released Thursday 1st December 2022 (recorded June 2022)Running Time: 24 minutes
12/1/202224 minutes, 53 seconds
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Episode 38: Episode 38 - Josie Forman

Josie Forman is daughter to Tina and Dave from Episode Two. She is part of the new generation of stunt performers and has been on the British Stunt Register since 2016. Since then Josie has begun to build an impressive list of credits including, Bond, Maleficent, Star Wars, Game Of Thrones and Spider-Man. In this podcast episode Josie tells us about her training for the register, some of the stunts she has performed and some of her early memories of her parents working as Stunt Performers. We hope you enjoy. Released Thursday 24th November 2022 (recorded February 2022)Running Time: 13 minutes
11/24/202213 minutes, 29 seconds
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Episode 37: Episode 37 - Damien Walters

Damien began in gymnastics and tumbling, and it was one of his YouTube videos that landed him his first job as a stunt performer on Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Since then Damien has built up an impressive list of credits including, Kick-Ass, Captain America, Kingsman, Assassin’s Creed and Bond, he is now an established 2nd Unit Director. Damien has also written and directed his own movie and in this podcast episode he talks about this new venture, his journey to becoming performer and some of the stunts he has performed. We hope you enjoy.  Released Thursday 17th November 2022 (recorded December 2021)Running Time: 45 minutes
11/17/202245 minutes, 26 seconds
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Episode 36: Episode 36 - Bruce Cain

Bruce tells us how he started off as a Royal Marine and how his love for jumping out of aeroplanes eventually led to him to becoming a Stunt Performer. David and Bruce discuss films, stunts, beautiful locations and an incident with a snake! Unfortunately, in 2010 Bruce had an accident on set whilst performing that ended his career in stunts. Since then he has started a new life in New Zealand and in this podcast episode Bruce talks about his road to recovery and the struggles he still faces from his injury. We hope you enjoy.
11/10/202235 minutes, 6 seconds
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Episode 35: Episode 35 - Abbi Collins

Abbi began her career as a model, but as soon as she heard about the British Stunt Register she began to train and qualified in 1987, since then she has performed on many productions including, Braveheart, Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves, Bridget Jones and Shaun Of The Dead. Abbi is now an established Stunt Coordinator and has coordinated some popular TV shows, Misfits, Doctor Who and Poldark to name a few. In this podcast episode Abbi talks about stunts she has performed and coordinated, her love for horses and how she has dealt with fear. We hope you enjoy. Released Thursday 3rd November 2022  (recorded January 2022)Running Time: 30 minutes
11/3/202230 minutes, 39 seconds
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Episode 34: Episode 34 - Roy Taylor

Roy talks to Dave about his journey from wanting to become a stuntman to becoming one and how he managed to finance his training along the way. Roy joined the British Stunt Register in 2005 and since then has built up an impressive credit list including, Bond, Game Of Thrones, Fast And Furious, Kingsman, Harry Potter and Dark Knight to name a few. In this podcast episode Roy also shares some of his stories from his time on set, including a particularly scary indecent in water! We hope you enjoy. Released Thursday 27th October 2022 (recorded August 2021)Running Time: 53 minutes
10/27/202253 minutes, 21 seconds
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Episode 33: Episode 33 - Marc Mailley

Marc and David met many years ago and became friends immediately. They trained for the Stunt Register together and share many happy memories. In his interview Marc shares how he became a Stunt Performer and his progression to Head Rigger, then Stunt Coordinator, he also talks about some of the jobs he’s been involved with in more detail, some of the Actors who have impressed him and the job he wished he’d said no to! Marc has an incredible credit list including: The Harry Potter films, Bond, Star Wars, Fantastic Beasts, Pan and Golden Compass to name a few. We hope you enjoy.
3/20/202126 minutes, 14 seconds
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Episode 32: Episode 32 - Annabel Wood

Annabel started as a Fashion student and has ended up as a Stunt Performer. Since qualifying Annabel has doubled many leading ladies and performed on some amazing films including Wonder Woman, Game Of Thones, Star Wars and Bond. In her interview Annabel tells us about her journey to becoming a Stunt Performer, what she loves about performing stunts, some stunts she’s performed and some she hopes to perform in the future. We hope you enjoy.
3/13/202120 minutes, 52 seconds
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Episode 31: Episode 31 - Greg Powell

Greg has been involved in the Stunt Industry since 1967. He was introduced to the Industry through his Father, Nosher and Uncle Dinny and in his interview Greg shares some of his memories working alongside them as well as memories and experiences from other jobs since. Greg has an epic credit list including, The Bond Films, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Lord Of The Rings, Hitman’s Bodyguard, Fast and the Furious, Avengers, Superman, Indian Jones and obviously Lost In Space and Harry Potter, which is where David first met Greg and spent many years together on set. We hope you enjoy.
3/6/202146 minutes, 19 seconds
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Episode 30: Episode 30 - Paul Herbert

Paul has been performing stunts since the early 90’s and since then has gone on to becoming a successful Stunt Coordinator, his credits include: Bond, Fifth Element, Game Of Thrones, Band Of Brothers, and Johnny English to name a few. In his interview, Paul talks about some of most challenging Stunts he has performed, including his fire jobs and performance on Titanic. He also explains the procedure of being set on fire and how to go about running someone over safely with a tank! We hope you enjoy.
2/20/202130 minutes, 3 seconds
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Episode 29: Episode 29 - Lewis Young

Lewis has been performing stunts for over 10 years and his introduction was performing as a Snatcher on Harry Potter, running through the forest after Dan, Rupert and Emma! Lewis has become a successful stunt performer and has appeared in Game of Thones, Batman, Star Wars, Kingsman and many more. In his interview Lewis tells us of that journey and some of his experiences along the way, we also discuss race within the stunt department and when “blacking up” is necessary for safety. Finally, we also touch on a very emotional time in Lewis’ life, when him and David actually met, when his younger bother Jay was injured. We hope you enjoy. Quick note: There is a little swearing throughout the interview, so I apologise in advance for this.
2/13/202144 minutes, 4 seconds
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Episode 28: Episode 28 - Kim McGarrity

Kim is most definitely one of our toughest, bravest stunt performers. Kim has worked on many productions over the years, including Star Wars, Wonder Woman, Thor, Gravity, Hot Fuzz and Stardust and has some performed many incredible stunts. In her interview Kim tells us about some of those stunts, including how to approach getting hit by a motorbike and how to ride along on the back of a Bull whilst shooting a gun! We hope you enjoy.
2/6/202121 minutes, 57 seconds
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Episode 27: Episode 27 - Ian Kay

Ian has been performing stunts for over 15 years and unlike many stunt performers he has a background in dance. Ian and David met on Harry Potter and like David he has also doubled for Dan. Ian has an impressive credit list, including Justice League, Attack The Block, Game Of Thrones, Pan and Avengers. In his interview Ian tells us about an accident he had on set, the people that inspired him when growing up and his proudest stunt. We hope you enjoy.
1/23/202119 minutes, 47 seconds
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Episode 26: Episode 26 - Chloe Bruce

Chloe was World Champion in Free Style Martial Arts and it was this skill, which got her an audition for her first film. Since then, Chloe has gone to have a successful career, including doubling for Zoe Saldana on Guardians of the Galaxy and Daisy Ridley, as Ray in Star Wars, a dream come true. We hope you enjoy.
1/16/202114 minutes, 53 seconds
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Episode 25: Episode 25 - Bradley Farmer

Brad and David met on the first Harry Potter and share many great memories together. Brad has been involved with Stunts since 1998 and has an extensive credit list, including: Star Wars, Hitman’s Bodyguard, Bond, Batman, Avengers, Game Of Thrones and Band Of Brothers. In his interview Brad shares some of his on set experiences, including, what it was like doing a naked stair fall, life as a Stormtrooper and what it was like being buried under sand, to then find yourself trapped! We hope you enjoy.
1/9/202120 minutes, 7 seconds
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Episode 24: Episode 24 - Eunice Huthart

Eunice has been involved in the film industry for over 24 years now, but her path into Stunts, was by competing in TV show Gladiators in 1994. Eunice has gone from dodging the milkman unable to him, to becoming Angelina Jolie’s main stunt double and now a successful Stunt Coordinator. Her impressive credit list includes: Fantastic Beasts, Pan, Maleficent, Dark Shadows, Salt, Bond, The Beach and many more. In her interview she tells us about joining the film industry, what it’s like jumping from the top of a 78ft waterfall and how lying on your resume might not be a good idea, but entertaining for everyone else to watch! We hope you enjoy.
12/12/202028 minutes, 12 seconds
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Episode 23: Episode 23 - George Cottle

David and George met when David was just 14 years old, on his first job on Lost In Space, they worked together for many years, including the Harry Potter films. George is an amazingly talented stunt performer and now an established Stunt Coordinator. In his interview George tells us about what it was like driving on ice in Bond car chase, and, what it was like driving the Batmobile! He also shares some of his on set experiences and talks about some of the Directors and Actors he has worked with.We hope you enjoy.
12/5/202033 minutes, 7 seconds
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Episode 22: Episode 22 - Ashley Beck

Ashely use to compete in something called Musical Forms, which is an acrobatic martial art, he then went on to train for the stunt register and immediately found himself work as a stunt double on Wrath Of The Titans. Ashely has gone to work on some well-known titles, including, Game Of Thrones, Kick-Ass, King Arthur and Star Wars. In his interview Ashley tells us about some of the stunts he’s performed, including his proudest to date, and also how stunts are involved in the gaming world. We hope you enjoy.
11/28/202022 minutes
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Episode 21 - Lucy Allen

Lucy has been performing stunts for almost 30 years and in those years she’s appeared in many Productions including, Titanic, the Bond films, Casualty, Peak Practice, Killing Eve and Harry Potter films. She has also gained a reputation for doubling Dames! In her interview Lucy tells us what it takes to be a stunt performer and how to calm yourself and ignore your natural feelings before performing a stunt and also shares some of her other on set stories, including the changes she’s noticed within the industry over the years. We hope you enjoy.
11/14/202031 minutes, 28 seconds
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Episode 20 - Tilly Powell

David has known Tilly since she was just 7 years old, as her father, Greg Powell, was the Stunt Coordinator on the Harry Potter films and in her interview she tells us what’s it’s like being the daughter of a Stunt Coordinator and what it’s like to work for him and alongside him. Tilly has had an incredible career so far, her credits include titles such as, Wonder Woman, the Bond films, Fast & Furious, Avengers, Kingsman and Hitman’s Bodyguard. We hope you enjoy.
11/7/202013 minutes, 14 seconds
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Episode 19 - Mens-Sana Tamaloke

Mens has been performing stunts for over 10 years and in his interview he tells us about his journey into becoming a stunt performer and his first set experience, where he bounced off a pain of glass. We also chat about which stunts he’s been particularly proud of and the importance of seeing his kids grow up alongside working in the industry. We hope you enjoy.
10/31/202016 minutes, 35 seconds
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Episode 18 - Rick English

Rick has always enjoyed sport and comes from a background competing in Martial Arts and Motor Racing. In his interview he tells us how he went from becoming a personal trainer to performing stunts and how training for the stunt register was a natural progression. Rick has an impressive credit list and has had a fight with Batman, Bond, Jason Bourne and Captain America! In Rick’s interview he tells us what it was like driving a sports bike 140 flat down a locked off motorway, the process of crashing a motorbike as safely as possible and working alongside cast to get the best performance for an action sequence or fight. We hope you enjoy.
10/17/202026 minutes, 12 seconds
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Episode 17 - Martin Wilde

Martin knew he wanted to be a stuntman when he was just 5 years old and from a young age he was always building ramps and throwing himself about. After graduating from University in Performing Arts, he began his training for the Stunt Register and within 4 years he was qualified. Some of Martin’s first days performing were with David and Dan on the Harry Potter films, where he doubled Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom. Since Potter, Martin has had an amazing career doubling many leading men and in his interview he shares some of his set experiences, including jumping into water from 86 ft, 8 times and being knocked out whilst on the end of a while flying through the air. We hope you enjoy.
10/10/202024 minutes, 26 seconds
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Episode 16 - Kelly Dent

Kelly comes from a family that has been involved with horses and the Film industry since the early 1940’s, and Kelly herself appeared in her first film when she was just 12 years old on the First Knight, alongside Richard Gere. Kelly has had an impressive career and in her interview she tells us what it’s like performing stunts whilst in prosthetics, how jumping into water or being hit by a car can be unpredictable and what it’s like working with horses on set, along with the logistics of driving 50 horses from the UK to Morocco. We hope you enjoy.
10/3/202026 minutes, 58 seconds
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Episode 15 - Vic Armstrong

Get ready to hear some Movie Memory Magic, including tales about Superman, Indian Jones, Spielberg, Scorsese, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford. Vic once dreamed of becoming a Jockey, one day he took a job riding a horse on a Film Set and since then he has performed on some of the most iconic films of all times and also become a successful 2nd Unit Director and Director. We hope you enjoy.
9/19/202037 minutes, 18 seconds
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Episode 14 - Nina Armstrong

Nina, like her Mother was born into a Stunt family and in her interview she tells us what it was like growing up with Stunt rehearsals happening in the back garden, travelling to locations around the world whilst her parents worked and eventually her natural transition into Stunts. Nina has had an amazing career that began at a very young age, her credits include Bonds, Game Of Thones, Mission and many more. She also tells her what it was like becoming a Stunt Mum, and how the love of horses and riding continues to be passed down to another generation of Armstrong. We hope you enjoy.
9/12/202019 minutes, 46 seconds
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Episode 13 - Wendy Armstrong

Wendy was born into a Stunt Family and appeared on the back of a horse in her first film when she was just 8 years old. Wendy has had an amazing career and she still enjoys getting the pad bag out. Her career has included credits such as the Lois Lane Stunt Double in the Superman Films, Indian Jones, Bond, Omen and Wonder Woman. She also tells us what it was like bringing up her family whilst working and travelling and juggling the two lives. We hope you enjoy.
9/5/202015 minutes, 36 seconds
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Episode 12 - Tolga Kenan

Tolga, started his career at 10 years old on the first Harry Potter, as the second Harry stunt double. Over the years he went on to double some of our other favourite Potter characters, including Neville Longbottom, in which he performs an epic flatback fall to the ground, it’s when Neville is frozen, you’ll hear all about it in his interview. Tolga has had an incredible career and since Harry Potter, as well as performing, he has also become a talented and established rigger, his credits include films such as, Bond, Star Wars, Paddington, Fantastic Beasts, Bourne, Pan and Maleficent. We hope you enjoy.
8/22/202027 minutes, 16 seconds
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Episode 11 - Helen Bailey

Helen has been performing stunts since 2006. She tells us how she trained in gymnastics and martial arts from a young age, studied martial arts in Japan and how eventually her path led her to become a stunt performer. Since then, Helen has gone on to double many leading ladies and talks about feeling the pressures of weight-loss to be the best stunt double, whilst maintaining a strong and healthy physique for the job. We hope you enjoy.
8/15/202023 minutes, 3 seconds
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Episode 10 - David Garrick

David was in the parachute regiment and solider for over a decade. His love for jumping out of airplanes continued when he became a stuntman, and he was part of the incredible stunt team that performed the opening sequence in Batman, Dark Knight Rises, which involved jumping out a Hercules Aircraft doing 130 knots at 13,000 feet. You will hear all about this in his interview as well as a very entertaining story involving a fight scene with Robert Downey Jr. David has an incredible list of credits including Bond, Batman, Reign Of Fire, Sherlock and Doc Martin, which is one of his favourite jobs and locations. We hope you enjoy.
8/8/202037 minutes, 22 seconds
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Episode 9 - Marvin Campbell

Marvin Campbell was an Olympic Gymnast and has gone on to be an accomplished Stuntman. In his interview he talks about this unexpected transition and some of his most exciting stunts, including working on the crane to crane jump on Casino Royale, and why you should always pack your pads when someone tells you “It’s a simple job”!We also talk about something we haven’t discussed on the podcast before: Race. Marvin gives some insight into what it’s like to work as a black performer in an industry that is still overwhelmingly white. At the time we release this interview there are approximately 442 members on the British stunt register, and only around 6% are black men or women, a percentage that obviously does not represent the diversity we need to be aiming for in the industry. We also touch on a practice known within the industry as “blacking up”, where white stuntmen are made up to double black actors. Although this practice is much less common than it once was, it does still happen, and we believe it is valuable to talk about why that is the case. During this moment where every industry in the world is examining itself and its relationship to racism, we think it’s a good conversation for people to hear. We hope you enjoy.Please note: Interview with Marvin recorded in April 2019
7/25/202034 minutes, 41 seconds
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Episode 8 - Guiomar Alonso

Guiomar Alonso was born and raised in Spain and grew up around horses and sport. She was a Spanish Show Jumping Champion and studied physiotherapy, but her path lead her in to becoming a stunt performer. Since then she has taken the journey from Spain to the UK and become part of the British Stunt Register and community. Guiomar has an amazing list of credits and has doubled many leading ladies, including, Penelope Cruz, Gemma Arteton, Emma Watson and Caterina Murino. We hope you enjoy.
7/18/202017 minutes, 30 seconds
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Episode 7 - Mike Lambert

Mike Lambert is an incredibly talented Fight Coordinator and has an impressive list of credits, including, Fantastic Beasts, Kick Ass and the Bond, Batman and Marvel franchises. Mike, now fluent in Cantonese, tells us how he started his stunt career in Hong Kong not knowing any of the language, and how this didn’t hold him back in landing a role in the film Unleashed, where he has an epic bathroom fight with Jet Lee. We hope you enjoy.
7/11/202022 minutes, 10 seconds