THE ‘STEW

Creative Vandalism’s debut web series…

A surrealist sitcom set in Walthamstow, East London. The ‘Stew follows “PI” (played by Robert Ernst), an aloof private investigator investigating strange and outlandish mysteries with the help of his soviet sidekick Ewan. Danger lurks around every corner, ranging from sentient perverted radiators to half men, half chicken abominations!

UPDATE: Unfortunately due to the pandemic and then the cost of living crisis, The ‘Stew is currently on hiatus. Around 90% of the first episode is completed, with maybe two or three days of shooting to get the last few bits of footage filmed, edited, dubbed and scored. Hopefully well be able to get the ball rolling again someday, we have some ideas on how to do that, but right now, with everything going on, it’s just not feasible…

However… we do have the something for you. As we said, most of the episode is done, so we thought why not cut the thing in half and release it in two parts? So without further ado, here it is:

EPISODE 0.5: “UNAIRED PILOT” PART 1

In this “Unaired Pilot” episode you’ll be introduced to our heroes, PI and Ewan who join forces to solve the latest in a series of disappearances… Chicken may be involved.

Watch Now!

PRODUCTION

The series is a love letter to B-Movies, taking heavy influence from 70’s and 80’s horror as well as Grindhouse cinema. While using the tropes from said genres, the series is very much a comedy series, taking these tropes to the point of absurdity.

The setting is Walthamstow, where Creative Vandalism is based. It’s a wonderful place that we’ve come to love over the years we’ve lived here, and it’s certainly got is quirks and oddities that we’ll be sure to explore in the series itself. When in Walthamstow is it set? We want that to be deliberately ambiguous. While we want it to feel as much like it’s the 70’s as possible, some things just aren’t possible on our budget, but all in all it just adds to the surreal nature of the show.

While most of the projects on this website are made simply by the two people in charge of Creative Vandalism, we’ve got an array of special talent helping us make this series a reality.

As mentioned, Robert Ernst is bringing our main character to life. If you’ve been following us for a while you may be thinking “wasn’t someone else cast in that role?” Short answer: yes. The recasting is unfortunately due to the pandemic, and while PI’s original actor will be dearly missed (though we do have plans to bring him back at a later date), Robert is absolutely fantastic in the role, and we can’t wait for you to see him in action.

Being heavily inspired by 70’s and 80’s B-Movies, and taking on the tried and tested “monster of the week” format, we need some rubber.. rubber monsters, to be specific. Look no further than Roger Todd, who will be bringing to life all the strange creatures that PI will be facing…

Lastly, lets talk music. One of our Oldest collaborators, Nicolas Wallet will be composing and recording the shows soundtrack. A mix of eerie 80s synth and quirky jazz, Nicolas has done a fantastic job of filling the show with atmosphere. You can hear a sample of his stuff in our teaser trailer!

For now, that’s all we’ve got for you… keep your eyes peeled on our social media which we’ll be sure to update once the first episode is released!