AN ICONIC landmark of the Flintshire coastline is to become the setting for a new ITV drama starring comedian, Sir Lenny Henry.
The Duke of Lancaster ship has been docked at Llanerch-y-Mor for over 40 years following a successful stint as a luxury cruise liner.
She gained further popularity again in the late seventies as The Fun Ship which featured arcades, bars, and a restaurant – all of which is still inside the famous vessel.
The Duke will now help tell the tale of ITV’s Three Little Birds, by taking on the role of the HMT Empire Windrush, a ship renowned for bringing large groups of West Indian immigrants to the UK.
The series is loosely based on Henry’s mother moving to 1950’s England from Jamaica.
Writing on his website, the comedian wrote: “My mother spoke often about how difficult life was back in the day when she first arrived in Britain to begin her new life.
"The stories she told and indeed the narratives my brothers and sisters beguiled me with over the dinner table made me think about writing a fictional account of three Caribbean women; all with differing yet complementary attributes - a serious tenacious one, a quick witted flibbertigibbet and a Christian prude.
"Although these are fictional accounts, my mother’s narrative will run throughout these stories and hopefully, the stories of other post Windrush arrivals will trigger memories, smiles and tears too.
"This series will be a tribute to the giants who came before us and walked cold streets to create new lives for themselves.”
ITV is yet to confirm when the series will air.
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Antony Rowley, who grew up on the ship, taking over from his father, John spoke of his delight that the Duke of Lancaster’s legacy is being carried on through TV and film.
He said: “Filming was great with ITV, (with) the ship being used as a film set.
“There’s more filming to be done here and there’s quite a few projects in the pipeline, from filming to concerts etc, bringing jobs to the area and tourism back to North Wales is nice to see.”
The hope is that the current filming will serve as part of a new lease of life for The Duke whilst owner, Antony, has confirmed his intentions to transform the ship into a place where events such as weddings can be held as the quayside area of the ship is now available to book for events.
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