Woolwich: James Nesbitt Recreates 2011 Riots For Channel 4 Drama `Babylon'

by Benson Agoha

But for the occassional jokes and laughter, interspersed with breaks and makeup artists seen dabbing sweat from the faces of weary actors, you would have thought a news chaos was erupting at the Town Center over the weekend.

Throughfare along Powis Street  was temporarily disrupted on Friday evening as a documentary reminiscent of the August 2011 riots was being filmed.



* Ex-servicemen recreate 2011 riots for a Channel 4 Drama
 called Babylon.: Photo Credit: WO.

The project, the fifth of a six-part series, was recreated using 'fake police', dressed in convincing riot gears. But although the actors were not serving officers, some of them are indeed retired soldiers.

Directed by James Nesbitt, the project is aiming to show how a 'police boss' watched helplessly, as his empire crumbled before his eyes, a member of the crew told Woolwich Online.



* Actors James Nesbitt.
Photo Credit: Wiki

The drama features real police dogs, daring rioters and their vandalisation and looting cars and shops during the August 2011 incident.

It was not immediately clear whether the drama will cover the manhunt that followed the riots as police saught to identify suspects.

Onlookers watched as the drills left the actors physically exhausted. But not to worry. The cast and crew were complete and the make-up artists doubled up whenever necessary, dabbing off sweat from the faces of worn out actors.

The 2011 London riots spread to Woolwich and left on its wake looted shops and burnt stores and property, as well as police cars.

But with the re-opening of The Great Harry, Pound Mart, Wimpey and the rebuilding of the property, formerly occupied by BlueInc, the remaining evidence of the riots is effectively wiped out.

The Channel 4 project whose first series aired in February, will be ready in September 2014.

* Police Wall Recreated. Photo Credit: WO

* The Police plan their response to the news of speading
riots at the Town Center. Photo Credit: WO

* Some of the Actors were Ex-service personnel from various
branches of the armed forces. Photo Credit: WO.

* One of the cars vandalised in recreation of the
August 2011 riots. Photo Credit: WO.

* Three genuine Police Dogs took part
during filming. Photo Credit: WO.

* Actors practices before filming: Photo Credit: WO

* A make-up Artists dabs sweat from the faces of
weary actors. Photo Credit: WO.

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