Muted Fnord – Tumbling

Original track ‘Tumbling’ taken from Muted Fnord’s debut EP.

The Premiere of Tumbling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Muted Fnord to Premiere Lucy Peel’s Latest Short Film Leicester, East Midlands. April 2013 – The curious ensemble of musicians and makers of noise – Muted Ford will be performing at the Firebug on Friday 10th May 2013. As a part of their gig, the band will …

Passing Time

Passing Time was made as a submission to the Sundance London short film Competition. Joe is caught in the moment, taking a second to look back into the past to decide about his future. Passing Time examines how attitudes in society have changed over the last several decades and how …

Fish – There’s No Time to Lose!

Fish was made as a submission to Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival short film Competition. Fish – A little bit of water is all that is needed in fact, these two chaps aren’t just thirsty but actually dying for a drink. Are they all they appear to be? Ash and Dave …

48 Hour Documentary Competition

This short film was made as part of the 3rd DocFilm festival.

Supported and organised by somewhereto_ and Workspace1, there was a competition to make a documentary of 10 minutes or less in no more than 48 hours. At 5pm on a Friday evening, the theme of ‘Space’ was given to all the participants.

A Future That Works

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) were out on the streets again in October 2012 to protest against the government’s campaign of austerity.

This short film and article contains interviews with people from a rainbow of Unions and conversations with Blac Bloc members.

Global Noise – The Occupy Movement One Year On

This film covers the events of 13th October 2012, when Occupy London joined people all over the world for Global Noise – a global day of protest to highlight the fact that people from the Occupy Movement are still here, one year on, united and more determined than ever.

The Music Crawl

In the week before Summer Sundae, there’s a growing Fringe Festival tipping a mixed bag of live music, poetry performances, theatre, moving image and photography events all over the streets of Leicester.

Click on the button below to listen to some of the artists featured in the festival.

Doc:Comedy Trailer

Click on the continue reading button below to watch the trailer for Lucy Peel’s first feature length documentary.

Travelling Around Japan

Do you have an urge to look out over the horizon and see what is beyond?

Review the films, photos and article to discover more about the amazing country that is Japan.

The Police Have Been Protesting

For the second time in four years, the Police were back on the streets of London in protest against cuts to their organisation.

Click on the button below to watch a short film about the protest.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Eight

The final episode from the Doc:Comedy series features Nottingham based Oliver Sillito and Francis Jenking.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Seven

In the penultimate episode of the Doc:Comedy series, this short film features Katie Mulgrew and Tony Jameson who performed ‘Do Jokes’.

The Lost Wallet

A stranger returns some of the contents from the wallet.

But is it a story of kindness or one of scheming?

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Six

Here’s the Australian comedian Helene Murray performing Country Curiosity.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Five

This episode features ‘Quarter Life Crisis’ as performed by stand up, actor, comic, improviser and living stereotype; Aaron Twitchen

The Eurovision Song Contest – Humperdinck Mania

The amazing Leanne Mckie performs as Englebert Humperdinck ahead of his Eurovision 2012 performance.

Click through to the full article to watch some fantastic singing & grinding.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Four

Filled with sketches, lots of fun, ghosts, games, prizes, dancing, episode 4 of the Doc:Comedy series features ‘What Have you Done With Denises 30p?’ as performed by Leanne McKie, Suzanne Rowland and team.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Three

The short film for episode 3 of Doc:Comedy features Reshape While Damp as performed by Naomi Paul & Jenny Stokes.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode Two

Bristol based comedian Mark Olver features in episode 4 of Doc:Comedy.

The Doc:Comedy Project – Episode One

Presenting Ishi Khan-Jackson, proudly starting off the Doc:Comedy series!

Don’t Give The EDL Potatoes.

The short film and article featured here covers an English Defence League demonstration in Leicester and the counter-demo by the UAF. The article goes on to discuss whether groups such as the EDL should be allowed to hold demonstrations at all….

Click on the button below to view the material.

The Biggest Strike In 30 Years

November 2011 saw the biggest strike in the UK for 30 years. Various polls (in both left and right wing press) suggested an average of 70% of the population supported the public sector workers involved in the action.

Click on the button below to watch a short film about the strikes & a discussion about their cause and effects.

The 2nd Annual Conference of Boring (2011)

The Boring Conference – a gathering dedicated to the delights of the mundane, obvious and overlooked.

Could it be as delightful as it sounds?

A Tale Of Tent City

The streets of London are paved with gold and sometimes tents.

This film & article documents the first weekend and establishment of the Occupy settlement outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

Block The Bridge, Block The Bill!

On Sunday 9th October 2011, just days before the NHS Reform Bill moved to the Lords, UK Uncut held a spectacular act of civil disobedience.

This film and article discusses UK Uncut’s actions to block Westminster Bridge, symbolically blocking the bill getting from Parliament to the nation’s hospitals.

Should I Go And Should I Stay?

Under gloomy, swirling, dark clouds, it was with precision that the Police Officers lined up to protect the visiting Conservative Party conference members and keep them safe from the occupying forces that morning.

This article and film examines the foundation of the UK’s first Occupy camp in early October 2011, a few weeks ahead of the camp in London.

Going the castle & they’re gonna get married!

Along with documenting many events and issues, Lucy Peel also provides a free wedding photography & videography service.

Continue reading to view examples from previous weddings where Dr. Peel has helped those on their special day.

Divide and Conquer

Following a request from the Metropolitain Police, a ban on moving (non-static) protests was introduced throughout five London boroughs.

The ban started on the 2nd September 2011 and was meant to last for 30 days. On the 3rd September 2011, the English Defence League took to the streets…..

Ghost Rioters

As the disturbances of Summer 2011 spread from London to several cities across the country, Leicester experienced its first night of unrest.

The following short film & article discuss the public response and how this affects the instigators of the violent looting and arson.

In The Shadow Of Our Ancestors – Summer Solstice At Stonehenge

Fancy spending a night under the stars – literally under the stars with at least enough people to fill the London O2 Arena to capacity? You won’t be allowed to take a tent or sleeping bag, just a poncho.

This short film and article lets you discover what happens at the Summer Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge.

May I Bend Your Ear For A Second?

Promoter Glynfest recently organised an evening of music featuring Dave Parkin, Liberation Pact & Roused to Burning Homes.

Here are some examples of their work.

Freedom of Information Request Prompts Zombie Attack

Following a freedom of information request, zombies had fortunately discovered that Leicester City Council would have been unprepared for an attack by their group.

They quickly launched their offensive upon the East Midlands city…..

The Rally Against Debt – Was It A Failure?

There are several films and articles presented on this website about how severe austerity measures are the wrong path to take in a recession.

Alternatively, here is a feature from a group which believes that austerity is the way forward.

Vote Yes for AV!

Back in 2011, the UK had an opportunity to change the way political groups are voted into Westminster.

This article explains what exactly the Alternative Vote is through the use of video, words and graphs.

Help Emma In Her Fight For Justice

Emma Friedmann has epilepsy and took an anti-convulsent medication while pregnant to manage her condition. Her neurologist ensured her that the medication would not affect her unborn child, but this wasn’t true and her son is disabled as a result.

She is currently fighting for justice for her son.

Forget Osama Bin Laden – Remember The Working Classes

The anniversary of the capture and death of the ‘anti-capitalist terrorist’ Osama Bin Laden also falls on the same day as International Worker’s Day.

This article goes on to discuss what IWD is, including footage from a rally promoting the occasion.

Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds

100 million tiny handmade, hand painted, porcelain sunflower seeds were once currently scattered across the barren, concrete floor of the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, London, UK.

What were the intentions of the artist behind the project. What did it all mean?

A Date With The Deputy Prime Minister – Nick Clegg

Campaigning ahead of a local by-election, Nick Clegg once visited Leicester where residents were ready to give him a warm welcome……

March For The Alternative – The Battle For Hearts & Minds

Following on from the winter 2010 student protests against increases in tuition fees, a protest against more general government cuts took place in the spring of 2011.

Continue reading to watch a short film and learn about how the anti-cut movement evolved.

Shrovetide Football

For the past 700 years, the residents of Ashbourne in Derbyshire have held an annual game of Shrovetide Football. The pitch is 3 miles long by 2 miles wide which is just as well, as thousands of people take part in the game.

Continue reading to watch documentary filmed from the middle of the pitch!

Jumping From A Perfectly Good Plane – Tandem Parachuting

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to voluntarily jump out of a plane?

Continue reading to learn about Lucy Peel’s experience of falling from 13,000ft through video and a written diary.

The Downfall Meme

There are probably millions of these Downfall Memes floating around the internet. When the opportunity arose to make one about Radiohead (who is great) and Hitler (who isn’t), who could resist……..

The Role Of Religion In Society

The One Day, No Religion organisation suggested that on February 20th, people should join together around the globe by making a pledge to not partake in any kind of religious activity for the whole day. They suggested that religion and religious differences should be set aside, and everyone should come together only as people.

This article contains interviews on camera from both religous people and atheists alike.

Leicester Comedy Festival

In February, the city of Leicester hosts one of the largest comedy festivals in the UK. Here is a sample from one of the 350 or so shows that took place in 2011.

A Celebration of Love

Along with documenting many events and issues, Lucy Peel also provides a free wedding photography & videography service.

Continue reading to view examples from previous weddings where Dr. Peel has helped those on their special day.

Defrauded Of £5000 – Amazon Responds With The Speed Of A Snail

A tale of what happened when one Amazon customer logged into their account and discovered that £5000 worth of goods had been ordered.

A Series Of Curious Events

In the first year of www.lucypeel.com, a variety of age old traditions, circus shows, conferences, fairs, farming events, festivals, ghost hunts, theatre productions, music concerts, parades, political events, protests, religious gatherings and sports events have been discussed as illustrated in the following short film…

A Conference Named Boring

Inside a mirrored room within the depths of the Dominion Theatre in London, people gathered to attend the inaugural conference of Boring.

What weird and wonderful things were discussed at the event?

The Night Sky Was Filled With Fluffy Little Feathers

Have you ever been part of a flashmob?

Every Christmas for the past few years, a flashmob has formed in the middle of Leicester to take part in a pillow fight….

For The Mouths Of Babes – The Spoon Of Tuition Fees.

Back at the end of 2010, students staged protests and walk-outs in order to illustrate their opposition against the proposed increases in tuition fees for higher education courses and the abolition of educational maintenance allowances (EMA) for college students.

Continue reading to learn about what happened at those protests.

Hit & Run!!

Imagine if you were walking home in the early hours of the morning after an evening out with friends and you saw a fox get injured by a speeding car.

What would you do?

Would You Meet Your Heroes?

At the NEC winter Memorabilia fair stars of sport, television and film were invited to mingle with the attendees. A significant portion of attendees dressed up in costumes, paying homage to the roles that the guests were famous for.

Indeed, the fair attracts life forms and entities from all over the universe as seen in the following film.

The Illuminated Carnivals of Somerset

If you think you’ve seen a carnival, then think again. The Bridgwater Illuminated Carnival is a sight for sore eyes (probably caused by all the bulbs on the floats……). The floats were up to 100ft in length, 16ft high, and 11ft wide with some having up to 30,000 light bulbs.

An amazing site to behold all recorded as part of the following documentary..

Halloween – Light Your Pumpkin To Stay Safe!

Halloween is an annual festival celebrated on the 31st October. For many people, it is a time for carving pumpkins, apple bobbing, trick or treating and telling scary ghost stories late into the night. How fast can one carve a pumpkin?

Diwali – The Festival of Lights

Leicester consists of a diverse community of 280,000 people. In 2001, people of Asian origin formed the largest single ethnic group in the city, forming 30% of the total population, compared to a national average of 4%.

For the past 27 years, Leicester has hosted the largest Diwali celebrations west of Mumbai as seen in the following film and article.

Roll Up! Roll Up! It’s The Moscow State Circus

A rare opportunity to look behind the scenes at the Moscow State Circus, including a short film featuring members of the troupe rehearsing.

The Festival Of Dashera – Victory Of Good Over Evil.

The Hindu festival of Dashera takes place in October in which 10-headed effigies of King Ravana are set alight to celebrate the victory of good over evil. The following short film was recorded in Leicester.

One Leicester – United Against Divisions.

Members of the English Defence League (EDL) gathered in Leicester on Saturday 9th October 2010. All marches had been banned in the centre on that day, but static demonstrations were still allowed. The following footage was taken from the EDL side of the Police barrier.

Protesting The Audacity Of Pope

Pope Benedict XVI toured the UK from 16th-19th September 2010. Catholic Mass and anti-Pope protests were held in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and London. On Saturday 18th September at 10:00, Mass took place inside a cathedral. There were so many people in attendance that the crowds spilled out onto the street.

Rule Britannia! The Last Night of the Proms.

The Last Night of the Proms is the time that the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) in the centre of London is packed to the rafters with flag swinging, anthem singing people proud to be British, but there are also the odd few who sneak in their French, Brazilian or Japanese flags – well more nationalities that you could shake a baton at.

At The World’s Biggest Sideshow – The Edinburgh Fringe

There are so many crazy and curious things happening out on the street in Edinburgh during the sweltering month of August. Enough to keep you occupied, to cloud your mind and make you lose track of time.

Continue reading to discover the amazing sights and sounds of the Edinburgh Fringe!

Pride And (No) Prejudice

As an end to the Summer Festival week, the residents of Brighton & Hove held their 19th Pride celebration on Saturday 7th August. A wild variety of colourful and smiling characters danced through the streets.

Hunting For Ghosts

Down in the dark, humid cellar of a building that had hosted 300 years worth of occupants, activities and events – a group of intrepid ghost hunters huddled around a spirit board. Guided by the brightness of only one torch, the members called out into the darkness – encouraging lost spirits to communicate with them.

Continue reading to discover what happens on a ghost hunt….

Free Wedding Photography

Along with documenting many events and issues, Lucy Peel also provides a free wedding photography & videography service.

Continue reading to view examples from previous weddings where Dr. Peel has helped those on their special day.

Will Young Plays With Some Balls At Welford Road

The Leicester Tigers hosted Will Young on Friday 16th July 2010 for the second ever concert at their grounds at Welford Road.

With the stage positioned just in front of the largest stand, the Caterpillar Stand which holds 10,000 people, the evening started off with two artists Jersey Budd and Edei performing under a dark and tempestuous sky.

Happy Birthday Sir Patrick Stewart!

A tale of encounters with the actor………

Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross

The Hobby Horse Festival in Banbury is a relatively recent creation, having started a decade ago in the year 2000. It is based around the English nursery rhyme: ‘Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse; rings on her fingers and bells on her toes and she shall have music wherever she goes.

Continue reading to discover the antics of people at the festival.

They Think It’s All Over – World Cup Football

It’s the summer with record breaking tennis matches at Wimbledon, one day international cricket matches, Formula 1 car racing and a variety of golf matches. Oh, and then there’s World Cup Football. Here’s what the crowd watching the match at the Big Screen in Leicester thought of the England team’s performance against their competitors.

From Dusk Till Dawn – Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

20,000 people celebrated the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge gathering on 20th June 2010. From dusk till dawn with the sun setting at 21:26 on Sunday and rising at 04:52 on Monday, a vast array of people danced and sang throughout the night.

The following documentary covers the events throughout the night.

School For Gifted Children – Science Edition

Robin Ince is just the most amazing comedian and curator. One of his collections, presented as a School For Gifted Children show at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London had a delicious science theme.

A Taste of Rugby – Leicester Tigers v Harlequins

Having never been to a rugby match before, organisers at Welford Road were running a free game – in exchange for your contact details. But hey – what are a few phone calls and e-mails in exchange for the chance to see what rugby is about?

Getting Naked With 2700 Other People – The Spencer Tunick Experience

Why would anyone take their clothes off in public?

What are the motivations?

London Marathon 2010

Tens of thousands of people take part in the London Marathon. Some people were serious runners hoping to set themselves good running times, others were in costumes raising money for charity. A tale of determination, endurance and sucess.

It’s only a democracy if you join in – UK General Election 2010.

This article features interviews with all the candidates standing for election within one particular consituency. Some candidates had never stood before, others were very experienced. How do their views complement or contrast with each other?

Hare Pie Scramble & Bottle Kicking

On Easter Monday, a Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking event takes place in Hallaton, Leicestershire.

Click on continue reading to learn more about the ancient tradition and watch a short film about the practice.

Is The Rough Sport Of Boxing An Art For Dear Gentlemen?

Why do people box? Why do people go to watch boxing? Isn’t it just an event that takes place over a violent, bloody and confusing few minutes, after the scantily clad attractive ladies have walked around the ring holding cards?

Robin Ince – School For Gifted Children

Last night Robin Ince hosted the School For Gifted Children at the Bloomsbury Theatre at the UCL in London. It was a variety show & tell, with more fantastic artists than you could possible shake a stick at.

Springtime – The Season of Lambing!

Ah, sweet bliss! The days are getting longer and warmer, plants and trees are starting to grow again and ewes are giving birth to their lambs. How can anyone resist smiling when they see those lovely little lambs doing their funny hoppy jumps around the fields?

This article covers a visit to Hadlow College Hadlow College – an agricultural college just 22 miles south east of London. They had an open weekend which allowed visitors to walk around their lambing shed, look at newborn lambs and if fortunate enough, see a lamb or two being born.

Scherrrrrrrwing!!

Mika once performed at the O2 Academy in Birmingham. With an amazing performance, his songs were happy jumpy, sometimes heart wrenchingly raw and he’s a fantastic, sometimes surreal performer. Very enigmatic, very sexy, very lithe. Absolutely bloody mesmerising set design!!

Jorvik Viking Festival

Ah, the city of York. As described by some some as having architecture so lovely that you’ll be spending most of your time looking up and bumping into people and tangled cobbled streets that are really good for getting lost in.

Quite peaceful. Then all of a sudden you come across a bunch of Vikings walking down the street;

The Destiny Cube

Kobe the Wanderer is an alien from beyond space. When he activates his Destiny Cube, the stage is flooded with a cascade of marvels and wonders… See Nightpanther, an avenging superhero, go head to head with Robolord. See pirate Captain Von Moonstrangler wrestle with cashpoints and werewolves. Richard Peel and Matthew Smolka harness the power of mime to unleash a 3-dimensional thrill-ride. What will happen when the Destiny Cube is activated? Adventure? Horror? Suspense?

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

This is play that features a full orchestra indeed – ‘A play for Actors and Orchestra by Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn.’ The orchestra is a fantastic bonus. Through going to see the production at the theatre, you learn that it wasn’t just an orchestra that sat on the sidelines and ocassionally spoke up for dramatic effect, it was a play for Actors and Orchestra – as if the two were married.

Those Dammed Hippies!

There is currently a scheme of open access to Stonehenge at both the Summer and Winter Solstice.

Back in 1988, it wasn’t so simple or easy to visit the stones at those festival times……..

Collings and Herrin’s 100th (ish) Podcast

Richard Herring and Andrew Collins held their 100th (ish) podcast recording at the Leicester Square Theatre in London. This had been their 2 year anniversary of podcasting together. The gig had sold out and people had even brought tickets to stand in the aisles………

Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival

According to The Straw Bear Organisation , from when no one quite knows, it was the custom on the Tuesday following Plough Monday (the 1st Monday after Twelfth Night) to dress one of the confraternity of the plough in straw and call him a ‘Straw Bear’. This custom was used to collect food for the impoverished indentured farming workers in the area, who had by January, begun to run low in their supplies of food and firewood….

Continue reading to view a short documentary about the festival.

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night is an event that happens 12 nights after Christmas and marks the end of the Christmas festivities.

The celebrations at Shakespeare’s Globe were kindly led by the theatre company The Lions Part, in association with the Globe. Continue reading to watch a short film about the festivities.

Jon Williams – Shh, Just Act Normal.

If you were to glance quickly at Jon William’s ceramic figures, you could be forgiven for thinking that they are made quickly & in a hurry. There’s an overall roughness around them – but take a second to look & you’ll start to notice the wonderful detail that he adds to his work. You can see tiny tiny teeth in the tiny mouths of his figures & the colour & glazes of his figures are just fantastic. They all have wonderful expressions!

English Defence League Protest in Nottingham on Saturday 5th December 2009

Featuring as the inaugural article for Lucy Peel, these documentaries were recorded in Nottingham when the English Defence League (EDL) and Unite Against Facism (UAF) groups both held protests in the city centre. A large Police presence was required to keep the two groups apart.