A television collaboration between a north-east director and a Hollywood legend will hit the small screen tonight.
It was announced last year that Peterhead-born Jon S Baird was working with Martin Scorsese on a new TV drama series about the American music industry.
And Mr Baird’s episode of the acclaimed HBO drama Vinyl is set to air this evening on Sky Atlantic.
Last night the filmmaker, who also directed an adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel Filth starring James McAvoy, said: “It’s about John Lennon and Bob Marley and The Wailers and I’m really happy with it.
“We’ve also got a Beatles track at the beginning, so there’s some great stuff in there.
“I’m really happy to be a part of it. Like any series, it’s got to find its feet but there’s a pressure on Vinyl because there are a lot of high-profile people involved and it’s big budget.”
Mr Baird – who grew up in Peterhead and attended Meethill Primary School – said he was “delighted” to have worked with Scorsese and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger who is producing the programme.
He added: “Mr Scorsese did the pilot and he’s one of the most respected directors, not just alive today but ever. I thought there was going to be a lot of expectation from him, but he was very open for me to do my own thing which was liberating.”
American cable channel HBO has described its 10-episode series Vinyl, set primarily in 1970s New York, as a wild ride through the sex-and-drug-addled music business covering punk, disco and hip-hop.
Mr Baird – whose family still owns a roofing company in the north-east – is also working on a biopic of entertainers Laurel and Hardy with the hope of bringing the tale of the comedy duo to a new generation.
Hollywood A-listers Steve Coogan and John C Reilly have signed on to star as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy respectively and filming is likely to begin later this year.
Jon Baird’s episode of Vinyl is on Sky Atlantic at 9pm tonight.
