After deciding to call the show 'Shepherd', I did lots of research looking at images of people with sheep (shepherds, if you will) but my favourite photograph was of a little girl dressed in white, with a white lamb around her neck. I was desperate to recreate it and asked anyone on Twitter if they could help, but I was't too hopeful about the whole lamb-round-the-neck thing- so the photographer (Ed Moore) and I did a lamb-less shoot in a London studio, just to be on the safe side...
I was still emailing local farms but with no luck. Then I found out I had an in! Ben Reynolds, the drummer from The Horne Section, called me- turns out his dad is a sheep farmer! Ben's dad only had sheep though, no lambs. When I suggested I could put a sheep round my neck instead, he said that would be very dangerous/impossible. In hindsight, I don't know what I was thinking... I'm a strong, independent woman! But it would have killed me.
Ben's dad put me in touch with Sue and Roger Taylor from Highclere Park, who had the most gorgeous newly born tiny little black and white Jacob lambs. Ed and I got a train to Newbury then Sue picked us up are drove us to the farm, where she and her husband supervised me trying out different lambs on my neck. Ed was SO patient, and Sue and Roger SO generous with their time. Once we had the magic shot - me and with lamby round my neck, both looking down the lens - my favourite comedy graphic designer Patrick Turpin worked his magic on the poster-design.
Have I written too much for this?
- Designer
- Patrick Turpin
- Photographer
- Edward Moore
- Show
- Annie McGrath: Shepherd