Storm Eunice Impacts U.K. Productions Like ‘The Crown,’ But Makes a Star Out of Big Jet TV
variety.comK.J. Yossman When it rains, it pours. And pandemic and politics aside, the U.K. has yet another challenge to contend with: Storm Eunice.Billed as Britain’s “worst storm in decades,” Storm Eunice swept onto the British Isles on Friday morning, bringing parts of the country to a standstill due to heavy winds and rain and canceling some flights and train travel.The U.K.’s official weather agency, known as the Met Office, issued a rare “red warning” for some parts of the country, meaning the winds pose a “risk to life.”“The red warning areas indicate a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris,” Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said in a statement, noting that some coastal areas could see gusts in excess of 90mph, while areas inland would experience gusts of between 60-70mph.
The storm means some productions shooting on location — including Netflix’s highly anticipated new season of “The Crown” — have had to suspend filming temporarily. “A couple of units running on location in Surrey today on ‘The Crown’ were called off,” a source close to the production told Variety. “In part for the actuality of filming but also for the safety of crew travelling.”With crew wellbeing a hot-button issue in the U.K., Philippa Childs, the head of crew union Bectu, reiterated that safety is paramount. “With the onset of Storm Eunice, productions should be taking account of the ‘risk to life’ warnings in some parts of the country,” Childs told Variety.
Read more on variety.com
