Andrea Calderwood

Potboiler Productions and Slate Films join forces

Award-winning producers Andrea Calderwood (Generation Kill, The Last King of Scotland) and Simon Channing Williams and Gail Egan (Happy-Go-Lucky, The Constant Gardener) have joined forces to produce a wide range of ambitious international feature films.

Calderwood’s Slate Films will be joining Channing Williams and Egan’s Potboiler Productions to strengthen their already established reputations as producers of some of the UK’s most celebrated and successful films.

The team will work together across a prestigious range of upcoming projects including John Le Carré’s The Mission Song, adapted by Neal Purvis and Rob Wade; classic Victorian drama Effie; Biyi Bandele’s adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-seller Half of a Yellow Sun, and Dan Mazer’s comedy Stiff.

As well as building on their existing slate of feature film projects, the team intend to expand their activities in television production, and already have some key development projects in place with UK broadcasters.

Potboiler were recently announced as recipients of UKFC’s Vision Award, which gives selected UK production companies a discretionary fund from which to develop projects. Potboiler will use the fund to expand the team’s investment in new projects from both established and emerging talent.

Channing Williams and Egan’s most recent production with partner company Thin Man Films, Happy-Go-Lucky, won a best actress Golden Globe for Sally Hawkins, and an Academy Award screenwriting nomination for Mike Leigh.

Calderwood most recently produced HBO’s Generation Kill for Company Pictures, a seven part mini series recreating the US-lead invasion of Iraq in 2003, written by The Wire creators David Simon and Ed Burns.   Already aired to great acclaim in the US, it has been transmitting on FX channel in the UK from Jan 2009, and will be aired on Channel 4 later this year.

Gail Egan said: “We are thrilled that Andrea has joined us, her slate of films is very strong and complementary to ours and we share ambition for the type of films we would like to make, as well as a desire to make a mark in television drama.”


Andrea Calderwood said:   “I am delighted to be joining forces with Simon and Gail – I have been a huge fan of their work for a long time, and they are among the best in the business at what they do. In the uncertain world of British feature film production, it’s great to be part of such a strong team and have a shared vision for the films we want to see made.”


Notes to editors:

Slate Films/Andrea Calderwood background information:
Andrea Calderwood recently produced HBO’s acclaimed Generation Kill, with Company Pictures, a seven hour mini series which is a first hand account of a group of US Marines spearheading the 2003 invasion of Iraq, based on the award winning book by Evan Wright, and written by David Simon and Ed Burns, creators of The Wire.    The mini-series was filmed in Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique. 

Through Slate Films, she has produced several feature films including Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland, winner of 3 Baftas and the Oscar for Forest Whitaker in 2007.    

From 1997 to 2000, Andrea was Head of Production at Pathe Pictures, where she was executive producer of 8 feature films, including Oliver Parker’s An Ideal Husband, Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher, Michael Winterbottom’s The Claim, and teen horror The Hole.

Andrea was previously Head of Drama at BBC Scotland from 1994 – 1997, where she was responsible for commissioning series, mini-series, including Hamish Macbeth, The Crow Road, Cardiac Arrest, and films including Gillies Mackinnon’s Small Faces and John Madden’s Oscar nominated Mrs Brown.

Potboiler background information:

Potboiler Productions was formed in 2000 by Gail Egan and Simon Channing Williams. They have since produced an eclectic mix of films including a classic adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby, directed by Doug McGrath; De-Lovely, a musical based on the life of Cole Porter; the rock epic Brothers of the Head; and The Constant Gardener, which was directed by Fernando Meirelles and won Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Weisz at the 2006 Academy Awards.

In addition through Thin Man Films they have produced Mike Leigh’s films including most recently Happy-Go-Lucky and Vera Drake.

Company credits:

Blindness (2008)
Lecture 21 (2008)
Shrooms (2006)
Brothers of the Head (2005)
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Man About Dog (2004)
De-Lovely (2004)
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

Andrea Calderwood on IMDb

Slate Films