British drama series to be filmed here

GEORGE TOWN: Penang has been chosen as the filming location for a drama series set in the last days of the British Empire in India.
Award winning producer Charles Pattinson (pix) said the well-preserved colonial architecture here made it ideal for shooting of the film Indian Summers.
Pattinson said buildings at Penang Hill and George Town are beautifully preserved, which is rare in other parts of the world.
He said he scoured locations all over the world, including Simla in India (where the story is set), Delhi, Mumbai, Candy in Sri Lanka, Kuala Lumpur and Cameron Highlands, but none were suitable.
"I spent 12 hours travelling in Penang and by the end of the day, I knew we had found our location for Indian Summers," he said at a press conference today with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
The 50-episode series is made by Channel Four of the UK and Masterpeice of the USA and charts the dying days of the British Raj from 1932 to 1947.
The story focuses on the lives of a British family and an Indian family as the Indian continent approached independence.
Pattinson said the filming locations included Crag Hotel, Woodside, and the home of environmental activist Ahmad Chik at Penang Hill.
He said other locations included Balik Pulau, to showcase the Indian plains, Suffolk House and the Penang Museum, where a 1930s replica of an Indian Bazaar is being built.
"They are all extraordinary locations and you can be assured that they will be treated with the respect they deserve," he said, adding that the cast will be a mix of local and British actors, with extras numbering some 10,000 people.
Lim expressed hope that the project would highlight Penang as a location for similar projects.