Phil chalks up Roary success

Senior Producer and Musical Director, Phil Chalk, Greg Lynn - Executive Producer, Keith Chapman - co-creator of Roary the Racing Car and Tim Harper - the Director.

CHILDREN’S favourite “Roary the Racing Car” is set for a brass band adventure thanks to Delph producer Phil Chalk.

His love of animation and music will be combined in an episode of the series to be shown on Five and Nick Jr early next year.

Phil is senior producer on the show which follows the adventures of Roary and his friends at Silver Hatch racing circuit.

He is also musical director of the world-famous Fairey Band, which will provide the soundtrack for the episode.

Phil (42) said: “What a month! To combine my two passions — the band and my favourite four-wheeled friend, Roary — is a real treat.”

The former Breeze Hill School pupil swopped a successful career in engineering — running his own business in Oldham — for animation when he came up with an idea for a TV show to teach children how to read music.

He worked with the famous animation studio Cosgrove Hall to develop the concept — which never hit our TV screens — before moving into a production role.

From there he was asked to set up Chapman Studios which also produces “Fifi and the Flowertots”.

Roary features the voices of Bolton comic Peter Kay and racing legend Stirling Moss, and Phil said: “It’s fast paced, it’s fun and, unlike a lot of pre-school shows, there’s real drama in there.

“We combine CGI visual effects. The racing scenes are a lot more dynamic because of the technology we employ.”

It was a visit by a brass group to Alexandra Park Junior School which inspired Phil to take up music and play with Boarshurst Brass Band, Greenfield.

He successfully auditioned for Stockport’s Fairey Band at 15 and will take it to the National Brass Band Championships at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday.

The band will then record the Roary episode, “Brassless Band”, early next month.

Phil explained: “There is a big event at Silver Hatch. A brass band has been booked to perform and at the last minute they let the owner Mr Carburettor down.

“The cars have to mobilise resources. They use old watering cans and oil drums to produce their own band.”