Road Safety Films : Who We Are

These Road Safety Films are written, devised and produced by Warwickshire-based Two Hats Theatre and Film Company.

Two Hats is a not-for-profit organisation set up by a collective of professional actors, writers, musicians and directors in 1997 to produce high quality theatre for the local communities in Warwickshire.

With many critically acclaimed productions to their name, the company maintains this ethos.

In 2006, to promote their latest production, the team got behind a camera and produced an award-winning trailer. The success of this trailer effectively started the film production side of the company, which went on to produce trailers for all subsequent productions as well as similar ones for several other theatre companies eager to capitalise on the idea.

During this time, we were approached by Warwickshire County Council Road Safety Team to produce a short song to help School Crossing Patrol assistants go into schools and teach pre-school and primary pupils the safe way to cross the road.

We came up with a proposal that included producing a short film to go along with the song, teaching the children the correct methods of crossing a road safely with a series of actions to accompany the song.

The success of this film has ensured a long-established partnership with Warwickshire County Council Road Safety Team, and we've continued to produce high quality films for their various road safety campaigns.

They appreciated the unique way our films and scripts engage with children in this multimedia and 'you tube' culture. They also recognised the cost-effective way of getting messages across quickly and consistently through the use of film media.

In 2011, they suggested that the films would be of use to other Road Safety Teams around the country to reach out to an even wider audience. This was in part a response to other teams approaching them about the films we'd produced. As a result, we're now able to make these films available throughout the United Kingdom, with the full endorsement of Warwickshire County Council Road Safety Team.

Roger Harding

Writer, Director, Actor, Road Safety Professional

Roger has over thirty years experience in traffic and road safety, starting in Accident Investigation in 1980. Roger is a self-confessed dataholic and enjoys seeing downward trends in casualty figures - particularly for children.

He is also a professional actor, writer and director, with many years theatre and film experience, from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the Cannes Film Festival.

Nick Lancaster

Presenter, Actor

Nick is a regular presenter on Touch FM Radio. He has also worked for Devolution Media, producing video blogs from the MIPCOM TV festival at Cannes.

He has worked regularly for Two Hats, fronting their Emergency Coach Evacuation film, presenting road safety quizzes, taking on the roles of Dr Design and Captain Camouflage in the J.R.S.O. film. He has also performed theatrically as Salvador Dali and a romantic lead in Servant to Two Masters. He also moonlights as a Jenson Button look-alike!

Darren Scott

Director, Producer, Composer, Parent

Darren is a freelance composer and has written more than 30 scores for film, theatre and TV. He also wrote the music for the No.1 Video Game 'The Ashes'. He has produced and directed several theatre productions and films.

As a parent, he has a vested interest in road safety, and is very passionate about the work we do. His children regularly appear in the films too!

Esther Riggs

Presenter, Actor, Parent

Esther has performed in numerous theatre productions for The Loft Theatre Company (Leamington Spa), The Criterion Theatre (Coventry) and Two Hats.

She has lent her voice to computer games and enjoyed appearing in the 'What Happens Next?' road safety video, as the accident-prone but indefatigable Bridget Dangerfield.