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Dead Before They Wake emerges as a stark portrait of vigilante resolve set against Glasgow’s shadowed urban sprawl. Drawing on real events, the film presents a narrative steeped in the grit and tension of a society in decline.

With a modest budget of roughly £200,000, every resource is allocated to capture an authenticity that conventional productions often sacrifice for gloss. Nathan Shepka, taking on the roles of writer, co-director, and lead actor, orchestrates a project where the creative vision remains uncompromised by commercial expectations.

Co-director Andy Crane contributes to this effort with a focused, collaborative approach, ensuring that the film’s visual and narrative integrity remains intact.

In an environment where cinematic art frequently leans on polished effects, Dead Before They Wake opts for a presentation stripped of unnecessary embellishment. The film confronts challenging subjects such as sex trafficking and societal decay with a street-level immediacy that is both direct and unflinching.

Stars: Maryam d’Abo, Elle O’Hara, Amber Doig-Thorne, Michaela Longden, Lisa Riesner, Annabelle Lanyon, Paul Barber | Written by Nathan Shepka, Tom Jolliffe | Directed by Nathan Shepka, Andy Crane

[Disclaimer: Nerdly have been involved with The Baby in the Basket behind the scenes for some time now, with our own Phil and Kevin credited as Co-Executive Producers on the film. However… the site and their involvement have had No bearing on the outcome of this review!]

The Baby in the Basket takes its name from one of the best-known stories from the Bible, the tale of Moses being placed in a basket and sent adrift on the Nile, only to be discovered and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. However, in this eerie tale, the child left in a basket on the doorstep of St. Augustine’s convent may be anything but divine.

Set in 1942, during the height of World War II, the film takes place on a remote...

Shepka Productions has announced the digital release of their new revenge thriller, Dead Before They Wake. Perhaps the most interesting cast member in this one is Sylvester McCoy — yes, the Seventh Doctor — but it sounds like his role is a minor one. Alex is a nightclub bouncer who’s about to encounter a more grisly side of night life. He’s been hired by a retired lawyer to track down a missing teenage girl. It’s as bad as they think — she’s been abducted by a trafficking ring, and they’ve got a limited amount of time to find the bad guys, take them down and bring her home. Dead Before They Wake stars Nathan Shepka, Grace Cordell (Cara), Manjot Sumal, Kareem Nasif (The Job). Also starring Doctor Who legend Sylvester McCoy and Patrick Bergin. The film was directed by Andy Crane and Nathan Shepka, and features an original...

Evil isn’t raised, it’s born in The Baby in the Basket.

The UK Gothic chiller will be released on Digital in the US and UK on February 17 via Shepka Productions and Flickering Myth.

Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey), Michaela Longden, Elle O’Hara, and Lisa Riesner star with veteran British talent Maryam d’Abo (The Living Daylights), Paul Barber (The Full Monty), and Annabelle Lanyon (Legend).

Set in 1942 as World War II rages on, a baby is left on the steps of a monastery on a remote Scottish island. The nuns take it in, planning to care for it until a storm passes, but strange events start to happen at the convent, leading one sister to suspect that the child is the spawn of the Devil.

Cinderella’s Revenge writer Tom Jolliffe penned the script, co-directed by Nathan Shepka and Andy Crane.

The post Gothic Chiller ‘The Baby in the Basket...

Get ready to be transported to a storm-ravaged, remote Scottish island in The Baby in the Basket, the upcoming gothic horror from Shepka Productions in partnership with Flickering Myth. This atmospheric chiller, set to release on Digital platforms in the UK and USA, and on DVD in the UK from 17 February, and looks to offer a fresh twist to the genre with its blend of supernatural terror and psychological unease.

Set in 1944 against the backdrop of World War Two, the film begins with a mysterious delivery to the convent of St. Augustine’s—a baby left in a basket during a tumultuous storm. The nuns take the child in, intending to ferry him to the mainland once the weather clears. But as night falls, unsettling events plague the sisters, leading Sister Agnes to suspect the child might be something far darker than innocent. Her fears are dismissed as hysteria brought...

Stars: Nathan Shepka, Grace Cordell, Sylvester McCoy, Rebekah Clark, Manjot Sumal, Patrick Bergin | Written by Nathan Shepka | Directed by Andy Crane, Nathan Shepka

Nathan Shepka’s been a busy man, over the past couple of years and working in various combinations of actor/writer/director/producer, has given us a trio of solid, if rather low budget films, the crime thriller Holiday Monday, its sequel Lock & Load and the mystery When Darkness Falls. His first foray into horror, a nunsploitation film The Baby in the Basket, will drop in February.

Today, however, the film up for review is Dead Before They Wake, a crime film that gets considerably dirtier and grimmer than his previous efforts. It opens as Alex (Nathan Shepka) has to break up an attempted rape behind the Glasgow nightclub where he works as a bouncer.

Most of the time, though, his life is rather dull. He lives alone in a trailer park,...

Shepka Productions and Flickering Myth have officially announced the upcoming UK release of their gothic horror feature The Baby in the Basket, which will arrive on Digital and DVD in on February 17th 2025 from High Fliers Films.

A baby in a basket is left on the steps of an isolated monastery on a Scottish island. The nuns take it in, planning to care for it until a storm passes. Soon though, strange and unexplained events begin to happen at the convent.

The Baby in the Basket has been rated 18 by the British Board of Film Classification for “strong sex and disturbing scenes.”

The Baby in the Basket stars Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey), Michaela Longden (How to Kill Monsters), Elle O’Hara (Cara), Lisa Riesner (Charlie’s Angels) and Nathan Shepka (When Darkness Falls) alongside veteran British talent Annabelle Lanyon (Legend), Maryam d’Abo (The Living Daylights) and Paul Barber (The Full Monty...

Nathan Shepka and Andy Crane’s gothic horror film The Baby In The Basket will be released in the UK next February.

In May, we told you about a new gothic horror film, The Baby In The Basket, heading our way. In that story, we promised to bring you news of the film’s release and we can finally make good on that promise.

The Baby In The Basket is heading to DVD and Digital in the UK on 17th February 2025 from High Fliers Films.

“We’re looking forward to bringing The Baby in the Basket to UK audiences and hope that physical media fans enjoy our slow burn atmospheric horror movie on DVD,” director Nathan Shepka commented on the news.

Here’s the official synopsis for the film: A baby in a basket is left on the steps of an isolated monastery on a Scottish island. The nuns take it in,...

The Guyver starring Mark Hamill Arriving on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD: "On June 25th, Unearthed Films brings the Sci-Fi/Fantasy classic The Guyver, starring Mark Hamill, to Limited Collector’s Edition 4K Uhd and Collector’s Edition Blu-ray for the first time. Each edition features a new 4K restoration packed with bonus materials.

When college student Sean Barker (Jack Armstrong) finds the Guyver, an alien device that transforms him into a cyborg fighting machine, he inadvertently makes himself a target of the evil Chronos Corporation, who will stop at nothing to get the Guvyer back, including kidnapping Sean’s girlfriend Mizuki (Vivian Wu). Sean’s only hope is a mysterious CIA agent named Max Reed (Mark Hamill). Together they fight to save Mizuki, keep the Guyver out of Chronos’ hands and stop their ultimate goal of world domination. Directed by Screaming Mad George (Freaked) and Steve Wang (Drive) and produced by Brian Yuzna (Re-Animator,...

Shepka Productions and Flickering Myth has unleashed a set of first-look images for the gothic horror ‘The Baby in the Basket’.

Set in 1942 where, as World War II rages on the nuns of the isolated Scottish monastery St. Augustine’s prepares for an incoming storm front. During the night a baby in a basket is left on the doorstep and the sisters take it in to care for it. As the evening goes on, one nun, Sister Agnes (Doig-Thorne) soon suspects the child is the son of the Devil.

Also in news – Matt Damon stars in first look images from ‘The Instigators’

The movie stars Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey), Michaela Longden (How to Kill Monsters), Elle O’Hara (When Darkness Falls), Lisa Riesner (Charlie’s Angels) and Nathan Shepka (Lock & Load) alongside veteran British talent Annabelle Lanyon (Legend), Maryam d’Abo (The Living Daylights) and Paul Barber (The Full Monty).

Directed...

From the team behind Flickering Myth comes the gothic horror film The Baby In The Basket. First look and more details below.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: 2024 has been a proper rollercoaster ride for horror fans. After a slow start, we’ve since been treated to the excellent Immaculate and The First Omen and the riotously fun Abigail and we’re not too far off from the release of Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1.

We’ve now got word of another horror film heading our way, hopefully sooner rather than later. The Baby In The Basket is directed by Nathan Shepka and Andy Crane from a script by Tom Jolliffe.

The Baby In The Basket is “set in 1942 where, as World War II rages on as the nuns of isolated Scottish monastery St. Augustine’s prepare for an incoming storm front. During the night,...

In the wake of Immaculate and The First Omen, more church-based baby horror is on the way with The Baby in the Basket, and Bloody Disgusting has been provided with a sneak peek.

For starters, Strive Global Media has secured the worldwide sales rights on the gothic horror film starring Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey), Michaela Longden (How to Kill Monsters), Elle O’Hara (When Darkness Falls), Lisa Riesner (Charlie’s Angels) and Nathan Shepka (Lock & Load) alongside veteran British talent Annabelle Lanyon (Legend), Maryam d’Abo (The Living Daylights) and Paul Barber (The Full Monty).

Produced by Shepka Productions and Flickering Myth, The Baby in the Basket is set in 1942 where, as World War II rages on as the nuns of isolated Scottish monastery St. Augustine’s prepare for an incoming storm front. During the night a baby in a basket is left on the doorstep and the sisters take...

Stars: Nathan Shepka, Colin MacDougall, Graeme MacPherson, Tony Macdonald, Laura MacDougall, Stephen Kerr | Written by Nathan Shepka, Tom Jolliffe | Directed by Nathan Shepka

Lock & Load, the sequel to 2021’s Holiday Monday, is once again directed and written by Nathan Shepka, though this time with a little additional script work by Tom Jolliffe. Shepka also returns as Nick, the independent security contractor. This time out he and his partner Derek are taking some target practice on another bank holiday when they get a call from Agent Stokes’ (Graeme MacPherson) wife. He hasn’t come home, do they know where he is?

They don’t know, though we know he’s been after arms dealer Miles Steiger and his partner The Chess Master, “Everyone’s a pawn in my game”, and unfortunately has had his cover blown.

I hadn’t seen the first film but Shepka’s script makes it very easy...

On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.

Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.

After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who taught us all the words to the Around The World With Willy Fog theme song. Cheery Simon Parkin and...

Alex Westthorp Oct 3, 2016

It's 40 years since Multi-Coloured Swap Shop made its television debut and kick-started the Saturday morning kids' TV slot...

Imagine the excitement - it's just before 9.30am on Saturday 2nd October 1976. It's almost like Christmas has come early, such is the anticipation. The nation's kids, who hitherto got their kicks at the Saturday morning pictures, settle in front of their television screens and press the button marked 'BBC1'. Those who read their parents' Radio Times know a new show is about to start with Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ Noel Edmonds at the helm. 28 year old Noel is cool and down with the kids. Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen - the Doctor and Sarah Jane from Doctor Who - are to be the first star guests, and you can actually speak to them live by telephone! The TV set warms up and the familiar blue and yellow BBC...

In celebration of Cbbc reached its 30th birthday, one of its biggest stars made an appearance on BBC Breakfast today.

Past presenter Andy Crane was reunited with his co-host Edd the Duck - who didn't always have a green mohawk, thanks Twitter - for a little catch-up.

Photo of our morning! @billturnbull and @louiseminchin with @andycrane64 and #eddtheduck ! #CBBCis30 pic.twitter.com/7ztFn89xa8

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) September 9, 2015

The appearance of course had Twitter users feeling all nostalgic:

Edd The Duck Fact: Edd the Duck made his debut in 1988, with a bald head, until he 'went to the hairdressers' returning with a green mohawk.

— Xenophon Moscrop (@strnks) September 7, 2015

Happy birthday #EddTheDuck and Sega #Dreamcast.

I used to like the Edd the Duck milkshakes. Yes they were a thing.

— Dave Roberts (@RealDaveRoberts) September 9, 2015

@damienstjohn does anybody remember the rap style video #EddTheDuck did? Used to have it on VHS... Need it back in my life.

Louisa Mellor Sep 9, 2016

31 years ago, Cbbc's Broom Cupboard opened its doors. We salute some of its most memorable moments...

On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.

Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.

After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who...

To mark Cbbc’s thirtieth birthday, we delve into the Broom Cupboard to salute some cherished childhood memories…

On the afternoon of the 9th of September 1985, UK children were introduced to their new big brother. Phillip Schofield, a vision in a side-parting, a geometric print jumper and a beaming smile, arrived in the Children’s BBC Broom Cupboard to babysit the nation’s kids for an hour and a half every weekday.

Schofield’s job was to ferry us through the post-school slump and drop us off at Neighbours no later than 5.35pm. He let us watch cartoons, wished us happy birthday, praised our felt-tip drawings of Jimbo and the Jet Set, and never once told us off for eating too many packs of salt and vinegar Chipsticks before tea.

After Phillip came Debbie Flint, who was awesome because her earrings didn’t match, and then Andy Crane, who taught...

Ever won a Blue Peter badge? Appeared on Mallett’s Mallet? Had a drawing on Tony Hart’s gallery? Den Of Geek wants your stories…

Hope, triumph and defeat. The childhood process of entering TV competitions covers more or less the full range of human experience. That’s why we want to hear about Den Of Geek readers’ TV kids’ comp entries. Tell us about the questions you answered, the poems you wrote, and the drawings you drew…

Perhaps you, like the young Edgar Wright, were a talented winner? Perhaps you were an ‘I’m still pleased’ runner-up? Perhaps you didn’t quite make the grade and have never got over the experience. Perhaps your dad said he’d posted your Blue Peter design for the new Christmas stamp but you found it months later with a bunch of red bills when you were trying to retrieve your Marina from...

Doctor Who, Star Trek and more: what happened when sci-fi, horror & fantasy heroes have popped up on British daytime TV over the years…

Pre-YouTube, fandom was a hard-earned thing. It took research, dedication and enough patience to hover over the family video player’s ‘record’ button for an entire episode of TV-am in anticipation of six minutes with Sylvester McCoy. Six minutes in which the Seventh Doctor would be polled if he was a cat or dog person and then asked to taste a lemon roulade.

Scarcity bred desire in those days, so we took what we could get from our heroes of yore, even if that meant watching Hammer Horror legend Ingrid Pitt make a chocolate mousse, or the aforementioned McCoy attempt to answer fan questions above the hubbub of a Nottingham swimming pool complex. The collision of geek icons and UK daytime magazine shows was sometimes illuminating, sometimes excruciating,...

55 minutes of Peppa Pig at the pictures! We go and check out Peppa's cinema debut, The Golden Boots.

"Why did we see that, mummy?", asked the young child in front of us on the way out of seeing Peppa Pig's cinema debut. "I could have watched those at home".

Said child was almost entirely on the money too. As we've reported before, Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots isn't a Peppa Pig film. Instead, it's an "experience". If you're one of those who treats anything described as an "experience" with a cautiously raised eyebrow, then we're on your team.

Appreciating that it's concession prices across the board for this one, what you thus get with Peppa Pig at the cinema is a 15 minute new, extended episode. That'd be The Golden Boots. You then get some favourite episodes of the show. And you also get some links from a trio of enthusiastic Channel Five presenters.

Cbbc icon Edd the Duck has reunited with Andi Peters for Christmas dinner.

The Broom Cupboard puppet and presenter - both looking like they haven't aged a day since they were a fixture on kids TV - got together for a special meal courtesy of Pizza Express.

Edd, sporting his famous green mohawk and a festive coat, pulled a cracker with Peters while sharing a pizza.

Edd first appeared on Cbbc opposite Peters and Andy Crane in the late '80s and '90s, and even released his own single 'Awesome Dood!' in 1990.

Sooty, Kermit, Edd the Duck: 31 TV puppets we still love

Watch the video for Edd the Duck's genre-defining hit single 'Awesome Dood!' below:...

Whatever happened to the children's TV presenters of our youth? Where did they go when the Broom Cupboard was shut down and when Edd the Duck went back to his pond? Digital Spy has hunted down 9 classic faces of '90s children's television on Twitter to answer those questions.

1. Dave Benson Phillips @DaveBensonPhill

Famous For: Playdays, Get Your Own Back, Wake Up in the Wild Room

Sample Tweet:

So, it begins... pic.twitter.com/bxWkD2tSsI

— Dave Benson Phillips (@DaveBensonPhill) November 18, 2013

And lots of chat about his appearance in Cinderella at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield.

2. Andy Crane @andycrane64

Famous For: Cbbc's Broom Cupboard (1987-1990), Motormouth, Bad Influence! and What's Up Doc?

Sample Tweet:

Heard of the Golden Flannel awards? They celebrate dreadful management speak - examples to use on the radio today would be very welcome!

— Andy Crane (@andycrane64) January 6, 2014

He's now a radio presenter for the BBC. And only occasionally veers into Partridge-isms.

This weekend sees the debut of a brand new Saturday night entertainment show with a twist - it has puppets!

To mark the launch of BBC One's That Puppet Game Show on Saturday night (August 10), Digital Spy compiles a list of just some of TV's greatest ever puppets.

Andy Pandy

One of the leading children's characters of the early 1950s, Andy Pandy's 26 episodes were shown continuously until 1970, when a new series was made. The sweet marionette and his friends Teddy and Looby Loo lived in a picnic basket, and chilled out to the dulcet tones of Maria Bird. A new stop-motion series returned in 2002.

Animal

One of the best-loved Muppets, Animal is a drummer for the band Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. He's surely up there with Dave Grohl, John Bonham and Ringo Starr as also one of the best-loved drummers of all time. Despite having a limited vocabulary,...

If you've ever seen the classic 1973 Christmas Special of The Goodies (called The Goodies And The Beanstalk), then you'll probably remember that bit at the end when the down and out trio come across an abandoned lamp in the street. As soon as they rub the lamp – bingo! A puff of smoke and then John Cleese in a turban. Cleese then bellows “Kids' Show!” after the Goodies tell him to clear off.

I suppose that some people regarded The Goodies as the crazy younger brother of the more adult Monty Python's Flying Circus – on the surface, with its speeded-up action sequences, giant kittens, Dougals and Zebedees, I suppose you could say it's a show that's targeted towards younger ones. But then how do you explain the satirical swipes at the Royals, advertising commercialism, talent shows or apartheid?

Which neatly brings me on to Doctor Who. I was wondering this the...

Some Digital Spy Icons earn their title by merit. Others win it with sheer persistence. Toby Anstis comes firmly in the latter category. The chirpy Northampton TV presenter's career started brightly with his incessant chatter, spiky hair and perkiness a perfect match for the Cbbc Broom Cupboard. He also established himself in a solid double act with Otis The Aardvark, which was useful because next to the irritating bargain basement version of Roland Rat, Anstis looked like a star in the making. Sadly once outside of the Broom Cupboard, Anstis's career failed to spark in the way it did for Schofield or Andi Peters. While things never quite slipped into the Simon Parkin or Andy Crane fall-from-grace territory, a string of reality TV appearances (more)...

This week marked the 25th anniversary of the glorious BBC institution that is the Broom Cupboard. Originally designed as a cheap way to do the links between shows such as Willy Fog and Grange Hill, it ended up becoming a home from home for a generation of children. With the likes of Phillip Schofield, Andy Crane, Andi Peters and Simon Parkin helming the show, it became must-see TV, sometimes even surpassing the so-called entertainment either side of the comic interludes. However, it might not have been such a success story if it wasn't for one creature. A creature named Gordon The Gopher. Communicating through a high-pitched squeak that only Schofield is known to (more)...

Simon Parkin first appeared on our screens in 1987, popping up from behind Andy Crane's chair to be unveiled as the cheeky new face of the Broom Cupboard. Sadly, his decision to leave Cbbc in 1992 for the new pastures of GMTV proved in the long run to be a wrong call. If he'd stayed put, he could potentially have landed the Live and Kicking gig and we'd all have been saved from Jamie Theakston - what a delightful thought! However, it's best not to dwell on where things went wrong for Parkin (he was spotted doing the weather reports at ITV Westcountry a couple of years back), but rather celebrate his years in the spotlight. (more)...

When some people reflect on the Cbbc Broom Cupboard, they think of Andi Peters. Others might recall the glory years of Schofield and Gordon the Gopher. A rare handful may even pick the long-forgotten cheeky scamp Simon Parkin. However, a name who is all too often left off the Broom Cupboard history books is Andy Crane. Usually found larking around during the breaks between Willy Fog and Byker Grove with Edd the Duck and Wilson the Butler, Crane was an unpretentious game-for-a-laugh born entertainer.

Crane and the 'Motormouth' gang After he eventually left the Broom Cupboard, he ventured to the pastures of ITV, where he struck gold with the likes of super cool gaming series Bad Influence and Saturday morning Going Live! rivals Motormouth and What's Up Doc?. In recent years, he has retreated to his first love - radio and (more)...

She may have been bumped off the Children In Need job in place of Fearne 'Isn't everything a-ma-zing' Cotton and she may not be as regular a figure on our screens as she was during her '90s heyday, but here at Digital Spy we've still got plenty of time for Gaby Roslin. She cut her teeth on cutting edge ITV kids show Motormouth (alongside Neil Buchanan and Andy Crane), before coming into her own on The Big Breakfast. Managing to add glamour without resorting to coarseness and cleavage fashions, she cut a distinguished figure opposite the madcap and 'wacky' Chris Evans. Once Evans left her in the lurch, Roslin was forced (more)...