Veteran pantomime star Ian White has always had a soft spot for Star Trek and Carry On films.
But over a decade ago he combined both of his passions together to create a sci-fi movie spectacular.
Set against the iconic backdrop of Otley Chevin, Ian’s film tells the tale of a washed-up ex-starship captain who is summoned back into action by a distress call from an old colleague.
Ian, 46, and his co-director Wassef Massaad, 55, started their production of Planet of the Baybes in 2001 and now their two-hour film will hit the silver screen on Saturday. (Jan 12)
Ian, who has starred in over 30 pantomimes in Leeds, called on former cast members to take on roles in his musical comedy.
He said: “I’m a big fan of Carry On films and old fashioned humour. I’m also a big fan of Star Trek so I decided to mix the two.
“I have made two films before on my own so this is the sequel to those.
“I wanted to do a sci-fi spoof and Planet of the Apes came out so I used that as an initial idea and it become a spoof of Star Trek and Star Wars.”
Viewers will see the Chevin in a whole new light when it is transformed into an alien planet.
Ian’s friend’s garage is also the setting for most of the action and it took him months to edit nearly 1,000 special effects.
The directors even had a theme tune specially composed for the film which hit an unusual naming glitch after they started production.
Ian added: “When I started it 12 years ago I wanted it to be a spoof of Planet of the Apes.
“Someone made a dirty film with the same title and I just couldn’t believe it.
“We have got a title song and I couldn’t change it so we had to alter the spelling and put a “Y” in it.”
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