Anglo-Saxon Lady Godiva once rode through the streets of Coventry naked on horseback. Every year, this event is re-enacted through the streets of Coventry. This year, however, a woman playing Lady Goadiva rode through the streets of Oxford.
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'Lady Godiva' rides again...in Oxford
17th July 2006
Phoebe Thomas rides a white horse posing as a modern day Lady Godiva
An unexpected sight greeted a few startled early risers this morning as a beautiful young woman rode naked on a white horse through city centre streets.
But Phoebe Thomas was stripping off not to shock but in the name of art as she and a film crew shot a very modern re-telling of the Lady Godiva legend.
Lady Godiva's modesty was said to be preserved only by her long tresses when she rode naked through the streets of Coventry in protest against her husband's harsh taxation of his people.
Today, Ms Thomas's crowning glory provided a little protection against the chill air at 4.30am.
But thanks to advances in fabric technology since the original Godiva's day, she was also able to slip into a flesh-coloured thong and tights to make the ride a little more comfortable.
She was filming the climactic scene to a romantic comedy set among the dreaming spires of Oxford.
The brainchild of 20-year-old Vicky Jewson, the film nods to quirky British hits like Notting Hill and Bridget Jones.
It is a tale of a young woman driven to desperate measures to raise money for a worthy cause, with a few romantic disasters and triumphs along the way.
"Lady Godiva was a great tale to adapt. It's a tale that's never been told before, a kind of undiscovered Robin Hood, the story of one woman's triumph over adversity," said Ms Jewson.
Ms Jewson started to write her Lady Godiva script straight after her A-levels and decided to ditch plans for university in order to concentrate on film-making.
Remarkably she has secured £1.4 million of backing for the film from independent investors.
Radio 4 presenter Nicholas Parsons is the associate producer and Adam Kempton, who made The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp, is the producer.
Ms Thomas's character, Jemima, is a young teacher struggling to come to terms with her brother's death.
She finds solace in a children's arts centre but money is tight and it is threatened with closure.
By chance, she meets gorgeous cad Michael Bartle, played by Matthew Chambers, a notorious playboy who owns the world-famous horse Lady Godiva.
Various romantic disappointments follow, including Jemima's humiliation on national TV a la Bridget Jones, before she discovers that Michael has made a £100,000 bet that she will not ride naked through Oxford.
Thus Ms Thomas found herself clad only in a thong and a towelling robe in front of 100 extras on Oxford's historic Magdalen Bridge to film the central scene.
Ms Jewson said she was relieved to get the shot in the bag in just three takes.
"Without this scene, we wouldn't have a film. It simply couldn't be filmed anywhere else, as there is no 'body double' for the dreaming spires of Oxford. So I had no choice but to get everyone up long before dawn, stop the traffic every few minutes and do it in as few takes as possible.
"All credit to the cast, crew and extras who made this happen quickly and with so little fuss."
dailymail.co.uk
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'Lady Godiva' rides again...in Oxford
17th July 2006
Phoebe Thomas rides a white horse posing as a modern day Lady Godiva
An unexpected sight greeted a few startled early risers this morning as a beautiful young woman rode naked on a white horse through city centre streets.
But Phoebe Thomas was stripping off not to shock but in the name of art as she and a film crew shot a very modern re-telling of the Lady Godiva legend.
Lady Godiva's modesty was said to be preserved only by her long tresses when she rode naked through the streets of Coventry in protest against her husband's harsh taxation of his people.
Today, Ms Thomas's crowning glory provided a little protection against the chill air at 4.30am.
But thanks to advances in fabric technology since the original Godiva's day, she was also able to slip into a flesh-coloured thong and tights to make the ride a little more comfortable.
She was filming the climactic scene to a romantic comedy set among the dreaming spires of Oxford.
The brainchild of 20-year-old Vicky Jewson, the film nods to quirky British hits like Notting Hill and Bridget Jones.
It is a tale of a young woman driven to desperate measures to raise money for a worthy cause, with a few romantic disasters and triumphs along the way.
"Lady Godiva was a great tale to adapt. It's a tale that's never been told before, a kind of undiscovered Robin Hood, the story of one woman's triumph over adversity," said Ms Jewson.
Ms Jewson started to write her Lady Godiva script straight after her A-levels and decided to ditch plans for university in order to concentrate on film-making.
Remarkably she has secured £1.4 million of backing for the film from independent investors.
Radio 4 presenter Nicholas Parsons is the associate producer and Adam Kempton, who made The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp, is the producer.
Ms Thomas's character, Jemima, is a young teacher struggling to come to terms with her brother's death.
She finds solace in a children's arts centre but money is tight and it is threatened with closure.
By chance, she meets gorgeous cad Michael Bartle, played by Matthew Chambers, a notorious playboy who owns the world-famous horse Lady Godiva.
Various romantic disappointments follow, including Jemima's humiliation on national TV a la Bridget Jones, before she discovers that Michael has made a £100,000 bet that she will not ride naked through Oxford.
Thus Ms Thomas found herself clad only in a thong and a towelling robe in front of 100 extras on Oxford's historic Magdalen Bridge to film the central scene.
Ms Jewson said she was relieved to get the shot in the bag in just three takes.
"Without this scene, we wouldn't have a film. It simply couldn't be filmed anywhere else, as there is no 'body double' for the dreaming spires of Oxford. So I had no choice but to get everyone up long before dawn, stop the traffic every few minutes and do it in as few takes as possible.
"All credit to the cast, crew and extras who made this happen quickly and with so little fuss."
dailymail.co.uk