Bottom of the Barrel

Bottom of the Barrel was founded by husband-and-wife team Joshua J. Wilsdon and Emma L. Wilsdon, combining creative development with the practical producing experience needed to get work made.

Joshua comes from an acting and performance background, with a particular interest in character-led stories rooted in Northern England, mixed heritage, family and community. Growing up British-Thai in Doncaster has shaped much of the company’s creative outlook: telling specific, authentic stories about people and places that are not always given the centre of the screen.

Emma is the organisational force behind Bottom of the Barrel and an essential part of its producing partnership. She brings structure, planning, coordination and an instinct for turning ambitious ideas into something achievable.

The simple truth is that without Emma, there might be plenty of ideas but there would be no Bottom of the Barrel.

Together, Joshua and Emma produced the pilot for SALUTATIONS, a comedy set within a British-Thai family-run pub in Doncaster.

The experience confirmed what they wanted Bottom of the Barrel to become: a home for distinctive British stories with a strong sense of place, memorable characters and something real at their heart.

We are particularly interested in comedy and comedy-drama that explores identity, class, family and community without losing the warmth, absurdity and humour of everyday life.

We work differently, and that is the strength of the partnership. One of us is usually asking, “What if we did this?”

The other is already figuring out how.