Feild was working in the US and returned two days before beginning filming as Heinz. “I remember putting the DVDs on and looping them on the telly and just talking to myself, because he had such a distinctive voice.
“I talked at the computer for two days and drove myself completely nuts, until I felt I was talking to myself. Which sounds a bit methody, which is not my thing. I just had to do it, I was so scared.”

 

He can claim a connection with the pop world of that era – his father, Tim, was guitarist with Sixties group The Springfields, which featured Dusty Springfield.
“My dad remembers Joe Meek, as he was performing at the same time. I didn’t inherit the musical genes from my dad, unfortunately, but I was very proud to call him, and say, ‘I’m playing the guitar in the story of Joe Meek’, and he just laughed his head off,” says Feild.
Moran discovered the family connection and put a framed picture of The Springfields on the set of Heinz’s bedroom. This led to a bizarre situation in a scene involving Meek and his protege.
“Above the bed is a photo of the Springfields – and I’m kissing a man underneath a picture of my dad,” Feild points out.

 

Looking at Heinz’s career, Feild became aware of someone made famous by someone else’s talent and the similarity to today’s TV talent shows.
“Then you take that away and that person collapses. We see that every day in the X Factor final rubbish, where you force someone into the limelight. We’ve seen with that poor woman from Britain’s Got Talent. It’s bedlam, that show. I find it frightening. This was happening back then and there was a parallel.
“I found it very interesting that Heinz was very much a warning of someone else’s brilliance throwing you in the limelight and how do you deal with it.”