Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle is a 2007 British comedy film directed by Baz Taylor and starring James Fleet, Caroline Harker and Phil Cornwell. It follows a teacher who attempts to stop an American gangster and a corrupt mayor building a casino on the site where Lady Godiva once rode in Coventry.
Cast
Phil Cornwell as Mayor Osbourne
James Fleet as Alan Jenkins
Caroline Harker as Catherine Osbourne
Nick Holder as Ray Carlton
Matthew Ashforde as Vincent Dengler
Zak Maguire as Andrew Osbourne
Tony Slattery as Tom O'Driscoll
Faye Tozer as Chantelle
Mark Sutton as Carlton's heavy 1
Dave Bishop as Carlton's heavy 2
Joanna Croll as Jane Carmichael
Emma Jesson as Serena Moss
Roger Sloman as Frank Gilmont
Mohan Chopra as Sanjeev
Christine Hamilton as Christina Hampton
Neil Hamilton as Henry Hampton
Dominic Cazenove as Michael Davies
Production
The project is fundraised by two Coventry businessmen, Heath Jones and Dennis Timothy, via their company Koralis Pictures, for 18 months as of May 2004. The company won funding from Enterprise Investment Scheme, but no financing support from the British film establishment. In Dec 2004, they ran into funding problem locally.
Because they were born and raised in Coventry, Mr. Jones said he hoped the film would do for Coventry what The Full Monty did for Sheffield. The film was originally expected to be directed by Mark L. Lester, but later changed to Baz Taylor who had worked on Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Release
The film premiered in UK on Nov 13, 2007 and open to the public on Nov 16.