A production company is to make a documentary on a film that would have been the Lake District's answer to Jaws

The documentary will be about the making of The Pike - a film that never made it through production. 

Its £2m budget was enough to get co-star Joan Collins up to Windermere for a publicity shoot in 1982.

The Westmorland Gazette: The famous photo of Joan Collins with the Pike was taken by The Westmorland Gazette back in 1982The famous photo of Joan Collins with the Pike was taken by The Westmorland Gazette back in 1982

She had to get rather too close for comfort to a 12ft computerised pike made by Ulverston firm Ulvertech.

It made its debut for the press in May 1982 but refused to perform.

The reluctant killer headed straight for the lake bed and had to be rescued by divers.

Once safely on a trolley it was introduced to the international film star and managed to snap its jaws and roll its eyes.

The mechanical beast had performed wonderfully in an earlier test run on Coniston but the Windermere problems were blamed on a computer malfunction.

The project was the idea of author and director Cliff Twemlow, of Manchester.

Mr Twemlow’s book The Pike was published in 1982 and he died on May 5 in 1993.

Mr Twemlow made several TV appearances to raise funds and public interest in the movie project – but the film was never made.

Now Stephen Rae, one of the founders of Bardsea Green Film Company, is making a documentary on the film that never was.

"It is part of the local folklore. People know of that famous photo of the monster with Joan Collins," he said.

"The film crew made two great Pikes. They then went on the Ulverston canal and they sank. Nobody is sure what happened to them - that is a bit of a mystery." 

The photo of Joan Collins with the Pike was taken by The Westmorland Gazette during the press-tour.

Mr Rae his documentary will be finished next year after a long production schedule that was halted by the pandemic.