Clock Opera 'The Lost Buoys' by Ben Strebel

After his acclaimed video for Once And For All, Ben Strebel follows up with another fine collaboration with Clock Opera for The Lost Buoys - and comes up with a sort of gothic tale with a modern resonance.

Like in Once And For All the central character is a man in his later years, but in complete contrast to the shy old guy played by Dudley Sutton in the last video, this is a portrait of a wealthy man who becomes a monster, and then pays a heavy price.

Alun Armstrong plays the plutocrat who rejects his wife and daughter - played by Maggie O'Neill and Catherine Steadman - and then starts imagining things as he starts seriously hitting the bottle. It's a powerhouse performance from Armstrong - playing nasty, brutish and mad for a change, after years starring cuddly TV cop show New Tricks...

"With the headlines constantly dominated by economical downfalls and deception, I wanted to explore the inevitable loneliness of an extremely avaricious individual," explains Ben Strebel. "A man desperate to protect his material possessions. A desperation that isolates him from those closest to him, forcing him deeper and deeper into a resolute state of withdrawal. A desperation that in the end drives him to the brink of insanity.

"It was such an honour to work with some of my all time favourite British actors - Alun Armstrong in particular who really brought this flawed character to life."

Watch 'Clock Opera 'The Lost Buoys' by Ben Strebel' here