Lights, camera, action
A young businessman and independent funeral director has taken a starring role in a new BBC documentary.
Luke Allum, from Luke Allum Funeral Directors in Sheppey, opened his business in September 2017 after working for another independent for a decade.
It was a chance meeting with TV producer Ben Mundy that saw Luke, 25, being offered the chance to appear in The Youngertakers, a half-hour documentary that features the youngest undertakers in the UK.
Speaking to SAIFInsight, Luke said: “Filming has been going on since I opened.
“Ben travelled down to Kent to see me and has popped back a couple of times to catch up with what we’re doing. I have been able to show how we do things behind the scenes but also how we care for someone’s loved one on the day of a funeral.”
The BBC documentary went live on the BBC iPlayer on Monday, 5 February. If the show gets enough views it will be transmitted on BBC2 in March or April.
When filming was complete, Luke got to meet the other undertakers appearing on the documentary.
“It was nice to meet so many people who are like me and have the passion to make this their life,” explained Luke. “I have been in the profession for 10 years and started by washing cars at age 15. I didn’t actually like the job to start with but working in the funeral profession has made me the person I am today. It makes you grow up quickly, especially as you are in the public eye.”
After saving up for several years, Luke went into business with his brother-in-law Matthew Locker.
“I wanted to bring something different to the area we lived in, so I saved hard and am delighted we officially opened our doors on 25 September 2017.”
The small family run business now has a team of three staff members, including Sue Mason, Luke Allum and Angela Baker.
Tags: BBC, funeral director, Luke Allum, SAIF, Sheppey, Youngertakers, youth