Joan Collins Visits Low Wood

In May 1982, actress Joan Collins stayed at Low Wood Hotel for the final stage of a press tour promoting The Pike, a proposed thriller set on Windermere. Journalists and photographers gathered at Low Wood for the publicity event, which centred on the idea of a giant man-eating pike and was conceived as a British answer to Jaws. The planned film was based on The Pike by Manchester writer Cliff Twemlow. A 12-foot mechanical pike had been constructed for the production, with Collins and Jack Hedley attached to star. Low Wood and Windermere were intended to feature in the film, including a scene involving a fisherman on the hotel's northern pier. The mechanical fish, however, suffered technical problems, and the project ultimately failed to progress into a completed film. Although The Pike was never made, the visit left an unusual connection between Low Wood and the abandoned production. A full-size fibreglass model created alongside the mechanical fish was later displayed at the Low Wood Bay Watersports Centre.