'Tiger Bay changed my life completely' - Hayley Mills on filming a classic in Cardiff’s docklands

60 years ago, film crews descended on the Welsh capital to shoot an atmospheric thriller on the streets of the city’s docklands.

A tale of murder and friendship in Cardiff’s seafaring community, Tiger Bay was a box office hit and launched the Hollywood career of its young star.

But the movie also stands as a poignant reminder of the city’s past and of a way of life in old Cardiff that has since vanished.

The film tells the tale of a 12 year old girl who forms an unlikely bond with a Polish sailor who’s running from the law.

John Mills has star billing as the police detective who’s giving chase. But it’s his daughter, Hayley, who steals the show in her first major film role.

Hayley Mills is perfectly cast in the role of docklands runaway Gillie Evans. But she wasn’t meant to appear in the film at all. Her character was originally written for a boy.

The decision to cast an unknown in such a key role is typical of a film that dared to do things differently.

At a time when many British movies were shot inside studios, Tiger Bay made use of real life locations around Cardiff docks, including parks, churches and pubs.

Local residents from the community of Tiger Bay itself were hired as extras in the film.

But one 12-year-old boy, Neil Sinclair, went one better.

During the 1960s the council tore down Tiger Bay. Almost every building in the historic docklands neighbourhood was flattened. Most of the local landmarks that formed the backdrop for the film have now disappeared.

It’s still a source of sorrow for Hayley Mills.

• You can see more on this story in Dock of the Bay. Tonight at 7:30pm on ITV Cymru Wales. It will then be online at: itv.com/walesprogrammes