To Crete with some friends recently and in an airport book shop – I am feeling stressed, hopeful and a little overwhelmed… keen to make a good choice. Authors I’ve heard of – reassuring because I’ve heard of them, right? Against newbies who are likely to be winners because debut books habe their heart and…
Observational comedy is only successful with a high degree of accuracy and some cunning. To observe something that resonates – but crucially is something that people haven’t already realised for themselves. This is why good observations are often described as acute or even oblique. I call them nuggets because they are valuable and not easy…
“How the f*** did this movie get made?” This is a question we have all raged at the screen – big and small. It happened to me most recently watching Snakehead, the latest glitzy must-see from Netflix and heavily leaning on its two stars for our patronage. But alas, their best efforts are in complete…
Good morning everyone, Because I hope this site can become as much for people who want to write – as it is a site to promote my writing and books – I wanted to write a quick post about the writing process – and how it is never over. What I mean by this, is…
Who doesn’t enjoy a really big poo? Truly – a clear out of the bowels is one of life’s great victories, only marginally eclipsed by a clear-out of the house. And this being a time of annual renewal, many of us will have completed a decluttering catharsis between Christmas and New Year. Of our homes…
Regrets in life are quite normal but we should keep in mind that they’re rarely fruitful. You know the kind of thinking… I wish I’d done this or If only I hadn’t done that. Clearly it is better to live in the present and to affect our future rather than dwelling on what went before….
We are familiar with adrenalin junkies. We see them online doing very stupid things. Feats that normal people marvel and laugh at in equal measure. People leaping between buildings or base jumping or diving off cliffs… And as compelling as these feats are, I always fret because having survived, they are likely to seek out…
An exciting start to my year and a need perhaps to recalibrate my career, my accomplishments and my place in the world. Because it turns out that I am in fact, a legend. Who knew? Not me and it seems not my son either when Daniel Kaluuya made the surprise announcement during an actor to…
Recently I have written a few obituaries or tributes to men who have had a large bearing on my life. And so it is this week with the passing of Michael Apted, the director of P’Tang Yang Kipperbang, a TV film that I starred in. Well, starred in? What I mean is, appeared in. I…
What I do for a living is certainly unusual. Phrases I have heard over the years include… I couldn’t/wouldn’t do your job. Your job is my worst nightmare. And finally – a phrase which can be misconstrued by sensitive/creative types and particularly so if heard after a show… Why do you do your job? However,…
