Tag Archives: Interview

Interview With I.S. Berry Author, The Peacock and the Sparrow

Posted on by
Reply

Did you always want to be a CIA agent?

Not at all. I wanted to be a writer! But I studied at London School of Economics in college, and fell in love with living abroad and foreign affairs. It was the 1990s and communism had collapsed, which was a fascinating time to be in Europe. After I graduated, I edited a newspaper in Prague, then worked as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. government in Cambridge, England, shuttling back and forth to the Balkans. I found I was passionate about intelligence work, so I applied to the CIA. While waiting for my application to process, I attended law school and studied international law. 9/11 happened while I was in law school, and I felt grateful I was on a job track that would serve my country.

When did you realise you wanted to be a writer?

For as long as I can remember! I’ve always loved books and words. My adolescence and young adulthood are littered with failed attempts at novels. While traveling Europe in my twenties – exploring, trying to figure out who I was – I remember musing in my journal that, while I’d probably follow a more practical career path, my secret dream was to be a writer. But it wasn’t until I’d worked as a spy that I had something really meaningful to write about, that it all came together.

What do you think is behind the world’s fascination with the CIA and the world of spies?

The secrecy, I think. Espionage is an entire world beneath the surface, a netherworld. And spying is a profession of high stakes, where lives and geopolitics – the fate of both people and nations – are on the line. Also, espionage involves inherently colorful characters – people willing to commit the ultimate betrayal.

Your characters are so vivid. Do you base them on real people?

My characters are mostly composites, except for the station chief, who was inspired by a real person. Also, the expat community is based on real people, and much of the dialogue is taken verbatim from actual conversations.

Can you describe your writing routine. 

I try to go for a three-mile run each morning. Then I either go to my local coffeeshop or set up camp in my study and write for a few hours. I can’t write too much without printing out and editing, because things read differently to me on paper, and I need to get the story right before I proceed too far.

The book is negative about the CIA. Where you disillusioned?

A bit. I joined the Agency a few months after 9/11, and it was a time of transition and, at times, chaos. My first tour, as a counterterrorist case office in Baghdad during the apex of the war (fall 2004 to fall 2005), was challenging: we weren’t making much progress, the work environment was stressful, and most of us – myself included – returned with PTSD. I made decisions in a fog of war and espionage that haunted me and carried their own trauma. The fundamental skill required for the job – manipulating people – never sat easily with me. Now, years later, with the dust settled, I have a softer view of that time. I wouldn’t say my book paints the CIA in a negative light so much as it paints espionage in a negative light. For me, spying was an uncomfortable, debilitating profession, and that’s what I wanted to convey.

What are your thoughts on the CIA now. Did you find writing the book healing?

I think the CIA has made a lot of progress. The war on terror is over, and the Agency has had time to take a breath, evaluate its operations and internal culture. It’s more introspective and self-critical now. When I was there, the Agency was a bit of an old boys network. Since then, the “Me Too” movement has had an impact: there are rules about and awareness of sexual harassment; female officers speak up about inappropriate treatment; and women fill more leadership positions. I do think writing my book was cathartic. When I finished, I realized how many of my ghosts had come out on the pages. They’re still with me, but now I can better articulate and make sense of them.

The book is unflinchingly honest and brave. Did you ever have a moment of doubt about putting your heart and soul on the page?

Thank you! Yes – though more so after my book was published. I wrote my manuscript in a vacuum (CIA rules prohibit me from showing my writing to anyone until it’s been cleared), so I didn’t even think about getting my story out in the world at the time. Exposing my inner turmoil was still an abstraction. Once I was published, I realized that now everyone could see my scars and the effect espionage had on me. But so many former intelligence officers have found my book resonant, I’ve felt more reward than apprehension in telling this story.

Joseph Weisberg, creator of the TV series The Americans, called your book the “the most realistic espionage story I’ve read.” How did that feel, and do you agree?

Well, I haven’t read all the spy novels out there, so I feel unqualified to judge! But I take Joe’s blurb as a huge compliment, and was honored to get such an amazing endorsement from the creator of a masterful, iconic series. I do think many spy novels skew toward the sensational – car chases, roof scaling – and mine is based more on my own experiences, and the tradecraft and operations I conducted. Also, tradecraft is fundamentally psychological, not technological or gadget-based, and I think my story reflects this. Above all, I wanted to convey a visceral sense of espionage, and insiders tell me I’ve succeeded at that.

What books, films and TV shows get the spy world right?

For film, Beirut, Spy Game, and Ghosts of Beirut are some of my favorites. For novels, Graham Greene’s The Quiet American and most of le Carré books (The Little Drummer Girl is my favorite) – all written years ago, but, in the most important ways, as authentic today as they were then.

It’s nice to have a female voice in the world of spy novelists. Do you think you’ve paved the way for more?

I hope so! It’s shocking to me how few female spy novelists there are (though, we’re out there – I’m in good company with Merle Nygate and Alma Katsu, to name a few).

What’s next?

Another spy novel! This time, a female protagonist. It’s about the intersection of spying and writing…and I think that’s all I can say for now!

Interviewing I.S. Berry was both a pleasure and a privilege. You can read my review of her stunning novel, which was named as the The Times thriller of the year, here. You can buy The Peacock and the Sparrow here. I.S Berry’s website is a great resources and her socials are below.

Buy now – Simon & Schuster Web: isberry.net X: @isberryauthor IG: @isberryauthor

Prue Leith Interview

Posted on by

Your glasses are now a key part of your look/personality – but have you always liked wearing them?

Only since I could get bright coloured stylish ones.

How many pairs of glasses do you own – and how do you decide which ones to wear each day?

About 20, although my range has 75 variations of colour and style. I start each day by choosing my specs and necklace, and then add the clothes to match.

Can you describe your favourite pair?

Turquoise, lime green and white. Very spring-like. But the most useful, because I wear red a lot, are red with small white and blue flashes.

Who would you pick as your style icon of glasses wearers and why? 

Well, Elton John did more for glasses-wearers than anyone. But of course, I think my own range is the best.

Pru Leith, interview, glasses

What are your top tips for choosing the right pair of frames? 

Just try a pair a touch bolder than you feel comfortable with at first. Just a bit brighter, bigger, bolder, and you’ll be surprised how good they look. Don’t be timid.

Tell us about your collection with MAC Eyewear – how did it come about?  I’ve had my own range of specs for a while and MAC used to distribute them. Then last year we decided to go into business together. I’m very involved with the design, especially the colours, and so far, so very good.

Where do you think eyewear ranks in terms of the elements of a fashion wardrobe? 

I can never understand why women spend so much money on shoes and handbags when they spend most of their time in the cupboard or under the table.  Specs are, literally, “in your face”, right where people are looking. They are your most important accessory.

As a cook, is wearing glasses a hindrance? Have you ever had any glasses-related mishaps in the kitchen?  

No, but they have to be well designed so they don’t slip down your nose when you get hot and sweaty.  I’ve never dropped them in the soup, but on stage the other night, flinging my arms about while telling a funny story, I hooked them off my face and sent them flying.

www.100percentoptical.com/

Chef, restaurateur and TV presenter, Dame Prue Leith, has been announced as a special celebrity guest at next month’s 100% Optical show at ExCeL London. 

She and her stylist/producer Jane Galpin will be at the show to help promote Specs by Prue, the eyewear range which she launched in July 2022 with independent eyewear supplier MAC Eyewear.

https://www.maceyewear.co.uk/collections/specs-by-prue/

Catherine Yardley My Writing Process.

Posted on by

As a little girl my nose was always in a book. I would even read a book a day when I was ill. I loved Enid Blyton and Judy Blume. I started writing song lyrics because I was in a band when I was younger and then I changed the song lyrics to poems. I sent them off and one of them ended up in an anthology when I was eleven. It was the start of something for me. I also had a very good English teacher who really encouraged me and told me I could be a writer. All a young person needs is for someone to believe in them.

I have been writing since I was in single figures but I let it slide for a few years to go off and work in the film industry. I started again when I had children and I am so glad I did. I got taken on by one of the first agents I contacted and then I got a traditional publishing deal too. All from the first batch of submissions I sent off. I got offered two different publishing contacts for Ember and I decided to go with Pegasus. They have been amazing. I cannot recommend them enough.

What you have written, past and present.

I have written non-fiction in the past, as well as a lot of articles and such. I have been a travel writer, a restaurant critic and a theatre critic. Ember is my debut novel.

Ember, Catherine Yardley, author.

What you are promoting now. 

Ember is a story about a family who’s father left them on Christmas day when they were kids. Thirty years later the younger sister is getting married and that brings their father back into their lives. The story revolves around Dr Natalie Holmes and her boyfriend Rob in the present day, and her parents Tim and Jacqueline in the past.

Natalie goes off the rails when her younger sister gets married and pregnant before her, and her father comes back into their lives. She dumps her boyfriend on the side of the road and drives off in his car. The book is about love and family. A part of the book is about whether or not we should allow family in our lives if they have been left wanting. Can a family that has been torn apart ever heal their wounds? Will Rob and Natalie get back together? Read it and find out!

Here is the blurb:

A family torn apart by their father’s infidelity are forced to confront the past thirty years later. As Natalie’s younger sister, Amanda, prepares for marriage and impending motherhood, her plea for the family to reunite uncovers pent-up tension and animosity. Can they forget the past and become a family again?

Natalie’s life begins to unravel as their father starts to creep back into their lives and family tensions resurface, affecting her relationship with her boyfriend, Rob. Will the couple find their way back to each other, and can a family that has been torn apart ever heal their wounds?

Can you ever walk away from someone you love, or do some fires never die out?

A bit about your process of writing. 

This was my first novel which I wrote simultaneously with another novel. I would wheel my son around in his pram until he fell asleep and then I would write 2000 words on my iPhone. I always try to write the first draft as quick as possible. I like to keep up the momentum and the same energy. I do 2000-3000 words a day. Editing is always tough but I am as relentless as the editing. Ha.

I have three kids so I have to write whenever I can and focus on it. Having kids has trained me to be ruthlessly efficient when I need to.

Do you plan or just write?

I just write. Total panster. You need an idea and a handle on the character. Then just let yourself fly.

What about word count?

I do 2000-3000 words a day.

How do you do your structure?

My agent, Susan, says I have a great sense of structure and it is one of the nicest things anyone has said about me. I think it is because I read so much. I am with Stephen King. To be a good writer you need to both write and read a lot. Reading teaches you to be an excellent writer.

What do you find hard about writing?

Finding the time.

What do you love about writing? 

Everything.

Advice for other writers. 

Get on with it. Don’t give up. Write and then rewrite. Submit endlessly. Don’t let the rejection get you down. You have to be able to take rejection if you want to be a professional writer. Just take the feedback on board, edit and then send away somewhere else. You can do it!

Ember is out on the 31st March and is available from WH Smith, Waterstones, Amazon and The Book Depository.

My Writing Process Joy Ellis

Posted on by

1) What have you written, past and present.

To be honest, quite a lot, and mainly in the last five years. I’m at present writing my 26th book for Joffe Books, but have two more completed novels lurking in a cupboard (and in a completely different genre) that will probably never see the light of day. There are twelve books in the DI Nikki Galena, Fen Series; seven in the DI Jackman and DS Evans series; three Matt Ballards; and one stand-alone novel. Oh, and two more completed and already in the editing process with my publisher. Right now I’m working on book thirteen in the Fen Series. I sometimes wonder just how much mileage you can get from one detective, but from the messages sent to me by the amazingly supportive ‘Nikki Fans’, I’m beginning to think I’ll rival Coronation Street for longevity! 

2)What are you promoting now.

At the moment, because of it being shortlisted for The British Book Awards, Book of the Year, Fiction: Crime and Thriller section, all interest is on The Patient Man, Book 6 in the Jackman series. I loved writing this book as it was one that allowed me to use some wonderfully dysfunctional characters, and a particularly vindictive and vengeful killer who had set his sights on Jackman and Marie. I have to confess to enjoying writing the ‘baddies’ as the scope of what they are capable of is endless. Having said that, I always strive for a satisfactory outcome, which means good triumphing over evil… well, most of the time…

3) A bit about the process of writing.

It always starts with asking myself, ‘What if…?’ Just a thought, a vague idea that almost instantly begins to escalate. At that point I grab a notebook and scribble down these tenuous threads that might lead to a new novel. A whole book can materialise from a couple of lines hurriedly written in a notebook. They sometimes take the form of a cameo; a brief scene played out in my mind, and that becomes the foundation for the novel. A perfect example of this was when I was considering a plotline for one of the earlier books in the Fen Series. I envisaged the collapse of a building, trapping two strangers, a man and a woman. Believing the injured woman trapped with him to be dying, the man confesses that he has just killed someone. But, what if she didn’t die? What if she remembered what he had told her? And what if, he discovered that she was still alive? No more was needed to begin writing Stalker on the Fens.

4) Do you plan or just write.

I’m an organic writer, so once I have written Chapter One, I’m off! No detailed plans, I just work with my basic idea and run with it. I firmly believe that I set the scene, introduce my characters, then hand the whole thing over to them to do as they will. If I don’t, half the time they highjack the story anyway! 

5) What about word count.

It’s a little bit odd, but I seem to write each novel to finish up with a similar word count. It’s not intentional, as far as I’m concerned, the book is as long as it needs to be. It just works out that way. I use Word for my manuscripts, type in Times New Roman, font size 12, and always double space the text. For four books in a row, when I finally typed those wonderful words, The End, it was on page 406, and I have no idea how that happened. As to wordage, it’s generally around 120,000 words. My last book was a little longer and came in at 127,949 words, but of course that’s before my editor gets to work and prunes it heartily! 

6) How do you do your structure

This is quite hard to describe, because although I know how important it is, especially for a new writer, to structure a book well, it isn’t something I do consciously. Perhaps because of having written so many books, I’ve found a mental blue-print, and work to that automatically. And it’s as simple as one, two, three… because that is exactly what it is. A beginning, a middle, and an end. I’ve always thought of it as three acts, the first where you introduce the characters, the location and present the problem; the second where that problem is confronted; and the final act, where the problem is solved. And through all of this I endeavour to keep up the tension, and pay careful attention to the pace of the novel. Pace is incredibly important, and I see that as a wavy line with peaks and troughs. Build the pace and hold it, then slow it down and allow your reader to breath again! Then stick them back on the roller-coaster for a while! If you don’t give them time to gather themselves, they will fall, exhausted and gasping, across the finish line and wonder what on earth that was all about. Even if I’m not totally conscious of it, I know I’m aiming to structure my book to continually connect with my reader and keep them with me, page after page, until we reach a satisfactory ending… together.

7) What do you find hard about writing.

About the actual writing, very little! The hard part is when life gets in the way! If I’m on a roll, I really resent appointments, and doing all the things that still have to be done to exist. And as I’m not exactly in the first flush of youth anymore, sitting for long periods of time does me no favours! I am sometimes forced to stop simply through pain, and that is irritating beyond words, especially if the muse is with me. Yes, for me, the hardest thing about writing is striking a work/life balance, and I can truthfully say, that’s one thing I’m rubbish at!

8) What do you love about writing.

How long have you got? I love everything about writing. Recently however I’ve come to realise things that I never truly appreciated before the pandemic. I’ve always loved books and reading. My favourite present at Christmas as a child would be a book. It provided escapism, company, and adventure. Now, from some of the heart-warming messages that I’ve received in the last year, I’m understanding how much deeper this goes. Books have been an absolute  lifeline to so many people during this worldwide period of isolation and fear, and it’s really come home to me that writing books, is actually helping people to cope in extreme situations. It’s very humbling, and some of the stories I’ve been sent have literally reduced me to tears. So, I have to say the thing I love about writing the most, is finally understanding the positive power that books have to really make a difference.

 

My Writing Process Paul McCartney

Posted on by

Paul McCartney, interview, book, author, children's book

© MPL Communications/Paul McCartney & Kathryn Durst

My Writing Routine

 Where did the idea for the book come from?

One day one of my grandkids, instead of calling me Grandad, called me Grandude: “Grandude, can we do this . . . ?” I thought, Well, that’s nice, I like that, so I started to think of stories about this character Grandude. I thought, I’ll make him magical. The kids say, “Hey Grandude, can we go somewhere?” and he takes them on magical adventures. That’s how it started – one of my grandkids just called me Grandude one day, and that was it.

Will there be more adventures of Grandude?

Well, you know, maybe we’ll see how this goes. If people like it, then I’ve definitely got a few more adventures up my sleeve – or Grandude has – so it would be quite nice to continue. I’m ready to write more if people do like it.

Paul McCartney, interview, book, author, children's book

© MPL Communications/Paul McCartney & Kathryn Durst

How did you collaborate with Kathryn Durst?

I was shown the work of a few illustrators, and because I read a lot of children’s books to my own kids when they were growing up, I know the styles that are out there and I liked her style very much. I thought it suited Grandude perfectly. It was slightly unusual and bohemian, and she made him a bit of an eccentric character, so she was really good. But there was one thing that happened during the making of the book. She’d do an illustration and it would come to me to approve it, and I’d say, “Oh yeah, it’s great.” I loved what she was doing. There was just one funny little detail: in one of the adventures the kids and Grandude were all riding horses and their stirrups were just hanging down – their feet weren’t in the stirrups. So I said to the publishers, “They’re riding horses – their feet should be in the stirrups, shouldn’t they?” And they said, “You know, that’s funny – the American publishers picked up on that too,” so we had to ring Kathryn and say, “Could you just stick their feet in the stirrups?” If you look, you will note that they’ve all got their feet in the stirrups now!

Is writing a picture book for children anything like writing a song?

Well, you know, it is a little bit like that, in as much as you’ve gotta use your imagination – you’re making something up. If it’s a song, you’re making up words and music, and maybe a story. If it’s a children’s book, then obviously you don’t need the music but you still gotta have the imagination, and that’s actually what’s fun about it: you’re making stuff up, but if you’re writing a children’s book your story tends to go to more far out places. You can rub a compass and go to Zanzibar – you can go wherever you like. You could do that in a song, but you tend to keep it a little bit more feet-on-the-ground.

The paperback of Hey Grandude! comes out on 17th September and includes a story CD, featuring narration and instrumental music by Paul. 

My Writing Process – Georgia Hill

Posted on by


Huge thanks to Jane Cable for inviting me! I write romance – romcoms and historical. I live on the Dorset coast with my two beloved dogs (a sprocker and a delinquent cockapoo puppy) my husband (also beloved but not at all delinquent) and a ghost called Zoe. I love Jane Austen, elephants and Strictly Come Dancing. I’m also a complete museum geek and find inspiration for my writing from the folklore and history of the many places in which I’ve lived.

I’ve worked in the theatre, for a charity and as a teacher and educational consultant before finally acknowledging that making up things was what I really wanted to do. I’ve been very happily living in a fictional world ever since.

My writing

I began writing professionally in 2009, have had 6 novels published, a volume of short stories and have also written short stories for magazines. 

My writing process

I used to walk the dogs, then write throughout the day. Nowadays I find being glued to a screen for too long makes my eyes gritty and my shoulders stiff. I’m far more likely to write for an hour, put some washing in, write some more, make a cup of tea – you get the picture. I’m always thinking about the work in progress, so even when I’m not at the keyboard, I’m wondering about my characters. They become very real. There’s a certain amount of promo on social media to fit in too. Luckily I enjoy that.

Planner or ‘pantser’?

I’m a convert to planning – reluctantly! Using Post-its, I brainstorm the story, working backwards from the end listing the main plot points. Those are written up into bullet points as a crib sheet. This guides me through the story and avoids the ‘what was going to happen next?’ issue. However, characters often take on a life of their own and the crib sheet has to be rewritten as it’s scribbled over so much. If I’m writing one of my dual narratives, I have to plan out more carefully and often end up writing a chapter by chapter synopsis to help me keep track. Helps with the edits too.

Word count?

I keep a tally on the crib sheet when writing the very ‘dirty’ first draft. I tend to write that quickly and usually add about 20,000 words during the second draft so I usually know where I’m going.

Structure?

I have the three act structure in mind and occasionally have even been known to apply it! Instinct guides me more.

What’s hard about writing?

I love writing the first draft. It’s very rough and, as I’m not a skilled typist, has lots of strange typos and very little punctuation. I’m strong on dialogue so the first draft is often little more than that – with ADD DETAIL written in lots of places for the second! I love telling myself the story, which is why I’m a reluctant planner – I like to see where the characters are going to take me. Once their story is told, I lose interest and have to force myself to do the next round of edits – that’s when, for me, the hard work begins.

My advice to other writers

Keep abreast of social media, especially Twitter; you can pick up current trends, tips and useful features. Develop a writing community but choose your writing pals wisely and build up trust; they can be your most valued supporters. Read widely and often. Take a notebook absolutely everywhere. Do your research. And develop a very thick skin!

Links

www.georgiahill.co.uk

Facebook georgiahillauthor

Twitter @georgiawrites

Instagram @georgiahill5681

 

Splurging in Southsea

Posted on by

Actor and director Carl Sanderson is spending the Easter holidays splurging. On an epic scale. Directing a brand new production of Bugsy Malone at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, his cast is drawn from no less than 23 local schools. Vicky Edwards snuck backstage to chat to him and to ask if directing such a big show was on par with herding squirrels…

“So far directing the show has been an absolute dream. The cast are so committed and although we are having great fun in the rehearsal room they know there is a lot of work to do in a relatively short rehearsal period so they are being incredibly professional and sensitive to this. “We have some fabulous characters who are bringing so much to the table,” says Carl, who says that he especially enjoys the collaborative aspect of directing large-scale productions.

“I love directing shows on this sort of scale as apart from the work created by the actors, the choreographer and the musical director in the rehearsal room, it is very much a collaboration between all departments at the theatre; stage management, wardrobe, administration staff and producer – everyone. Oh, and a special mention to our fabulous chaperones who do an amazing job looking after the actors. And to my incredible assistant Charlotte!”

As for the show itself, Carl is clear about what makes Bugsy Malone such a great show for children to participate in.

 

“Bugsy is such a great show for children as they get to kind of pastiche adults which is incredibly funny without them having to do much! Also there is the small matter of SPLURGE GUNS which as you can imagine they absolutely love! I mean, what kid doesn’t like getting messy?”

Explaining that as a child he relished every opportunity to be involved in performing, one of his first roles was in the very show he is currently at the helm of.

“One of my first parts was The Great Marbini in Bugsy Malone at school! I was heavily involved in local amateur theatre as a youngster and at the age of 15 became a member of the National Youth Theatre and spent my summers in London performing in various shows.

Going on to build a successful career that spans 20 years, has worked on numerous productions in the West End and at some of the country’s most prestigious theatres, as well as on TV and in films including That Day We Sang and The Dresser. Juggling his acting career with teaching, he has taught in many theatre schools specialising in acting through song and musical theatre stylistic studies and is a passionate supporter of the Arts being taught in all schools.

“Many of the kids in our show may never decide to take up performing as a career in the future, although they are all incredibly talented. But being part of a project like this does so much for their confidence and personal development. This is why I think the Arts in general are so important in schools and that there gradual disappearance from school curriculum is a crying shame!” he laments, echoing the cry of many teachers and parents throughout the land.

As for Bugsy Malone, which is set in 1929, audiences can expect to be taken on a thrilling pedal car ride through the splurge soaked backstreets of New York City. Delving into the underground world of would-be hoodlums, glamorous showgirls and hapless gangsters, Bugsy is a part time boxing promoter, down on his luck and striving for a better life. He meets Blousey Brown, an aspiring singer, and together they enter this fast paced, exciting and hilarious story of Fat Sam, Dandy Dan, Tallulah and a whole host of other weird and wonderful characters.

“Alan Parker’s film is nothing short of genius and was originally created from an idea thought up by his eldest son. The later stage adaptation was published after so many requests from schools and youth theatres to perform his iconic tale. Equally wonderful is Paul Williams unforgettable score and lyrics,” says Carl, adding:

“Although this production is firmly rooted in a time of American prohibition I hope we have managed to inject some contemporary elements that will make this fabulous pint sized roller coaster ride of a story relevant for today.”

So if you’re looking for family fun in this neck of the woods this Easter holiday Bugsy Malone could be just the ticket?

“You’ll have a wonderful evening in a beautiful theatre and I sincerely hope you don’t get splurged!” he says with a broad grin.

Bugsy Malone is at The Kings Theatre, Southsea, from 17-20 April 2019.
www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk

About the show

Kings Theatre Portsmouth are proud to present a brand-new production of the landmark musical Bugsy Malone from 17-20 April 2019.

The classic tale takes us into the world of street-tough boxing promoter Bugsy – a world run by kids, where cars are peddle-driven and tommy guns ‘splurge’ custard.

We follow Bugsy’s star-crossed love with singer Blousey Brown (over the attentions of her glamorous rival Tallulah), and his pivotal role in the struggle between the rival mob factions of Fat Sam and Dandy Dan.

Bugsy Malone will be performed by a cast entirely made up of children from twenty-three schools across Portsmouth.

The show will be directed by Carl Sanderson, whose previous credits include West End Productions and National Tours of The Phantom of the Opera Cats, Hairspray and Sunset Boulevard.

Choreographer Jacqueline Willis has worked on major productions around the country including Kings Theatre Portsmouth stagings of 9 to 5, Grease, Annie and The Wizard of Oz and Andrew Woodford is Musical Director, with previous credits including Oliver!, Cinderella, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Oklahoma!.

Bugsy Malone will be co-produced by Jack Edwards. As a performer Jack has acted in the West End and on national tours in productions such as Guys and Dolls, Mack and Mabel, The Rocky Horror Show and Oliver! and in recent years has gained a cult fan base in his home city of Portsmouth for his uproarious performances in the Kings Theatre’s much loved Pantos (even becoming something of a viral sensation for his role as the Dame in Cinderella).

In producing Bugsy, Jack will also be assuming the role of creative director of The Kings Theatre Portsmouth, where he will contribute to programming, as well as commissioning, producing and directing future Kings Theatre Productions.

Catastrophe Series 4: Interview with Sharon Horgan

Posted on by

Sharon Horgan, interview, catastrophe, So, Catastrophe is back for a fourth series. When we left, Rob had just had a car accident while over the limit, so there are a few issues to get hold of in the new series, aren’t there?
Yes! We have set ourselves up with a bit of a puzzle to work out. When we started writing it we were like “Oh shit, why did we do that?” Because it was a massive thing to end on, and it exposed them a bit. It was a secret he’d been keeping for an entire series, and we’d just gotten to a point where she’s saying to him “We don’t work on our own – this is it. I don’t really work as a single unit anymore.” So a declaration of being together forever, and then the car crash, and so we were thinking: “We can’t have them break up, because where’s the show? We can’t have him in prison, because that would be ridiculous.” But obviously it had to impact on them. But they have a good relationship, despite all the bickering and fighting, so we just felt like they’d get through it. But it would have to have ramifications for the rest of the series. And Rob is looking for answers, looking to be a better person and fix himself. He’s on a different journey to her. And he’s also in a neck brace!

Yeah, whose idea was that?
[Laughs] I can’t remember. I think it was mine. But these things come out of conversations, and a lot of it comes out of our weird hive-brain. We wanted to have it on for a few episodes, so there is a physical reminder of the bad thing he’d done. But also, you could have some fun with it, and it’s hard to take someone seriously when they’re wearing a contraption like that.

Does it get easier to write, because you know the characters so well now, or is it more difficult, because you’ve got to find new stories, and you’ve got to stay true to their back stories?
It gets more difficult, if I’m honest. You definitely know the characters better, so you’re definitely drawing less on your own life, and more on what has gone before for those characters. There’s more texture there, there’s loads of things that make it feel like they’re fully drawn characters – not just Rob and Sharon but those characters around them. In a lot of ways it’s more satisfying, because you know them so well, and you’ve got all those back stories you’ve drawn and the history of all the characters, but at the same time thinking up new stories, even for the other characters that surround us, like keeping Fran and Chris fresh, and wanting to introduce new characters but knowing they really have to count, they can’t be using up screen time and not justifying it – it was really hard. It was the hardest one yet. And also we’re aware that people really like the show, and it means a lot to us to keep it so that people continue to give a shit about it. We want to talk about stuff that might have an impact, and then we want to make it funny on top of that. It’s a slog.

You said you use less stuff from your own life now, but do you mine the experiences of your friends for material? When someone’s telling a story from their own life, does part of you wonder if you can fit it in?
Yeah. It’s actually more what I observe than people telling me stories. Occasionally, yeah. Everyone’s got their own shit going on, so here and there that happens. And I think people are aware that I do that as well, so if they are going through something, or they’re telling me something that is quite a vibrant story, they’ll assume that I might have a little bit of it on the show.

They’ll see it played out in technicolour in the next series…
Well, they’ll see it playing across my face first, as I’m listening!

Apparently this is the last series. Do you get emotionally involved with the material, and is it quite difficult to say goodbye to the characters at the end of it?
Yeah, it really is and was. And not just Rob and that relationship. We spent the best past of five years sitting in a room together, writing this stuff – forget about the filming aspects. So yes, it’s really hard. It’s hard to say goodbye to all of them. I love Fergal and Chris and Fran and Dave, and that they won’t exist anymore is a bit of a weird thing. But guessthey will exist, because the show’s still there. And I think I’d be sadder, if we did keep going and ran out of ideas for those characters. I’d feel worse seeing them onscreen not being at their tip-top best. But it was emotional filming the last scene, and all of those characters, when they had their last scene, as it was being ticked off I found myself getting a bit maudlin. But at the same time, I don’t think it’s going to hit me until I’m half as year down the road and I suddenly realise there’s a really big thing missing from my life that made me really happy.

So you’ll suddenly be found weeping in the frozen food aisle at Tesco.
I think I’ll be lying down, I’ll collapse between feminine hygiene and dairy.

There’s a tendency for TV shows to either paint life as glorious and sexy and wonderful or hellish and agonising – is Catastrophe self-consciously trying to find the reality?
Yeah. That was a big part of it. I would say one of the very first conversations with Rob was about showing a real marriage. The real truth of a marriage, and how it effects the romance of it, and when kids come along, and when family interferes, and when your own hang-ups and addictions and illnesses intrude –just the shit that everybody has to deal with. It was a big manifesto that we had for the series. Also I think that’s just how we write. I find it harder to write something that is a bit more heightened, that wouldn’t be my natural skill area. Not that I don’t like watching comedy like that, I just find it harder to do.

Both Catastrophe and Motherland show that being a parent isn’t all baking cakes and tucking in sleeping children. Do you think it’s important that people understand it’s okay to be frazzled by it all, and not love every moment?
Oh completely. If I get stopped, or if someone wants to say they like the show, that’s a huge big part of it. People say “That show came into my life when this particular thing had happened” or “I’d just had my second baby, and I wasn’t coping.” Stuff like that. I think when people see that kind of thing onscreen they feel less isolated, and less like they’re a shitty parent. That’s a big part of it for me. When we’re writing it, it’s something that we have in our mind a lot, both for Catastrophe and Motherland. I love showing Julia or Sharon at their wits’ end, not being able to cope, but I also like showing them coming out the other side, getting through it. I think that’s also important – people watching need to see that. It can’t be nihilistic. I don’t want people to dread watching it, I want them to feel that everything will be okay.

However bad things get, Rob and Sharon have the capacity to make each other laugh. Do you think that’s one of the keys to navigating life’s more problematic moments?
Yeah, oh my God, completely. So many terrible moments and awful arguments or real tragic events are cut through with two people just laughing together. I think it’s everything.

Ultimately, do you think that Rob and Sharon are happy?
Yeah, I do. I think they’re different characters than they were at the start. They’ve both been boxed about by life a bit, and there’s less idealism there from Rob, and more resignation from Sharon. And certainly over the course of this series, shit does happen to them. But I really hope that by the time people get to episode six – which is one of the worst ones in terms of what we do to them – I really hope that when we see them at the end, that’s the big take away – that they love each other, that they came through it all and still love each other

 

Excellent interview with the amazing Sharon Horgan thanks to Channel 4. Pictures courtesy of Channel 4.