08
Jun
20
May
The Age of Treachery
I'm pleased to announce that on April 16th 2016 Titan Books in the UK and Random House in the US are publishing the first in my series of detective thrillers about Duncan Forrester, former SOE operative and ancient historian whose adventures, starting in 1946, will chronicle the creation of the postwar world. As the book begins, Duncan Forrester, having spent six years in the most dangerous actions of the war against Hitler, is back in war-weary Britain. All he wants to do is forget the terror and the tragedy and get...
16:38 /
Books
07
May
Imperial Mammoth strikes again!
Check out my daughter and son in law Laura and Leonard Jackson's amazing new song "Little Earthquakes" https://soundcloud.com/imperial-mammoth/little-earthquakes-2...
19:00 /
Pop Culture
16
Apr
The Mail continues to trail us … which is great.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2605221/Total-Recall-Monty-Python-comedian-Terry-Jones-directs-radiant-Kate-Beckinsale-set-Absolutely-Anything.html...
10:00 /
Film & TV
16
Apr
Absolutely Papparazi
To find out what the papparazi saw during the sports car shoot, follow this link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2605221/Total-Recall-Monty-Python-comedian-Terry-Jones-directs-radiant-Kate-Beckinsale-set-Absolutely-Anything.html ...
16
Apr
Absolutely Luxurious
The next location yesterday was in a luxury apartment building just across the river from St Paul’s, which Kate’s lunatic American suitor Grant has rented it as their love nest. Before we go inside, Terry decides he needs a quiet expresso in the coffee shop opposite. Well, sort of quiet. Production Designer Jim Acheson can see him though the coffee shop window, so he pops in to consult on the strange device he’s building in said apartment with which to torment Simon Pegg … And our editor, Julian Rodd, who’s normally at...
16
Apr
Absolutely Outrageous Sports Car
Today we are deep in Old London Town, a few minutes walk from Waterloo station, in a street full of lovely nineteenth century workmen’s dwellings – replete with so many chimneys it feels like the set of Peter Pan. It’s here that Rob Riggle, playing the part of Simon Pegg’s rival for the love of Kate Beckinsale, will try to lure her into his clutches with a sports car that would make your eyes water. (Worth $250,000, and kindly provided by McLarens) It certainly drew the paparazzi (well, our stars had something...
14
Apr
Absolute Mayhem
Here is a picture to gladden any teacher’s heart: a class guided by Terry Jones to such good behaviour so that the only sound is an overheard whisper: “Oh, good, we get to read a whole chapter this lesson” But this is after our hero Neil has worked his magic – so Terry’s next task was to create the scene BEFORE Simon Pegg waved his hand, urging them to be gamblers, dancers on tables and wild throwers of paper darts. And strangely enough, with very little encouragement, mayhem ensued. Satisfying, I think the...
14
Apr
Making Up The News
Before I became a screenwriter I was a journalist, and sometimes I read the news for ITN. Today I got the chance to combine my old profession with my new one by playing the part of a newsreader in our movie, which gave me the chance not only to put on my old dark blazer and red tie, (while still wearing my jeans and sneakers under the desk) but also to look very serious while reading out news stories that were entirely made up. This was not something they generally allowed...
10
Apr
On the Buses
Kare Sivertsen, our Producer Assistant, climbed into the engine of a Routemaster bus today, doubling for Simon Pegg, who has made yet another of his badly thought out wishes about being in a bus. What he hasn’t realised yet is that his powers take his commands VERY literally, and he ends up jammed inside the engine compartment with only his arm sticking out. But when you open the bonnet of a Routemaster to the untrained there seems to be no room whatsoever for us to perform this gag. Enter Kare,...