August, 2013

Following on from my June blog, my co-writer Matthew Lloyd and I have been dashing around London interviewing people for our project Listen, We're Family, a verbatim play that opens on 10 November at JW3 on Finchley Road. Less than three months, folks.

We're still compiling material about the interior lives of Jewish families. Our interviewee yesterday, who grew up in Ruislip, told us about his father's penchant for making and distributing spanking videos. And his subsequent murder. It was eloquently remembered and strangely moving. I suspect it will be a surprising addition to an evening that will probably focus on more mainstream (but no less interesting) concerns. Even odder is the fact that I'll be the actor playing him on the night. So as his words tumbled out of his mouth, I realised that they'd be tumbling back into my ears (via earphones) in a few month's time.

In June, I recorded readings for a wonderful Radio 4 series, Lucy Kellaway's History of Office Life. I travelled to Budapest to film one last scene in The Centenarian. I recorded the new Jack Reacher book by Lee Child, Never Go Back. I did tons of Impro. I provided a spaceman voice for a Waitrose telly advert. There were video game sessions, Thomas the Tank Engine sessions and other sessions. A bit of a blur, quite frankly.

Things came into focus in early August, when I re-joined Saturday Review on Radio 4. We were lucky to see Southcliffe before it went out: stunning. And unlucky to sit through Only God Forgives (or to give its full title Only God Forgives Such Massive Self-Indulgence). I'm not sure he does, actually.

A few days ago, I recorded a Book of The Week for Radio 4, Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter by Alyn Shipton. Wonderful to be involved. I've been a big fan of the man since I was a long-haired freak (a while ago now). Got to do Nilsson, of course, plus John and Paul, Jimmy Webb and others. It goes out from 26 August.

More soon (ish).