'SEE HOW THEY RUN' Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Went to last night's press night. Saw how they ran. Lots of energy, some good performances from the beguiling Laura Rogers as Penelope Toop (who filled out a lovely pair of trousers ), Kate O'Flynn as the gobby maid Ida, Arthur Bostrum as the gormless Bishop Of Lax, and cuddly little Hugh Sachs as the permanently bewildered Humphrey. AND there was only Sir Ian McKellen sitting a few seats away from me!!!! MAGNETO from X-Men!!! He was even wearing a Magneto style long beige coat and black panama hat.

'APPARITIONS' BBC1

Fab series. Scary and thrilling, with a smart script and premise (thanks to the talented Joe Aherne of 'Dr Who', 'Ultraviolet', and 'This Life' fame). I am SHOCKED that the ratings have been awful though!!! falling from a respectable 4 million plus, down to around 2!! Probably due to it being scheduled against ITV's 'I'm A Celebrity...'. It is SO depressing that quality drama has to suffer against utter dross like that. Have we sunk so low, that we prefer to watch Z list 'celebs' eating maggots and cockroaches (in order to give a flagging career a temporary boost, and sell their souls to the bottom-of-the-moral-barrell mags like 'OK!' and 'Hello!') than thought-provoking and entertaining drama???!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and I'm in it next week, playing an Italian V.I.P. witnessing an assassination attempt on The Pope. No maggots on show though!

Bye Bye, Spooks!

Wow! Another fab season of Spooks comes to an end, and we're left with another cliffhanger. This really is the best action/espionage series (UK) for many a year.

Following

I THINK I've added the 'Following Widget' in the right-hand sidebar. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE click on it, and add me.
I'll try and be entertaining & informative in my posts. Honest!

SOMBRE SWEDES

Been watching 'Wallander', the new BBC detective series starring Kenneth Branagh. Excellent, moody stuff. I just watched an episode of the original Swedish language version on BBC4 - very similar cinematography, style, direction. I first saw Branagh on stage at The Palace Theatre, Manchester around 1988, in 'Hamlet'. Superb. Then I saw him play The Dane again in the early 90s at Stratford, and he was even better. Unfortunately, on film, he's often too O.T.T., but in the hands of a decent director, and when he reigns in the emotions, he's fantastic. Kurt Wallander, a scruffy, overweight, unshaven, depressed, cynical, morose 'everyman', seems the perfect vehicle for his talents. Even A.A. Gill at The Sunday Times agrees.

Watch it!!!!

Oh, and the actor who plays the pathologist (Richard McCabe) actually sat on my knee when he played Touchstone in a production of 'As You Like It' in Wigan (around 1987). I was sitting in an aisle seat, and was bloody mortified!!

'BORDERLINERS' is Pick Of The Month on top indie comics website!!

My comic book, 'BORDERLINERS: Ceremony Of Innocence' has been chosen as Pick Of The Month on the Smallzone website at www.smallzone.co.uk

My illustrations on ITV3

I was recently commissioned to supply 3 illustrations for the ITV3 TV series 'Martina Cole's Lady Killers', depicting the 16th century murderer, Countess Elizabeth Bathory (immortalised in the Hammer Horror film, 'Countess Dracula', by actress Ingrid Pitt). The episode was screened last monday, and repeated last Saturday. My first artwork for television!!

Latest comics art I'm working on.

Some of my artwork

A few samples of recent artwork.

1.Connery as Bond (Acrylic on canvas), 2. Craig as Bond (Acrylic on canvas paper), 3. The

cover of my comic book, 'BORDERLINERS: Ceremony Of Innocence' (May 2008), 4. 'Donna & The Doctor' (Acrylic on canvas paper), and 5. 'The Doctor & The Sontarans' (Acrylic on paper).

'A Taste Of Honey' (Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre)

Despite dying of a cold, I managed to struggle along in the Manchester rain to see a 50th anniversary production of Shelagh Delaney's classic kitchen sink drama 'A Taste Of Honey'. Thanks to the 60s film starring the irrepressible Dora Bryan, and the young Rita Tushingham, this was a must-see play for Salfordians and Mancunians. Starring Coronation Street's Sally Lindsay as Helen (the mother-from-hell), and Jodie McNee as her much-troubled teen-age daughter Jo, this was a mixed bag of a production. The regular use of hit songs from the likes of Joy Division, The Smiths, and The Stone Roses was certainly enjoyable but added little to the atmosphere of a drama set in the late 1950s. The whole evening seemed more like a Manchester/Salford theme night, and jollied up what is actually a poignant and depressing piece of theatre. Many of Helen's bitter put-downs elicited a variety of chuckles and belly laughs rather than the twinges of disgust they were surely meant to invoke. WHY do audiences feel the need to laugh at ANYTHING even remotely 'amusing'???? Is it just me? Do people NEED to laugh all the bloody time? Yes, there ARE some nice one-liners, but nothing that would trouble Armando Iannucci for God's sake! Sheesh!!!!

Thoughts on 'Thought Bubble', Leeds

Last Saturday I managed to stagger on to a late train in order to get to Leeds for the evening booze-up following this year's 'Thought Bubble' event. Nice posh casino, and a great bunch of people. Special mention to Adam Cadwell, the new 'Austin Powers', whom I think I verbally battered all night. I seem to remember saying goodbye by accosting him with a teaspoon in a Basil Fawlty/Manuel inspired moment of lunacy. That was down to my having eaten only two slices of toast that entire day! Boy, am I dumb!! I do remember a rather fetching young lady in a Japanese style dress which left little to the imagination. Down, boy! And thanks go to the ever fragrant Ella Wredenfors for her generous hospitality and drinking-pal-ness (!).

'Vworp! Vworp!' Dr Who comics event

Just a word about the event I helped out with last month at The Lass O'Gowrie pub. We had a fantastic time with the likes of artists LEE SULLIVAN, ADE SALMON, and D'ISRAELI. Plus writers IAN EDGINGTON, TONY LEE, GARY RUSSELL, PAUL CORNELL, etc., etc. And the legendary DEZ SKINN (founding editor of Dr Who Weekly, Starburst, Warrior, etc). A few pix....

Quantum Of Solace

Just watching The South Bank Show. I waited decades for a real, bone-crunching, Flemingesque Bond to appear. I remember watching all the Roger Moores, and even though he was great as The Saint and Brett Sinclair, he wasn't Bond - and that's why they became farces. Entertaining, but farces. Daniel Craig has turned it all around, and is a safe bet to be remembered as the best on-screen interpretation of Fleming's character. Maybe not quite the mid 20th century old-school snob, but a 21st century equivalent steely-eyed assassin.

Debut Blog

Hmmm. Just noticed I've had this blog for over 3 years, and ain't posted owt. Ok, here I am. Now then, what have I been up to? Well, this has been a BUSY year. Acted as 'lecherous businessman' in a music video for Scottish rock band To Catch A Thief. This involved me lying on my back on hard gravel with my arm in a puddle, on an old industrial estate in Radcliffe (near Bury) at one in the morning!! Lovely!
Saw my first, independently published, comic book in print in May. 'BORDERLINERS: Ceremony Of Innocence', written & drawn by me, with lettering (and original co-creating) by Chris Harvey. Got some great reviews from the likes of Bryan Talbot, Tim Perkins, Mike Collins, Liam Sharp, Gary Spencer Millidge, John Freeman, and the legendary Dez Skinn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Drew 3 illustrations for a TV documentary on serial killers, and now awaiting news on a possible commission for a major graphic novel.