French Exit
Trailers! Playtexts! Cheese!
Greetings from France! One of the (many) delights of having French in-laws means that, every so often, I am obliged to venture forth and eat all the cheese. It is my solemn duty. This time, we’ve brought the dog with us, who is following suit:
The house I’m currently visiting lies in a rural part of France and, until its current residents, was abandoned since the 1940s. It was a secret base for the French Resistance - and I am told I currently sit in the room where they made the bomb to blow up the local bridge. Heck yeah.
Whenever I visit this beautiful country, I’m barely on the wi-fi and my phone signal usually goes dodgy (thanks Brexit) so I have lots of writing stuff to update you on. Hang on tight and reach for the brie.
JURASSIC Was Roarsome!
(I’m not the first person to make that joke, and I will not be the last.)
Thank you to everyone who came to see JURASSIC at Soho Theatre! Each and every one of you is a star, and we had a wonderful two weeks bombarding you with dinos and disinformation. There were snorts and guffaws and giggles and yes, even gasps. J’approve.
It was strange being back in London. The last play of mine that went up there was ASTRONAUTS OF HARTLEPOOL in the VAULT Festival in 2017, for all you grandparents out there. I know only too well that little shows like ours can get lost in the swell. But I needn’t have worried - you audiences were lovely, my jokes were laughed at, and our drinks flowed merrily. In fact, thanks to Soho Theatre Bar being dog-friendly (and also run by the loveliest people), some of you met my dog before his current role as cheese fiend:
The warm responses to the show means it’s likely that JURASSIC will have a future life and stomp around theatres once more, so don’t worry if you missed it - and watch this space…
IT WALKS AROUND THE Video Trailer
Still on the fence about seeing my ghost play next year? Of course you’re not - but you can still enjoy this incredible trailer for IT WALKS AROUND THE HOUSE AT NIGHT. I know what happens and even I’m terrified by this:
Tickets for the tour are on sale here.
And if you’re thinking “hmmm, I don’t just want to see the play, I want to read it too,” well, you’re in luck…
Pre-Order The Playtext
Yes! The scripts for both these plays can now be pre-ordered - in one bumper playtext! That’s two plays for the price of one, you lucky beggars. It would mean a great deal if you’re able to pre-order the publication (and heck, purchase some of my other plays whilst you’re at it) because it’s all valuable support. And if nothing else, it tells the world there is demand for plays about ghosts and/or dinosaurs. Pre-order it here.
In Other News…
*** I was interviewed by one of theatre’s finest substackers, Fergus Morgan, for his newsletter The Crush Bar. If my rambling here isn’t enough for you, you can check out my chat here:
*** We’re already at the final episode of MURDER ON MARS! I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown…
Episode 05 goes out on BBC Radio 4 at 14:15 on Friday 12th December! Don’t worry if you miss the live broadcast though, because all episodes are up on BBC Sounds. I hope you’ve enjoyed this murderous trip to the red planet!
*** If you want more audial goodness, my last DOCTOR WHO offering for the year (I think?) was the Eighth Doctor adventure THE TIME YOU NEVER HAD, where he finally came face-to-face with the Causeway…
This was one of my favourites of recent times. I love writing for the Eighth Doctor and Charley era, and I love doing outrageous things to it too. A new era begins.
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Now, I have a writing deadline for New Year’s Eve - it is the most difficult play I’ve written yet - so I must away to a desk with an exceptional view. If I don’t message before, have a very merry December, and I’ll see you in 2026!