Marlborough welcomed Sir Tony Robinson, one of our most loved and best known actor / comedian / broadcaster / character / authors to the Town Hall last night (Tuesday 21 October) at a ‘special’ LitFest Plus session. Sir Tony was here to tell us all about his breakthrough novel – ‘The House of Wolf’. A ‘breakthrough’ as it is his first foray in the genre of historical fiction, having already authored at least thirty others in the children’s and adult non-fiction areas as well as an autobiography. And as he told us all, likely more to come…….
A rapt audience, in a sold out Assembly Room of the Town Hall where it was almost window ledge seating only. OK, that would never be legal but if they had even allowed one extra ticket to be sold, that’s where they would have been seated.
Here he was to inspire us about Wolf – Aethelwolf – who in Sir Tony’s world was the King of Wessex. Aethelwolf was at this time an old man. But age hadn’t tempered his demeanour. For Tony, Wolf was a ruthless old man who had held Wessex together by the force of his personality, and the force ‘of his force’ for years and years and years. He has three sons and a daughter, ‘all of whom really want to take over from him’.
His offspring were ‘interesting’. All with their own clear characters which impacted on all around. His third son was Alfred, was seen to have potential to become a great King, as he did, but he doesn’t appear until one third of the way through the book. His two older sons were more keen on fighting each other whilst his daughter Swift who was clever, cunning but eventually overcome by her own ambition.
It nearly didn’t happen. On a trip to Spain, to where he was aiming to have the ‘space’ in which to finish the book, at a motorway service centre they were robbed. Three bags were taken from the car. Besides the normal underwear, other clothing etc., the loss of these being more an inconvenience than anything there were two important things: the syringes and drugs needed for their beloved dog, a rescue Westie, Holly Berry, but also seven chapters, and files and folders from hours and hours of research for ‘The House of Wolf’. Terminal. Not a bit of it. Tony then relates how the book was still ‘in his head’. It was there, and he believes that the replacement sections that he wrote were far better than the originals, that ended up in the hands of some motorway robbers. A different, unconventional (but maybe more effective?) procedure of rewrites….
But ‘The House of Wolf’ came together.
No audience for Sir Tony could avoid wanting to hear more about his life. His relationship with those he has shared stage, small screen and big screen with. With Blackadder Rowan Atkinson – they were immediately on the same wavelength. Tony was surprised, and a bit scared, not knowing quite what to expect when he was given a small part in a new series. Wary of the rest in the group, very different backgrounds from his, all mainly from the Oxbridge comedy circuit. But he entered this arena, became part of it, and more than just a part, almost the whole Blackadder series revolved around Baldrick, just as much as it did around the main title character but it was his relationship with Rowan Atkinson which enabled him to become so central to this great series.
Lots of other anecdotes of characters with whom he worked. John Wayne (in Brannigan, John’s last but one movie), Rex Harrison, at whom Tony once shouted ‘w****r’….. Judy Garland, and more. But also his work on C4 ‘Time Team’, spanning two decades.
And plenty more. But last night was essentially about his entry into the genre of historical fiction. The first (of maybe a series?) and who knows, a transfer on to a screen of some dimension?
‘The House of Wolf’. History, reality, and of course fiction but all woven together into a wonderful tale of early England, Wessex and of course beyond. Also mentioning ‘small boat’ immigrants, as these were exactly what the Vikings and the other invaders (Norlanders) from Scandinavia and that area of the continent were then. Not mentioned, of course, but this melange of history, and ‘wannabee history’ was exactly what formed the basis for Blackadder, but it would be far too simplistic to assume that this was inspiration for the first in Sir Tony’s undoubted series of historical novels. But very readable, enticing, and importantly, it works.
A thoroughly entertaining evening with one of our great personalities of stage, screen and of course, page. LitFest ‘Plus'(?). Sure, any more evenings like this and it would be a big + for Marlborough and for LitFest.
Letter from Marlborough West Wiltshire Councillor Jane Davies – re. Fly Posting
