The recent period of hot weather in Britain could almost be described as Mediterranean, so this turned my mind to thinking of the ancients and the way they described these sultry spells as the ‘Dog Days’. This term came into general acceptance in Rome, where the people attributed the oppressive weather of summer to the [...]

Back in 1993, I worked on a film with the curious title of “The Hour of the Pig”, although upon release by Miramax in the USA, it was renamed “The Advocate”. This BBC co-production starred some of Britain’s finest actors, with Colin Firth, Nicol Williamson, Ian Holm and the late Donald Pleasance appearing in lead [...]

It is surely stating the obvious to observe that the subject of hunting foxes with hounds raises strong passions, both among those who regard the pursuit and violent death of a living creature as a justifiable social pastime, and also among those who believe that such practises should be consigned to the Dark Ages and [...]