Speaking about the Book

On Monday, 15 March, I'm driving down to Ripon, where I will be giving a talk about Ian and We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered at The Little Ripon Bookshop, at 7pm.

The following evening, I will be speaking at the Ripon Writers' Group, who meet from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, in the lounge of the YMCA, Water Skellgate.

I'm very much looking forward to the visit and the two talks and hope I won't be too much of a burden on my hosts, Maggie and Bruce Cobbett. I've been to Ripon once before, but it was only for a couple of hours and it will be nice to get the chance to see more of the city whilst I'm there.

To reserve a seat for the Bookshop talk, phone 01765 606 689.

To contact the Ripon Writers' Group, phone 01423 326 427

Becoming Jane

The last film Ian was in, Becoming Jane , is being shown on BBC 2 tonight, Wednesday 3 March, at 8pm.

Becoming Jane tells the story of the romantic involvement between penniless Irish lawyer, Tom Lefroy, played by James McAvoy, and Jane Austen, played by Anne Hathaway. In the film, Ian played Judge Langlois, Lefroy's uncle. It's one of the many roles in which Ian portrayed a fiercesome character. It wasn't a large part, but as was the norm with him, a telling one.

Amongst other members of a strong cast, were Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Laurence Fox and Anna Maxwell Martin.

It was filmed in Ireland and that particularly pleased Ian, as he and Maroussia filmed there a few times and always enjoyed visits to the country.

Ian Richardson - 7 April, 1934 - 9 February, 2007

photo (c) Sam Farr/Bath Chronicle

It is three years today since Ian's sudden passing. He is greatly missed by all those who came to know and appreciate him as a truly great, consumate and inventive actor and a warm, humorous and generous-hearted man.

Many of his great performances can still be watched and he will remain in our hearts and memories.

Evelyn - Play with Ian, on Radio 7, Mon 8 Feb

There are a series of plays by the late writer, Rhys Adrian, this coming week on Radio 7.

One of the plays, Evelyn , stars Ian and Pauline Collins. By a strange coincidence, the play being broadcast the next day, Tuesday 9 February - the 3rd Anniversary of Ian's untimely passing - is called Passing Through.


Ian starred in the tv version of Passing Through in 1982, with Lee Montague and Rosalie Crutchley. The director was Desmond Davis, who also directed Ian as Sherlock Holmes, in The Sign of Four , in 1983.

Evelyn is being broadcast at 11.15am on Monday, and repeated at 9.15pm on Monday and 2.15am on Tuesday, but doesn't appear to be available on BBCi Player, unfortunately.

A great British programme available on DVD - but only in Canada

I was absolutely delighted to learn that the 1984 series, Six Centuries of Verse
is coming out on DVD in April - only to learn that it is being released in Canada.

VideoCanada.CA - Acorn Media

You would think that a series made in the UK and starring John Gielgud, Ian Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and Julian Glover, amongst others, would be brought out on DVD in the UK. But alas, like many other British-made programmes it is not the case.

I contacted Acorn Media to ask if they would be releasing it on DVD in the UK and was told that there are no plans to do so. I guess I'll have to start saving.

In the meantime, here are a couple of reminders of this wonderful feast of recitation.

Stacy's further memories of Ian

In response to the Youtube tribute to Ian I highlighted in my last post, I recieved this message from Stacy Keach, who was one of the contributors to We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered :

Having enjoyed the honor and privilege of working with Ian on Mistral’s Daughter some years ago, I was particularly moved by this video, seeing the great man toward the end of his extraordinary life and career, in all his elegance and charm, his wickedly divine sense of humor, and his restless creative energy. He was the epitome of elegance, forever the perfect gentleman, even when long days of shooting were accompanied by their inevitable emotional toll. Ian was always in the midst of exploring the various behavioral choices challenging his furtive imagination, always eager to discover another, better way of expressing a moment. He was a consummate artist. So many of his wonderful performances are etched in my memory and in my heart. He was a great inspiration to me, and he was truly a great actor.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful tribute with all of us.
Stacy Keach

Mistral's Daughter is well worth watching.

Lovely YouTube Tribute

'Japlick', who was part of the Murder Rooms series, filmed in 2001, has put this footage of Ian on the set onto Youtube as a lovely tribute to him.





It brings back so many memories to me of spending time on the set of the original Murder Rooms story, filmed in Glasgow. It was a different actor, Robin Laing, playing Conan Doyle and the director was Paul Seed (who directed Ian in House of Cards, To Play the King and Booze Cruise II & III). Paul Marcus, who directed two of the four Murder Rooms stories in the series, The Photographer's Chair and The White Knight's Stratagem and also directed Ian in Imperium: Nero is the director in the footage.

Photos by Maroussia Richardson

The atmosphere in Glasgow was just as lovely as it was in the series.

The singer 'Japlick' used (after asking me for a suggestion) for the footage is Charles Trenet, a favourite of Ian's and by a coincidence, probably not known to him when he chose one of Trenet's songs, was used in what, from memory was the last movie Ian worked on (though it was released before Becoming Jane), Desaccord Parfait.