Category Archives: Profumo Affair

‘Art Decades’: Pauline Boty, and More

05 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by in Art and Photography, Magazines, Marilyn Monroe, Profumo Affair

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Art Decades is a new print magazine featuring a variety of perspectives on everything from film to music to fashion, and beyond, from a large number of writers from all over the world. I’m delighted that my article, ‘Pauline Boty: Pop Artist and Woman’, is featured in the second issue.

Created by Kelley and Jeremy Richey (who runs the Moon in the Gutter blog), Art Decades also includes a cover story on The Raveonettes; an interview with Mary Woronov, and a profile of Cannon Films’ Menahem Golan; tributes to Lou Reed and Joy Division; art by Jeanie Laub, and photography by Whitley Brandenburg and Dylan Staley.

It’s a beautiful magazine, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Buy now from Amazon UK for £9.33; on Amazon US; or direct via Paypal, from the Art Decades website. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in memory of actress Marie Dubois.

Remembering Mandy Rice-Davies

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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Mandy Rice-Davies, photographed by Bryan Wharton, 1986.

Photo by Bryan Wharton, 1986. (National Portrait Gallery, London)

My life has been one long descent into respectability.

I woke up this morning to the news that Marilyn Foreman – better known as Mandy Rice-Davies, whose very name still conjures bittersweet memories of the Profumo Affair, more than half a century later – died last night after a short battle with cancer. I am shocked and sad – she was so full of energy and wit that I thought nothing would stop her. I never knew her personally but she was a huge part of my creative life. And as a woman, her refusal to be cowed by sexual hypocrisy was incredibly inspiring.

Peter Stanford has written an excellent obituary for The Guardian, and you can read some of my own Mandy-related posts here.

‘Wicked Baby’ on Kindle

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Books, History, Profumo Affair, Updates, Wicked Baby, Writing

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I’m proud to announce that Wicked Baby, my 2004 novella about the events of the Profumo Affair, is now available to download via Kindle. This new edition includes an afterword, and five articles about the scandal’s lasting impact on society and popular culture, two of which are previously unpublished. The ebook is available on Amazon worldwide, and will set you back around £2.24, or $3.02 in the US. You can read the first three chapters before purchasing. So to all you e-readers, have at it – and if you like it, please add a quick review and rating on Amazon! More details later…

Preview or buy now in the UK

USA

Australia

Canada

France

Germany

… and many more!

Sex, Lies and a Very British Scapegoat

17 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Anniversaries, History, Profumo Affair, Television, Wicked Baby

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Sex, Lies and A Very British Scapegoat was first broadcast on ITV1 on December 22nd, 2013. Presented by the composer and theatrical impresario, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, the documentary marks the end of a year’s reflection on the Profumo Affair, half a century after the first scandal erupted. Focussing on one man’s downfall, the programme also coincides with the opening of Stephen Ward: The Musical. Continue reading →

Lewis Morley 1925-2013

06 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by in Art and Photography, History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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Lewis Morley (photo by Graham Crouch)

Lewis Morley (photo by Graham Crouch)

Lewis Morley, perhaps best-known for his iconic portrait of Christine Keeler, died on September 3rd, aged 83. Continue reading →

Rumours

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in History, Profumo Affair, Radio, Theatre, Wicked Baby

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Lord Denning’s report on the Profumo Affair was published fifty years this week. Though dismissed as a government whitewash, its steamy topic made this official enquiry an unlikely bestseller.  At the same time, a very different version was unfolding in the pages of a new satirical magazine, Private Eye. This is the subject of Colin Shindler’s radio play, Rumours. Continue reading →

Scandal ’63

09 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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Scandal ’63, currently a wall display in Room 32 of London’s National Portrait Gallery, takes its name (and logo) from journalist Clive Irving’s account of the Profumo Affair, published fifty years ago. Continue reading →

50 Years Ago: Stephen Ward Dies

03 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Books, History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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On the last day of Dr Stephen Ward‘s infamous trial, the jury went out, and Stephen returned home to his London flat. The next morning, he was discovered unconscious, having overdosed on sleeping pills. He died several days later, on August 3rd, 1963 – having been convicted in his absence.

Whatever his personal flaws, Ward did not live off immoral earnings as charged. He is now widely accepted to have been a scapegoat for Profumo, Astor and others implicated in the scandal, and his tragic fate is a reminder of the true cost of English hypocrisy.

In this extract from my novella, Wicked Baby, Christine Keeler – the model at the centre of the Profumo Affair, and Stephen’s former friend – reflects on his passing. Continue reading →

Kiss and Tell: Fifty Years of Scandal

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby

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Fifty years on, the Profumo Affair is still news – though the story has largely been told by men. Today I’m looking back at the memoirs of Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies – and female writers’ perspectives on the scandal, both then and now – over at For Books’ Sake.