04 Wednesday Oct 2017
Posted in Profumo Affair, Television
≈ Comments Off on BBC Plans Profumo Drama
The Profumo Affair has been the subject of two films (The Keeler Affair, Scandal), several plays, and a West End musical. Now the BBC is planning a six-part drama about the controversy, Yahoo reports. Continue reading
17 Thursday Mar 2016
Posted in Books, Profumo Affair, Updates, Wicked Baby
≈ Comments Off on ‘Wicked Baby’ Back in Print
Tags
Christine Keeler, John Profumo, Mandy Rice-Davies, Profumo Affair, Stephen Ward, Tara Hanks, Wicked Baby
I’m happy to announce that Wicked Baby, my novella based on the events of the Profumo Affair, is now back in print. This edition includes an afterword and six further articles about the scandal’s lasting impact, which first appeared in the Kindle version. You can order it now for £5.24 from Amazon UK, or $7.45 in the US.
08 Wednesday Oct 2014
Posted in Books, History, Profumo Affair, Updates, Wicked Baby, Writing
≈ Comments Off on ‘Wicked Baby’ on Kindle
Tags
Christine Keeler, Ebooks, Kindle, Mandy Rice-Davies, Profumo Affair, Stephen Ward, Tara Hanks, Wicked Baby
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and five articles about the scandal’s lasting impact on society and popular culture, two of which are previously unpublished.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
… and many more!
17 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in Anniversaries, History, Profumo Affair, Television, Wicked Baby
Tags
Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Christine Keeler, Documentaries, ITV, John Profumo, Mandy Rice-Davies, Profumo Affair, Sex Lies and A Very British Scapegoat, Stephen Ward
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
06 Sunday Oct 2013
Posted in Art and Photography, History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
Tags
1960s, Barry Humphries, Beyond the Fringe, Bradford, Christine Keeler, Dame Edna Everage, Edina Ronay, Jean Shrimpton, Joe Orton, Lewis Morley, National Media Museum, Private Eye, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
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
26 Thursday Sep 2013
Posted in History, Profumo Affair, Radio, Theatre, Wicked Baby
≈ Comments Off on Rumours
Tags
BBC, Christine Keeler, Christopher Booker, Colin Shindler, Harold Macmillan, John Profumo, Private Eye, Profumo Affair, Radio 4, Richard Ingrams, Rumours, Satire, Stephen Ward, Timothy Bligh, Wicked Baby, Willie Rushton
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
09 Monday Sep 2013
Posted in Art and Photography, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
Tags
Barry Fantoni, Christine Keeler, Lewis Morley, Mandy Rice-Davies, Michael Ward, National Portrait Gallery, Pauline Boty, Profumo Affair, Scandal 63, Solihull, Stephen Ward, Tom Blau
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
03 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted in Books, History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
≈ Comments Off on 50 Years Ago: Stephen Ward Dies
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
10 Wednesday Jul 2013
Posted in History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
≈ Comments Off on Kiss and Tell: Fifty Years of Scandal
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.
05 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in History, Profumo Affair, Wicked Baby
John Profumo, Secretary for War, resigned on June 5th, 1963, after admitting he lied about his affair with Christine Keeler. Here’s how it unfolded, from my novella, Wicked Baby: Continue reading
