The Twist of a Knife

Acknowledgements

This was an uncomfortable book for me to write and I want to start by thanking my therapist, Dr Lisa Beach, for helping me work through my experiences. I also sought advice from Graham Bartlett, a former detective and author, who explained much of what happened at Tolpuddle Road and gave me useful information about MAPP and the Prison and Probation Service.

I am grateful to Graham Thompson, the theatre manager at the Vaudeville, who showed me round the theatre quite some time after Mindgame had closed, so that I could refresh my memory. I think it’s only fair to mention that the backstage area has been redecorated and modernised since the events described in this book. I also owe an apology, I think, to the director Christopher Nolan. I could not disagree more with Tirian’s view of Tenet and note that he had clearly not seen the finished script as, ultimately, no scenes were shot in Paris.

Before I began writing this book, I had a memorable lunch with Michael Billington, who gave me many insights into the world of the drama critic and assured me that Harriet Throsby was really one of a kind. I am also grateful to Paterson Joseph, a wonderful actor (who has worked with my wife) who helped me come to grips with and not to be afraid of the issues discussed in Chapter 15.

Sophie Comninos is not the real name of the woman who killed her husband (mentioned in Chapter 8), but a generous supporter of the National Youth Theatre who bid at a charity auction to appear in this book.

My relationship with Hilda Starke has come under a lot of strain recently and it’s only thanks to the work put in by her assistant, Jonathan Lloyd, that I have remained with the agency. I am glad to say that Steve Frost (of Frost and Longhurst) has agreed to help me with my tax affairs. My own assistant, Tess Cutler, organises my life and keeps me sane. I couldn’t have written this without her support.

My wife, Jill Green, has been as brilliant as she always is, somehow finding time to read the manuscript between running a production company, moving house and managing the family. She has forgiven me for not telling her about my arrest and interrogation. And my sister, Caroline Dow, really was the first person to believe in Mindgame, so everything that happened was her fault.

Finally, my thanks to my brilliant publishers – not just a company but a bunch of supremely talented people who all deserve to be named and who therefore appear on the next page. For what it’s worth, there were at least thirty errors in the finished book. My dear editor, Selina Walker, spotted them all!