SMOKING IN BED

Conversations with Bruce Robinson

From Withnail and I to Thomas Penman, the inimitable, outrageous and unforgettable writer and director in conversation...

‘I’ve sometimes thought in the dead of night, “Look at your life, Bruce, rip out the writing, and with all these boiling frustrations and opinions what would you be?” I’d be in trouble, wouldn’t I? Or I’d be in jail...’

Hard-talking, boisterous, frank and forthright, Bruce Robinson reveals to Alistair Owen the truth about his work and life in a series of exclusive interviews. Talking candidly about his entire career; his acting, writing and directing, and the many tussles he has faced with Hollywood moguls, this is Bruce Robinson as you’ve never seen or heard him before.

Praise for Smoking in Bed

‘The most purely likeable book about cinema I have ever read. Robinson talks about his profession in a way that is astonishingly clear-headed, funny and wise’ David Hare, Guardian, Books of the Year

‘Furious and lyrical’ Christopher Bray, Sunday Times

‘Thanks to Alistair Owen’s thorough knowledge, these conversations are consistently enthralling, exhibiting impressive political and artistic consciousness and, of course, the famed razor wit . . . Difficult to surpass’ Michael Mellor, Observer

‘The next best thing to a one-to-one’ Time Out

‘Intelligent, honest and pungently expressed, the recollections of Robinson are a treat’ Christopher Hirst, Independent

‘With his spontaneous remarks reading like polished prose, these conversations are a reminder of how entertaining the man can be’ Laurence Phelan, Independent on Sunday

‘A goldmine of wit, wisdom and plain old bitchiness’ Clark Collis, Empire

‘Robinson’s conversations are wonderfully entertaining. His own jaundiced view of the film industry, his adventures and misadventures within it and the creative obsessions that drive him are all pungently and wittily expressed’ Nick Rennison, Sunday Times

‘Delivers untold intrigue . . . A rare and fulsome entertainment’ Roy Wilkinson, Select

‘Reveals Robinson to be as lavishly down-at-heel, inspired and deadpan subversive as Withnail, his creation’ Daily Mail

‘Owen turns out to be a knowledgeable and persistent questioner, and Robinson a candid interviewee who’s able to assess his own chequered career with perspicacity . . . From these conversations comes an acute sense of the screenwriter’s lot’ Tom Dawson, Total Film

‘Funny and illuminating in equal measure’ Hugh MacDonald, Glasgow Herald

‘A fascinating series of conversations . . . A truly satisfying read . . . An illuminating portrait of an artist as an angry middle-aged man – and a must for anyone who believes that Withnail and I is one of the finest moments in the history of British cinema’ Robert Beaumont, Yorkshire Post

‘Robinson’s fiery intelligence blazes through . . . every sentence testament to his brilliant way with language’ Nova

‘Recommended reading for any young screenwriter, or indeed anyone with even a casual interest in the film trade’ Peter Murphy, Hot Press

‘A cracking book of interviews’ Chris Burke, Loaded

‘Owen’s questions have been phrased tactfully enough to get answers, but pertinently enough to get significant ones . . . It’s alive with Robinson’s voice, his turn of phrase, his passionate digressions. It’s as if it has sneaked up on literature by not ever considering itself as such . . . His conversation is a work of art’ Nicholas Lezard’s Choice, Guardian