Hebden Bridge Times website – 8th October, 2012

Richard E Grant and Grace Nichols with young poets in front of statue of Sir John Betjeman.

Winning wordsmith Hugo Grundy walked away with a £1,000 prize after scooping the 2012 John Betjeman Poetry Competition for Young People in London.

Actor Richard E Grant awarded the 10 year old, a pupil at Riverside Junior School, Hebden Bridge, his prize in a ceremony held at St Pancras International on National Poetry Day on Thursday.

More than 3,000 school children entered the competition, with Hugo taking the prize, to be shared with the English department at his school, for his poem, titled ‘Peter’s Room’.

Hugo said: “I’m delighted because it’s the biggest competition I have ever entered. When I came up to read my poem I felt quite intense and shaky but when I got into reading it I felt proud and calm.”

Hugo was invited to read his poem on the station concourse at St Pancras International, London during National Poetry Day. The reading took place next to the bronze statue of Sir John Betjeman, a former Poet Laureate. Following the prize-giving there were refreshments and afternoon tea at the Betjeman Arms.

See more details and pictures in Thursday’s Hebden Bridge Times at www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk.

ScreenDaily.com – 4th October, 2012

By Andreas Wiseman

Demian Bichir, Emilia Clarke, Jumayn Hunter and Madalina Ghenea join Jude Law and Richard E. Grant in Richard Shepard’s black comedy “Dom Hemingway”.

The London-set black comedy from writer/director Richard Shepard starts shoot on October 15 on location in the south of France.

Law plays the title role of Dom Hemingway, a larger-than-life safecracker with a loose fuse. After twelve years in prison, he travels to the south of France to collect what he’s owed from a crime boss. But when things take a turn for the worse, Hemingway decides to reconnect with his long-lost daughter (Clarke).

Bichir was Oscar-nominated this year for his role in A Better Life. Former Screen Star of Tomorrow Clarke played in Game of Thrones and stars in Mat Whitecross’ upcoming Spike Island.

Jumayn Hunter appeared in UK TV’s Coming Up and starred in Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block. He also plays in upcoming drama Quartet, directed by Dustin Hoffman.

Romanian actress and fashion model Madalina Ghenea began her acting career in Italy, and has appeared in the features I Soliti Idioti, Roman e il suo Cucciolo, and as the lead in Razza Bastarda.

Jeremy Thomas said: “With these great players in addition to Jude Law and Richard E. Grant, the cast promises acting fireworks”.

Tatler.com – 28th September, 2012

Royal Shakespeare Company actors don’t go home after a press night performance. No way, José. So when the curtain came down at the Noel Coward Theatre after their production of Much Ado About Nothing last night – Iqbal Khan is the director and has set the play in India – the cast didn’t go to bed early.They polished off a few post-show flutes of champagne, trotted off to Salvador & Amanda where fellow cast member Muzz Khan got behind the decks – he DJs at Ministry of Sound now and then, actually – sipped wine and scoffed onion bhaji’s with Richard E Grant, Samantha Bond and Zoe Wanamaker until the clock struck 2am.

REG and Bjork present the 1996 MTV Europe Award for best male artist to George Michael.

Qthemusic.com – 24th September, 2012

Playlist – Richard E Grant’s “Swaziland soundtrack” feat David Bowie, Beatles, Elton John, Deep Purple & more

Despite a knack for playing quintessential Englishmen brilliant, Richard E Grant actually grew up Swaziland. With his film First Night out on DVD today (24 September) the actor has produced us a soundtrack inspired by life in his first home.

Millie – My Boy Lollipop
“First pop record I ever owned. It was a bright coloured 45 and endlessly played till it got warped by the sun.”

The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
“As far removed from life in Swaziland as it was possible to imagine and unforgettable. Endless hours identifying who was on Peter Blake’s iconic cover.”

Carol King – Tapestry
“Played by every American Peace Corps volunteer who brought hippie-dom to the Kingdom and dismissed by the colonial old guard for being, Anti-Vietnam draught dodgers.”

David Bowie – Pin Ups
“Day I bought it, went out and got the pom-pom and mullet haircut, or local version thereof, and was nicknamed Bowie for a term.”

Nat King Cole – When I Fall In Love
“That voice, those lush romantic strings and the sound of the late 50s before my parents fell out of love with each other.”

Paul Simon – There Goes Rhyming Simon
“Even the upbeat stuff has a melancholic undertow which perfectly chimed with my troubled adolescence, coping with my father’s alcoholism.”

Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
“How many times can you play an LP before you go completely insane? was the question my father asked after hearing this blasting in my bedroom for about a year.”

Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water
“Again this Underground album prompted my parentals to regularly joke that they wished it was, Dead and buried and the sooner the better.”

Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life
“This unbeatable double album soundtracked through my four years at university in the late seventies and every track a reminder of who I shagged, got stoned with or danced to.”

Elton John – Blue
“Another double album whose every song I knew back to front and sideways, memory crammed as it was the year I left home.”

First Night, starring Richard E Grant and Sarah Brightman is out now on DVD.