John Preston (English author)

Last updated
John Preston
Born1953 (age 70–71)
NationalityEnglish
Alma mater Marlborough College
Occupation(s)Journalist, novelist
Notable work A Very English Scandal
Spouse Susanna Gross
Relatives John Gross (father-in-law)
Miriam Gross (mother-in-law)
Tom Gross (brother-in-law)
Margaret Guido (aunt)

John Preston (born 1953) is an English journalist and novelist. He is the author of books and screenplays which became successful films on Netflix ( The Dig with Ralph Fiennes, Lily James and Carey Mulligan) and award-winning series on BBC ( A Very English Scandal with Hugh Grant) and on ITV ( Stonehouse , with Matthew Macfadyen).

Contents

Career

John Preston attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire from 1967 to 1971. [1] He worked as the Arts Editor of The Evening Standard and The Sunday Telegraph . He was The Sunday Telegraph's television critic for ten years and one of its chief feature writers. [2]

Preston wrote four novels between 1996 and 2007. All are set in England in the recent past: Ghosting in the world of radio and television in the 1950s; Ink in the dying days of Fleet Street's importance in journalism in the 1980s; Kings of the Roundhouse in strife-torn London in the 1970s; and The Dig in the 1930s. Preston wrote The Dig, a novelised account of the Sutton Hoo archaeological dig, after discovering that his aunt had been one of the key participants. [3] The Dig has been made into a feature film starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James, released on Netflix in 2021. [4]

A Very English Scandal , Preston's non-fiction account of the Jeremy Thorpe affair of the 1970s, was adapted into a television miniseries starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw in 2018. His 2020 non-fiction book, Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell , won the Costa Book Award for biographies in 2021, and is being adapted for television by Working Title. [5] In 2022, Preston authored the script for Stonehouse , a television series biography of disgraced politician John Stonehouse. [6] .

Preston's most recent book, Watford Forever, examining the takeover of Watford F.C. by Sir Elton John and written in collaboration with John himself, was published in November 2023. [7] [8] [9]

In 2022 Preston worked as the screenwriter on Runners, a television drama series about the Bow Street Runners, [10] and in late 2023 he worked on a mini-series based on Liz Truss's short-lived tenure as Prime Minister, entitled 49 Days. [11]

Critical assessments

The Sunday Times reviewer of Ink said, "With a rare gift for both humour and desolation, Preston is a brilliant new player in the field of serious comedy." [12] Reviewing Kings of the Roundhouse in The Guardian , Harry Ritchie called it "that unusual thing – an intelligent comic novel that really is very funny". [13] The Labour politician Chris Mullin said A Very English Scandal was "probably the most forensic, elegantly written and compelling account of one of the 20th century's great political scandals ... a real page-turner" and an "entertaining mix of tragedy and farce". [14] The Guardian's reviewer of Fall praised Preston's "great skill at exposing hypocrisy and subterfuge" and his "eye for the telling detail and an ear for the revealing quote". [15]

Family

Preston lives in London. He is married to journalist and bridge columnist Susanna Gross and his brother-in law is political commentator Tom Gross. [16]

Books

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References

  1. ↑ "OMs in 2021 Bafta nominations". The Marlburian Club. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "John Preston". Cliveden Literary Festival. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Preston, John (29 April 2007). "My buried history". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  4. ↑ Blakemore, Erin (29 January 2021). "Why this famed Anglo-Saxon ship burial was likely the last of its kind". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Costa Book Awards 2021 category winners announced". Costa. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Stonehouse:The true story that inspired the ITV drama starring Matthew MacFayden". The Independent.
  7. ↑ "New Elton John & Graham Taylor Book To Launch This November". Watford FC. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Viking signs 'inspiring' story of Watford FC, Elton John and Graham Taylor from Preston". The Bookseller . 30 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Watford Forever". Penguin. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Yossman, K. J. (7 September 2022). "Banijay Rights Sets New Returning Drama Series 'Runners' With Writer John Preston, Clearwood Films". Variety. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  11. ↑ Singh, Anita (3 October 2023). "Liz Truss's 49 days in power to be subject of new drama series". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  12. ↑ John O'Farrell, This Is Your Life, Random House, London, 2012, p. 333.
  13. ↑ Ritchie, Harry (23 October 2004). "Fast and loose". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  14. ↑ Mullin, Chris (9 May 2016). "A Very English Scandal review – Jeremy Thorpe's fall continues to fascinate". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Duncan (31 January 2021). "Fall by John Preston review". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Susanna Gross". The English Bridge Union. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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