REYNARD READ BY JOHN NETTLES

Friends,

Delighted to announce a collaboration with actor John Nettles who has leant his fine voice to a new recording, delivering an exquisite reading of my long poem ‘Reynard’ – a contemporary retelling of the medieval fox tale. With audio previews and streaming coming next month ‘Reynard’ will be released as a limited edition LP in November returning poetry to the fluent grooves of the vinyl format, reminiscent of Burton’s mellifluous readings of Dylan Thomas. 

Best known for his TV work – in particular the title role in ‘Bergerac’ (1981–1991) and as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby in ‘Midsomer Murders’ (1997–2011) – Nettles is no stranger to literary projects voicing audio books and recording ‘The Nations Favourite Poems’ for the BBC. 

I first worked with John on ‘Speaking Dante’, a live and streamed 24 hour staged reading of the entire ‘Divine Comedy’. In a cast that included Ralph Fiennes and Helen Mirren, John’s delivery was magnificent and I began to wonder whether he’d ever consider reading some of my work. So I dropped him a tentative line. Enthusiastically he replied. The fox was was running…

“Reynard arrived with the orange sun riding on his back and his past woven into the golden fibres of his stooping shoulders…”