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Spectator
15-07-2025
- General
- Spectator
We've missed an important clue about The Salt Path fiasco
When the truth of Raynor Winn's The Salt Path was called into question, many commentators jumped in with both feet; as Sam Leith astutely pointed out in The Spectator, there is nothing the English like so much as a good disappointment. Winn continues to contest the allegations which have cast doubt over the truth of the 2018 memoir. She also issued a statement talking of 'the physical and spiritual journey Moth (her husband) and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey'. I believe her about the essential truth of the actual journey, both in The Salt Path and in the later book Landlines that I reviewed in The Spectator. But I can also see how she might have been led to dissemble so badly about the circumstances that led to that journey. There is a clue no one has noticed in an interview she gave to Big Issue back in 2017, when she launched the first book and was completely unknown: We were regularly asked: 'How come you have enough time to walk so far?' When we told the truth, children were held closer, dogs retracted on leads, doors were closed and conversations ended very quickly. The view from the rural idyll is that losing your home and becoming homeless makes you a social pariah. So, we twisted our story [my emphasis] – we had sold our home and become homeless, and the general view then was that we were inspirational. It became a game, to observe how changing one word changed reactions. 'So, we twisted our story.' It ties in with the phenomenon of confabulation with which I've long been fascinated and had some considerable suitable personal experience of when my father developed dementia – and wrote about in One Man and a Mule – as it is often associated with that disease. Confabulation is a disturbance of memory, defined as 'the production of fabricated, distorted or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world.' And one of its most salient features is that if you repeat a story often enough, to yourself or others, you come to believe it is true because you remember telling it – even if you do not want, or are not able to remember the actual events it describes. You remember the telling of the story more than you do the actual events. I suspect Raynor may have become so adept at telling an acceptable story to those she met on the walk that, when it came to writing the book, she maintained the confabulation. The story became yet more 'twisted'. Not only may this have been fatal to her reputation – for both film and book were marketed very heavily on the veracity: 'this is what real life is like' – but it was completely unnecessary. All readers need to know is they have no money and no home, so begin walking. There was no need at all to explain the circumstances, let alone construct a false narrative in which they were the victims rather than, as it seems, allegedly the perpetrators in this messy story. The issue of whether Moth does or does not suffer from a degenerative disease and whether walking helped alleviate this seems a much more tendentious and tasteless one for the Observer – which first brought these allegations to light – to raise as a collateral claim. Medicine and therapeutic cures can behave oddly. My own father was given a prognosis of seven years for his vascular dementia. He lived for another ten years beyond that. And Moth did not write this book. I would like to remember Winn for the attention she brought to the phenomenon of rural poverty – which I tried to do myself in my books about walking across England. This is the succeeding paragraph in the Big Issue Interview: Sheltering inland away from a storm, we discovered an invisible community. A group of people, who lived and worked in a beautiful spot, but couldn't afford to rent even a room in an area of high-value holiday rentals. After work, they drifted along a wooded valley to sleep in hammocks strung in sheds, horse boxes, and grain silos. Not travellers, or dependent rough sleepers, but average people who just couldn't afford a home in the countryside where their livelihood was. This story also raises some questions about publishers' expectations of travel books; their increasing demand that there always has to be some redemptive arc, which may explain, though not excuse, why she felt she had to give a moral imperative. There was a time when a travel writer would set off with a spring in their step: Coleridge knocking the bristles from a broom in his impatience to make it a walking stick; Laurie Lee heading forth one midsummer morning; Patrick Leigh Fermor singing as he headed down a lane. To travel was an expression of freedom and exploration; to step out of the front door the beginning of a great adventure. Not any more. Today's travel writers come troubled and weary before they've even begun. A journey can no longer be a jeu d'esprit. It has to be undertaken to expiate some deep trauma. It is almost as if, in today's New Puritanism, it has to be painful. One thinks of the old nursery rhyme: 'Wednesday's child is full of woe/ Thursday's child has far to go.' Recent bestselling examples of this genre have all followed the same principle: Cheryl Strayed's Wild: From Lost to Found treated walking as necessary psychotherapy; Guy Stagg's The Crossway was billed as 'a journey to recovery'. Raynor's The Salt Path, telling of a couple escaping from eviction and illness. If anything comes out of this very sad tale, perhaps it can be that we no longer demand that all our travel books begin in tragedy; and that the journey can just be taken for its own sake.
Metro
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Nobody's got $4,500,000': The moment Beatles legend saved Monty Python
Eric Idle has opened up on how one unlikely music legend saved Monty Python when all hope seemed lost. Idle – alongside John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Sir Michael Palin – founded the comedy troupe in 1969, which came to prominence with sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. Live shows, books, albums, musicals, and hit films followed, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life. Despite the success of 1975's Holy Grail, Life of Brian almost never came to be, with funding issues befalling the project. That's when The Beatles star George Harrison came in, with the musician giving the group around $4.5 million (£3.3M) to make the film a reality. 'For a while, we had no money. Lew Grade read it and just went nuts. He said, we can't possibly make this. I went to America to find money,' Idle told Big Issue, The Standard reported. 'I had been talking to George Harrison, who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry.' And I thought, well, nobody's got $4.5million (£3.3m).' But when everybody had turned them down, Harrison called Idle to let him know he had obtained the money for them. 'He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do,' he continued. It's not the first hurdle that Life of Brian faced, a film which follows the titular Brian, who just so happens to be born in a stable on the same night as Jesus Christ. It was immediately labelled blasphemous, both for its portrayal of Christianity as well as its shocking final scenes, which see Brian crucified, something many said 'mocked Jesus' suffering'. It was banned in Norway and Ireland, and screenings were stopped in some parts of the UK. Life of Brian continues to cause controversy due to its themes today, as well as transgender jokes that have become subject to furious debates. Idle's comments come after he revealed he went to hospital 'twice in three days' last month after an unexpected health scare. More Trending He wrote on X: 'I'd like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff in the Cedars GI ward for their kindness and help to me today. The second time in three days.' Eric is currently based in Los Angeles, California, and he thanked the hospital staff at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre before revealing the extent of his current health problems. 'I think I'm suffering from gastroenteritis,' he tweeted, before signing off with a message for his fans who were worried about him: 'I love you people.' View More » Last year, the comedian said that he probably 'shouldn't be alive' after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, which left him needing surgery. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Epic' sci-fi series returns to streaming — and four more shows to binge this month MORE: Man arrested after 'disgusting' plot to blackmail beloved TV comedy star uncovered MORE: BBC quietly adds second season of TV series fans hailed 'bizarrely dark'
Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Monty Python's Eric Idle says he's had a 'reprieve' after cancer
Eric Idles was among the comedic geniuses behind the revolutionary sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus Actor and comedian Eric Idle has expressed gratitude for 'every single day' after overcoming pancreatic cancer. The Monty Python star, 82, received an early diagnosis in 2019 and was successfully treated for the illness. Now, in a heartfelt 'Letter To My Younger Self' for the Big Issue, he's once again reflected on the ordeal. "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols [director of The Graduate]," he wrote. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller [a British public thinker and former comedian]. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Eric also looked back on some of the challenges in financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, a film whose creators received assistance from Beatles icon George Harrison. He said: "For a while we had no money. (Media impresario) Lew Grade read it and just went nuts. He said, 'We can't possibly make this'. I went to America to find money. "I had been talking to George Harrison, who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Eric, alongside John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, and Sir Michael Palin, were the comedic geniuses behind the revolutionary sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. The series was a massive success, with 45 episodes produced from 1969 to 1974. It also gave rise to five films, including the 1975 classic 'The Holy Grail', which later inspired the hit musical 'Spamalot', penned by Eric himself. For more insights, catch the full interview with Eric Idle in the Big Issue, available now.
STV News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Eric Idle says he feels ‘lucky every single day' after surviving cancer
Actor and comedian Eric Idle has said he feels lucky 'every single day' after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he had received an early diagnosis and been successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star said: 'I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols. 'I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. 'You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. 'I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day.' Idle also reflected on some of the issues financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators receive help from Beatles star George Harrison. He said: 'For a while we had no money. (Media impresario) Lew Grade read it and just went nuts. He said, we can't possibly make this. I went to America to find money. 'I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. 'But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. 'He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do.' Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot – written by Idle – is based. Read the full interview with Idle in the Big Issue, out now. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
RTÉ News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Eric Idle says he feels 'lucky every single day' after surviving cancer
Actor and comedian Eric Idle has said he feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he had received an early diagnosis and been successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star said: "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. "I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Idle also reflected on some of the issues financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators receive help from Beatles star George Harrison. He said: "For a while we had no money. (Media impresario) Lew Grade read it and just went nuts. He said, we can't possibly make this. I went to America to find money. "I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. "He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot – written by Idle – is based.
