This Channel 4/Wildgaze/Scala feature film is an adaptation of Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch"--it was filmed over 6 weeks in Maidenhead and London. This version is a romantic comedy that is only loosely based on the book. Colin Firth stars as the Hornby character Paul Ashworth, a football-loving teacher. Neil plays his father in the childhood flashbacks set in the late 1960s.
The UK Premiere was at the Empire Leicester Square, a gala occasion in aid of Comic Relief. The Lafta awards were presented before the showing of the film and some odd nominations for funny people in the movies were made (Jim Carrey as film's funniest man? I don't think so...). Lots of gorgeous people were there including all the cast of Fever Pitch, sport media people like Nick Hancock and David Baddiel (who are all dead short by the way), ex-footie players and the ubiquitous Men Behaving Badly. And of course Neil was there (he arrived at the last minute), and your web page editor, me!
Neil looked fab, shook my hand and remembered my name. Hurrah! He had a rather nice young dusky lady in a velvety blue
cocktail frock with him for all of you who like to know these things. He was friendly and kind as
usual. The piccies have come out so I'll be scanning them in shortly!!
The film is great by the way...excellent. If you have ever been to a footie match this will press all the right emotional buttons. I had to resist leaping in the air when Arsenal scored a goal. Colin Firth (who is rather dishy in real life ) is excellent as is Luke Aikman who plays Paul as a child. Neil has a supporting role, is forced to wear polo necks, flares in brown and sideburns. Well thats the end of his career as a sex symbol :-)
Other Fever Pitch links....
The rest of the cast includes Ken Stott (also in Rhodes), Ruth Gemmell, Holly Aird, Mark Strong and Lorraine Ashbourne. Film Four Distribution are distributing it in the UK and Polygram have the non-UK distribution rights. The film was the "surprise hit" of the Milan Film Market according to Variety.