John Preston | |
---|---|
Born | 1953 (age 70–71) |
Nationality | English |
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).
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]
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]
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]