Simon Rumley, the director of classic independent British films such as Crowhurst, The Living and The Dead and Once Upon A Time In London has written a novel called The Wobble Club which he is now crowd-funding.
‘Towards the end of 2019, I needed a rest from film-making’ Rumley told us, ‘And had always wanted to write a novel. The story I chose is one that I wasn’t that interested in turning into a film so it made sense to try writing it in prose. As I started the process, it coincided with Covid so I spent the whole of the first and the majority of the second lock-down writing in my study.’ The Wobble Club is about a morbidly obese couple who live in South London and what happens when one of them decides to go on a diet but the other refuses.
‘It doesn’t have the violence that a lot of my films have but it still has most the other elements my best films share - emotional empathy, outsiders, some wtf moments and ultimately a tragic event which unfolds slowly but surely. That said, I’ve added humour to the writing and I’d like to think the novel shares a dark sense of humour, often peculiar to the British. Once people read it, I don’t think they’ll ever forget it.’
Rewards from Rumley’s crowd-funding campaign include going for a Big Mac Meal in McDonalds with Rumley, going for a Full English breakfast with Rumley in South London or having a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream with him in Wardour Street.
We wish Rumley every success with what we are sure will be a thought-provoking and unique read.
