During the COVID lockdowns, I was fortunate enough to have woodland and open fields close to home. Walking the dogs became a daily escape, a chance to get outside, clear my head and enjoy a degree of freedom at a time when so much of ordinary life had been taken away. That freedom also made me think about people who didn’t have the same opportunity. My wife works on a hospital ward where the patients cannot simply decide to leave. For them, being confined to one place was not

Potential spoilers for The Dark Vicar ahead.... There is a reason people talk about the “difficult second album.” The first time around, you have the freedom of the unknown. Nobody is waiting for the story, nobody has expectations, and there is no established world you can accidentally contradict. You can discover the characters as you write them and change almost anything without worrying about what has gone before. Writing a sequel is different. With Dark Vicar, I was intro

Artificial intelligence inspires strong opinions, particularly when the conversation turns to creativity. Some see it as an exciting new tool, while others regard it as a threat to writers, artists, musicians and filmmakers. I understand many of those concerns, but my own view is broadly optimistic. I see AI as liberating. Creative ambition has always been limited by access as well as ability. Someone might have an idea for a film but lack the money or technical knowledge to