Vivian MacKerrell – who really did drink lighter fluid – shared a house with Withnail and I director Bruce Robinson
And judging by recently unearthed diaries kept by one of the struggling actors the film was based on, it’s clear to see how that kind of dialogue came so easy.
His diaries chronicle the squalid life endured and – with the help of a cocktail of cheap wine, lighter fluid and benefits payments – enjoyed by the pair during their time as skint creatives living in Camden Town. “After a pint, I read and corrected more of Withnail and I, his book and when he came back we opened the bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé that L had put out in the windowbox to chill.”They have never been seen outside of MacKerrell’s friends and family, and give fresh insight into the inspiration behind the film, as the actor speaks about his mouse-ridden flat, his 30th birthday and feelings about seeing friends move on with their lives.
A set of photographs of MacKerrell, including unseen negatives from a Vogue photoshoot, will also be included with the two diaries. Sotheby’s books and manuscripts specialist, Gabriel Heaton, said: “Vivian MacKerrell’s diaries are a wonderful discovery.
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