2 w. ago I Swear review – A crowdpleaser about Tourette syndrome that isn’t at all treacly

Inspired by the story of campaigner John Davidson, this British indie occasionally adheres to tearjerking genre formula, but is also nicely subtle and smart about its hero’s disorder

Politics

2 w. ago I Swear review – biopic of pioneering Tourette syndrome activist is funny, fierce and full of heart

Kirk Jones’s moving film about of John Davidson, the man who taught Britain about Tourette, offers compassion and catharsis Feelgood true-life heart-warmers about courageous people overcoming medical conditions are common enough. But not when that condition zaps and jabs and stabs at the genre itself, piercing the carapace of sentimentality while surreally commenting on the form and on the demure niceties of polite society, in which we all keep our thoughts to ourselves.Kirk Jones’s terrifically warm, generous film is about real-life activist John Davidson, who is from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders and has Tourette syndrome, with its tics, compulsive behaviour patterns and random obscene shouts. He was awarded an MBE in 2019 for his work educating the nation about the condition since he first exhibited its symptoms as a teenager in 1989, as captured in the BBC’s sensational documentary John’s Not Mad. I Swear contains a great performance from Robert Aramayo, full of intelligenc...

Politics

3 w. ago I Swear actor Robert Aramayo: ‘Like anybody who hasn’t had education, I thought it was all about swearing’

Formerly seen as a young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones and as Elrond in The Rings of Power, he is creating a buzz with his role as Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson. It taught him a lot, he says – but it’s a huge responsibilityKirk Jones was feeling nervous. The director was two weeks away from shooting his new film, a biopic of the pioneering Scottish Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, and he still hadn’t seen his lead actor perform any of the script. Jones had been impressed by Robert Aramayo in the supernatural Netflix series Behind Her Eyes, and liked the actor when they met over Zoom.He then invited him to Galashiels, to meet Davidson in his home town, where he was convinced Aramayo was the right choice for the role. “I was confident enough not to feel the need to meet 50 other actors and audition them,” he says. But “I didn’t ask him to read”, he admits. “Looking back, I think that was insane.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Actor Robert Aramayo: ‘Like anybody who hasn’t had the education, I thought Tourette’s was all about swearing’

Formerly seen as a young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones and as Elrond in The Rings of Power, Aramayo is creating a buzz with his role as the condition’s campaigner John Davidson in I Swear. It taught him a lot, he says – but it’s a huge responsibilityKirk Jones was feeling nervous. The director was two weeks away from shooting his new film, a biopic of the pioneering Scottish Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, and he still hadn’t seen his lead actor perform any of the script. Jones had been impressed by Robert Aramayo in the supernatural Netflix series Behind Her Eyes, and liked the actor when they met over Zoom.He then invited him to Galashiels, to meet Davidson in his home town, where he was convinced Aramayo was the right choice for the role. “I was confident enough not to feel the need to meet 50 other actors and audition them,” he says. But “I didn’t ask him to read”, he admits. “Looking back, I think that was insane.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Robbie Williams reveals health condition he is an ‘Olympian at masking’

The singer says he experiences ‘inside Tourettes’ related to past trauma around performing live

Politics

3 w. ago Robbie Williams reveals he's developed Tourette's after battling 'intrusive thoughts' and says he's 'terrified' to perform live

Robbie Williams has revealed for the first time he's secretly developed Tourette's syndrome.

Events

3 w. ago I Swear star Maxine Peake on impact John Davidson had on her understanding of Tourette syndrome as a young girl

Maxine Peake has explained the impact John Davidson had on her generation on understanding Tourette syndrome.

Politics

3 w. ago I Swear’s Peter Mullan on importance of acceptance when ‘governments are making us intolerant’

Peter Mullan has discussed the importance of acceptance at a time where “governments and populist leaders are making us all intolerant”.

Politics

3 w. ago How John Davidson used fishing to help actors tell his story in I Swear

John Davidson has revealed how he helped the actors who portrayed him in the film I Swear get into character - and it involved a fishing trip.

Politics

4 w. ago Steve Coogan, Paloma Faith and Maxine Peake head list of luvvies demanding Keir Starmer say Israel have committed genocide in Gaza

In a video released by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) ahead of the Labour Party conference, Steve Coogan, 59, said: 'Keir Starmer says it's not genocide, it is genocide.'

Politics

4 w. ago Steve Coogan among celebrities urging Starmer to say Israel committing genocide

It comes ahead of the Labour Party conference, which is being held in Liverpool from Sunday.

Politics