Interview with Franklyn McCabe
Brighton-based playwright Franklyn McCabe’s dramatic monologue Ten Men, based on the life of notorious British actor and gangster John ‘Biffo’ Bindon, was first performed at the Old Market in Brighton in 2011. McCabe’s effervescent script authentically depicts the highs and lows of a remarkable man, who by his own admission “lived the lives of ten men.”
Mixing in fashion, film and music circles throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, the irrepressible and infamous John Bindon transcended his working class origins, spells in prison and fearsome reputation as a hard man, garnering a host of film roles, society admirers and girlfriends along the way.
The King’s Road and the taverns of Kensington & Chelsea became a playground for the decadent, party-loving ‘it crowd’ of the day, but alongside this glamorous new life, Bindon remained loyal to his old Fulham mates, and continued to dabble in criminality, retaining links with the likes of the Kray twins.
Over a decade after its Brighton debut, CueLine Productions are taking this quick-witted, gritty and moving one-man show to the Fringe 2022. On the eve of the play’s Edinburgh run, lead a
ctor Matthew Platt learnt more from the play’s creator Franklyn McCabe.
What inspired you to write about Bindon - how did you become familiar with his story?
Contextually at least, the play is about class, really. I write about that a lot. And I don't know of anyone who had accessed every level of our society to quite the same extent as Bindon. The great myth of the 60s is that is was the era of a new social mobility. Well, sort of. But not really. The old structures still endure today, they just have different labels. And once I started to dig a bit into Bindon's life, he just became an irresistible subject. I think the best plays contain great duality - opposites being in place at the same time. Bindon's life had that.
Favourite scene/line from Ten Men & why?
I've always really enjoyed watching the transition from 'sewer rat' to consort. So I do enjoy the Mustique scene on the sun lounger. The sense of fulfilment, of a destiny being played out in his mind, is appealing. Especially as, of course, Bindon has no idea of the travails ahead of him. I think an audience does though, even if they know nothing about him. They can sense what's coming. So it's tinged with a nice hubris. It also showcases his capacity for hugely engaging bullshit, which I always love in people.
How do you think Bindon and his antics would have fared in the digital age of social media/celebrity/reality tv/love island?
I think Bindon would have loved the social media age. Its made for him in many ways. And he would certainly have been in the Big Brother house by now! All he needed was a platform, an audience, and he was away. But given some of his less-than-wholesome tendencies, I'm not sure how long he would have lasted. Cancelled? Certainly, at some point.
Jagger, Bowie, The Krays, Ken Loach, Baronet’s daughter model Vicki Hodge, and most infamously of all, Princess Margaret, could you see that unique blend of personalities drawn from celebrity, criminality, aristocracy & royalty all mixing in the same circles today?
I can't imagine how anyone could do what Bindon did in this day and age. There are simply too many photographs, websites, information networks, too much access to everything and anything. The photo of Bindon in his cocaine t-shirt with Margaret was a real scoop at the time. A proper old-school long-lens job. Imagine the pictures they'd get of him now! Seclusion and privacy are just much harder to attain these days.
Did you edit much out of the play while you were working on it as there are lots of other infamous parts to his story?
Writers have a very strong duty when writing about real people who've been alive relatively recently. I think one needs to take that seriously. So there is a myriad of rumours and myths around Bindon that I chose not not include (dramatically rewarding though they may have been). And they've kept coming, even years after the play was first performed. The shenanigans are endless! People who knew him have been to see the show, and I think it is absolutely a writers' responsibility to be able to look those people in the eye. It's easy to get a little tawdry when writing about someone liked JB. A number of very interesting conversations have taken place, by the way, after certain performances!
Bindon was such a larger than life character - any plans to bring to TV/big screen?
The play has been adapted (quite heavily) and turned into a film. We're in a rather tortuous post-production phase... but it exists!! Obviously, the verse makes for a fairly unusual film - you don't come across that much outside of Shakespeare adaptations - but from what I've seen it's translated really well across the two mediums.
With thanks to Franklyn McCabe
This version of Ten Men was originally staged at South London Theatre in spring 2019, directed by Elaine Heath.
About Franklyn McCabe
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Franklyn has worked as a writer / director / creative in media, and theatre for almost thirty years. The Mullin books are his first novels. He was born in Manchester but now lives in Sussex (although he still dreams in Mancunian), where he is a cricket umpire and whippet walker.
Frank’s latest work is a series of novels set in his native Manchester https://shaunmullin.co.uk/
The Fight in The Dog & The Patron Saint of Nowhere – by Franklyn Blake
Available at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C6FJ3Q2L