Raynor Winn's memoir describes a middle-aged, Middle English couple setting off on an arduous journey across coastal paths after ending up 'on the street.' In Mairi Anne Elliott's adaptation, set against enchanting landscapes, flawless performances by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs gives their story depth.Here’s a stark statistic posted by homelessness charity Shelter England: “Half of working renters are only one pay cheque away from losing their home.” Adapted from Raynor Winn’s bestselling memoir, Mairi Anne Elliott turns an everyday story of eviction into an enthralling odyssey set against England’s fabulous southwestern landscapes. Propelled by wonderfully understated performances from Gillian Anderson as Ray and Jason Isaacs as her devoted husband of 32 years, Moth, we see how thin the veneer really is between the home comforts most of us take for granted and destitution. Ray and Moth’s reaction to losing most of their worldly possessions is to head off on the 630-miles trek along the longest uninterrupted path in England, Minehead to Poole, snaking around the coasts of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Dorset. Trying to get by on a weekly budget of £40 is remarkable enough. That they are doing so after Moth’s diagnosis with Corticobasal Degeneration (a rare, life-limiting degenerative brain disease) injects their cross-country journey with a purpose beyond A to B. You almost feel every painstaking limp as Moth gamely struggles up steep stairwells carved into rockfaces centuries ago; about turning is not an option. They encounter various reactions to their homeless state. Initially, their attempts to find emergency accommodation or access government hardship payments are dashed against the wall of faceless bureaucracy - in a soulless DWP office, Moth is asked whether or not he expects to live longer than one year. As no definitive timescale can be placed on his degenerative condition, this disqualifies him from making any claim. Dogwalkers are irate about coming across their tent pitched nowhere near camping sites. Londoners who own a plush West Country retreat believe Moth to be a renowned poet who has hit hard times. After inviting him back for selfie opportunities and a massage, upon discovering he is just some random down-and-out, he and Ray are summarily sent on their way. At one point, Ray and Moth trudge through what their guidebook informs them is the site of a former leper colony; the irony is not lost on them. On the other hand, they are also unexpectedly generous offers from strangers. It’s bad enough the tent they are living in fails to prevent crippling cold, or shelter from high tides. Technology also conspires against the plucky couple. Forgetting to cancel the home insurance leaves them at a cash point stating £1.38 is available. Their daughter phoning to complain she’s stranded en route to a holiday job in Croatia reinforces the powerlessness they feel having been forced to go off-grid. But in facing adversity, Ray and Moth never sink into abject pessimism. Quite the reverse. Detached from the rat race, strolling along headlands overlooking majestic seas, dining on noodles while being scrutinised by a falcon, and those occasional encounters with Good Samaritans crossing their path, give them a positive perspective. Their sense of hope, especially ever-sanguine Moth, and the enduring love they have for each other, shines brighter than any of the life-affirming Devon sunsets they are fortunate to experience every day. Livingston-born Ian Colquhoun is a neurodivergent author, actor, stuntman, and historian. Aged 24, he suffered an unprovoked, brutally violent assault, resulting in the loss of his legs. He has since channelled his energy into writing a diverse range of acclaimed books.Born in Livingston in 1978, Ian Colquhoun has written 12 books so far, on a broad spectrum of subjects. A social history of his hometown. Intriguing histories plunging readers into Ireland’s ‘Great Hunger,’ the Battle of Culloden, and colonial warfare in Victorian Sudan. Histories of his beloved Hibernian Football Club, from anniversaries of key events for each day of the year, to the story of the club's most turbulent period, 1990 to 1991, when Hibs battled back from near extinction to win Hampden silverware. But his candid autobiography, Burnt, a jaw-dropping account of survival defying the term nonfiction, truly sears into the reader's imagination. Aged 24, while living in Ireland, Ian was the victim of an unprovoked assault. Knocked unconscious by a pickaxe, he was left for dead when the house he was in was set alight. Dragged free by a police officer, as he remained in a coma, his mother concurred with the agonising decision presented by Ian’s medical staff: both legs were so badly burnt - right to the bone - they required amputation. Before emerging from the seven-week coma, he received the last rites three times. But Ian’s story is one of off-the-scale resilience. Multiple operations and years of painful rehabilitation have imbued a fierce resolve. For this remarkable and inspirational young man, unbelievable tragedy has become cathartic. Although wheelchair-bound, he passed his driving test. He has trained as a stunt man. Turning to acting, he played a wounded sailor in a 2007 made-for-TV documentary, Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever, about the aftermath of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific Ocean during World War Two. Anyone who has seen Steven Spielberg's Jaws will be familiar with one iconic scene, where Richard Shaw's Quint describes being one of the stricken vessel's shipwrecked crew floundering amongst a shark feeding frenzy. His co-star, Richard Dreyfuss was the documentary's commentator. Ian's acting career progressed to an episode of long-running Scottish crime drama, Taggart. He appeared in a promotional film credited with helping Scotland being awarded 2014's Commonwealth games. Not only has he lectured about his predicament to physiotherapy students at Edinburgh University, he has written a self-help book for amputees. in 2007, Ian guested on Channel 4's Richard and Judy, discussing Burnt. In 2025, his prolific writing shows no sign of abating: he has now turned his storytelling skills to dark fiction. As he remained in a coma, his mother concurred with the agonising decision presented by Ian’s medical staff: both legs required amputation. Before emerging from the seven-week coma, he received the last rites three times. |
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