Author and Screenwriter Jeremy Dyson talks Jewish influence, the power of friendship, and the supernatural.
Jeremy Dyson has had a varied and highly successful career as an author and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known as a member of the League of Gentlemen, as well as for the cult-favourite stage show and film Ghost Stories. His latest project, The Psychic, created in collaboration with Andy Nyman, has recently completed a successful world premiere run at York Theatre Royal.
Jeremy spent the first half of his life in Leeds, and his upbringing has profoundly impacted his work. His writing often explores themes of the supernatural and scepticism, reflecting on the Jewish tradition of inquiry that’s infused with a distinctive sense of wit: “Neither me or Andy are observant, but we were both raised in semi-Orthodox households where we kept Shabbos and all the high holidays which was incredibly formative. It was a very spiritual environment which touched us, shaped who we are, and ultimately finds its way into our work. We’re both steeped in the values we were raised in, so we have a conscious approach to questioning and commentary from both sides to explore all aspects of what we’re writing about.
“The Jewish voice is one of dark irony. Both my parents had a sense of humour, and we had Jewish comedy records around – How to be a Jewish Mother and You Don’t Have to be Jewish were played again and again when I was growing up. Then I discovered Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and English writers like Jack Rosenthal which all fuelled my sense of humour.”
Although the show isn’t a Jewish play and focuses on the showman community – those who are born into travelling fairgrounds – Jeremy believes there are parallels of a small minority existing within a large minority, right down to having their own language.
Having formed a dear friendship over 40 years ago after meeting at Chai summer camp in 1981, Jeremy and Andy’s relationship is the rocket fuel that powers their collaborative efforts. Ghost Stories followed four male characters, something they consciously avoided when creating The Psychic: “Jewish families are often very matriarchal and mine and Andy’s certainly were, we spent all our lives observing powerful women, so we wanted to make the lead a strong woman.”
The play follows Sheila Gold, a popular TV psychic who loses a high-profile court case, which brands her a charlatan. When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, Sheila senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she’s ever believed and leads her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life. This subject matter was something that greatly intrigued the creative duo: “Andy has done years of work with Derren Brown where he was often looking at the world of fake psychics or those that profess to have psychic powers.
There’s also a tradition of magicians exposing that world which goes all the way back to Houdini – we’re fascinated by how people will use fakery to simulate talking to the dead which obviously has a lot of dramatic possibilities.”
Manipulation and grief are two themes that are prevalent in The Psychic, so Jeremy felt it was important to keep the show emotionally grounded despite some of its thriller elements: “The thing that surprises the most is the emotional content, but it comes with the territory when you’re looking at loss.
It’s inherently deeply emotional, especially when you’re exploring the distrust in psychics and their willingness to exploit grief.”
Looking ahead, Jeremy hopes to b involved in more theatre work: “I feel really lucky to have had so many opportunities to do different things, but I really love theatre and working with a live audience who don’t lie when it comes to their opinions! They have no agenda so it’s a very pure form of feedback which makes it very exciting.
“Of course, I love doing things for television when I get the opportunity but, in this industry, it’s a case of putting your stuff out there and seeing what happens next. One of my favourite proverbs is ‘man plans, God laughs’ which is an excellent summary of a career in the creative arts!”
