John le Carré's sons on 'profound, intense' journey making documentary
It was the Cornwell brothers' "first step into the documentary space".
Simon and Stephen Cornwell have opened up on what it was like working with their father David Cornwell, known to the literary world as John le Carré, on the documentary The Pigeon Tunnel, a form of television they haven't worked on before.
The Pigeon Tunnel explores the life and career for former British spy David Cornwell (John le Carré), the author of the much loved espionage novels such as The Little Drummer Girl, The Night Manager and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
The documentary was Le Carré's final interview before he passed away in 2020, and his sons Simon and Stephen described working closely on the documentary as "oddly intense".
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, the Cornwell brothers revealed what the difference was like working on the documentary in comparison to television and movies.
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The brothers have previously worked on the likes of The Night Manager, The Little Drummer Girl and Hotel Artemis, which is worlds apart from The Pigeon Tunnel.
"We're used to working on films and TV shows where they become all consuming, and they take over your life completely. But in this case, where the movie takes over your life, it's also your family and your dad," Simon Cornwell explained.
He added: "So it's sort of doubly intense."
Stephen revealed that working on the documentary was a "very profound journey".
Explaining how the idea for Le Carré's final interview came about, Stephen explained: "It started with our father being interested in the idea of a late life interview, a definitive conversation that he felt would be really interesting and actually identifying our role as someone that he would really love to have that conversation with him respected and loved his work was amazing."
Read more:
- John le Carré talks being perfect MI5 recruit in The Pigeon Tunnel clip
- John le Carré's sons: "We fantasise about The Night Manager season 2"
Stephen noted that The Pigeon Tunnel was he and his brother's "first step into the documentary space", but over time it developed into something "profound and unique".
He told RadioTimes.com: "I think over time it evolved into something, obviously with our dad's death, and then subsequently into something that [people] will now begin to realise how profound and unique that experience will have been and has been, and how [it is] magical in many ways."
Pigeon Tunnel will premiere on 20th October on Apple TV+. Sign-up for Apple TV+ for £6.99.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
