Luke Jennings is the creator of everyone's favourite psychopathic killer; Villanelle. His real-life backstory is every bit as rich as his many works of fiction. The video interview below explores his wonderful fishing, friendship & family memoir "Bloodknots". Please also feel free to scroll down beneath the video to find out some more about Luke...
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Luke's Memoir "Blood Knots"
If you enjoyed our conversation - and are interested in your own copy of Bloodknots - it's available on Amazon. If you order by clicking on the link or picture below we'll receive a few pence from Amazon (thank you!) - but this does not add ANY cost of that specific product to you:
Click the image to check out Blood Knots on Amazon
Jennings' angling memoir takes in much more than a simple account of remembered fishing trips. It is a poignant account of different strands of Luke's life blended with the intersecting lives of several significant mentors and friends. It moves seamlessly between learning how to catch perch from an estate pond through uncovering the horrors of his father's tank warfare experiences, their aftermath and much more besides.
Along the way we meet the mercurial Robert Nairac who teaches Luke falconry and fly fishing - before becoming the centre of a tragic mystery during his role as a British Intelligence officer. I may be well wide of the mark, but I can't help being reminded, in part, of Paul Maclean (Norman Maclean's brother and the subject of "A River Runs Through it"). From Jennings' and Maclean's descriptions, it seems as if both men had a daring brilliance - as well as the hint of a darker need to seek ever-greater sensation and meaning from life. It is as if their fear may have been "Is this all there is?". At the same time, Maclean's observation that "It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us" also seems to fit.
Then there are the wry and hilarious lines, fishing triumphs and some pitch-perfect descriptions of the fishing experience (and the fish responsible). In short, it is a wonderful book that everyone should read - whether you're an angler or not.
Luke Jennings Books in Order of Publication
Here's a rundown of Luke's Published Books (any/all mistakes my own! Please comment at the end of this post with corrections):
Also, if you haven't read Luke's account of bringing his psychopathic killer to life on TV with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sandra Oh and Sally Woodward-Gentle (of Sid Gentle Films) then you can check it out on this link (it includes him taking a call from Waller-Bridge, wading mid-stream while fishing to answer the question:
"What does Eve really want?":
CLICK HERE TO READ "How my Psycho Killer was Brought to Life"
A Short and Imperfect Biography of Luke Jennings
To expand just a little bit on my introduction to Luke in the recorded interview, here's just some of the interesting things you should know about him. Born in 1953 and raised in Sussex, Luke has suggested in a few different places that the lack of modern levels of stimulation and "on-tap" entertainment made him naturally receptive to fishing.
Luke Jennings Writer and Author whose book "Blood Knots" which is about fishing and his friend Capt Robert Nairac who was murdered by the IRA. Blood Knots was a BBC book of the week. Pic: STUART CLARKE. courtesy of Luke Jennings
That being said, he does report that fishing held enough excitement to compare favourably to electronics for his own kids in this piece for the Guardian newspaper.
Schooling
Following in his father's footsteps, Luke won a scholarship to Ampleforth College (a Catholic boarding school in North Yorkshire, England). A member of the "tough, egalitarian" St Edward's house, Jennings reports that the school was always referred to by its attendees and staff as SHAC; Senior House, Ampleforth College. As told in the book, at the time of Jennings' attendance, a lot was made of the "SHAC Spirit". In his telling, that ethos seemed to include a solid dose of panache as well as resilience .
Going beyond the contents of "Bloodknots", Luke Jennings attended the Rambert School of Dance
Career Snippets for Luke Jennings
Although he reports a less than elite standard for his rugby and cricket, the cross country running at the heart of St Edward's house - plus an apparent talent for tree climbing - perhaps point towards his ability to attain the exceptional physical attributes required of a professional dancer. Luke's 10-year career in dance and choreography was cut short by injury to his back.
Turning to journalism, including foreign correspondence from places including Moscow, Jennings' writing credits include contributions to Time, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Guardian and The Observer (as its dance critic).
In between all this, he also found time to set up a TV production company and create the "Last House in Bombay" documentary film for Channel 4, as well as writing and self-publishing the series of novellas that were optioned by Lyndsey Posner in 2014. Ultimately, that option was brought to life via BBC America's "Killing Eve"...
Over to you: What Should I Have Asked Luke?
If you've enjoyed this piece - or if you have a clear criticism - please let me know in the comments below. In particular, what questions would you have wanted to ask Luke if you'd had the chance to sit down and chat? Who knows, in future I may even get the opportunity to put some of the best of those to him.
As a follow up to the topics we did discuss, if you've yet to discover the delights of either grayling fishing or trotting that Luke talks about in his interview - you can find some inspiration here: https://fishingdiscoveries.com/trotting-for-grayling/
I hope you'll join me in thanking Luke for sharing his time and thoughts with us - and also for not missing a beat when my son Thomas decided to wander in midway through our chat!
Paul
[…] Luke Jennings in Conversation: Angling, Espionage, Books & Life […]
Hi Paul, Thanks for this deeply enjoyable video! I read Blood Knots a few years ago and loved it…it brought back my childhood and teenage years fishing the local rivers and canals in Northern Ireland. The true story of the remarkable man that was Capt. Nairac was particularly poignant. I must re-read it, given my recent reawakened obsession with pike fishing (thanks to JP and you!!) Take care in these extraordinary times. Alan.
Thank you Alan, and I hope to be fishing alongside you on a piece of water sometime again this year.
Paul
Thank you Paul and Luke for this very welcome piece. I could not put Blood Knots down and I went on to buy copies for my family members. Like the interview the book hooked into so many feelings about life that I have, expanded my knowledge and tapped into new areas to explore and consider.
Derrick – thank you so much for this contribution and I’m sure Luke will be delighted at you buying copies for your family ha ha 🙂
I agree, it’s a wonderful book that is beautifully written and extremely honest as well as full of wonderful true stories.
Paul
I hesitate to make a comment, being unable to express my thoughts on your interview with Luke. It is very moving to know the quality of people involved with the same love of fishing as I. Sometimes it seems we as fisherman seem in a world apart from the real world; just maybe the reverse is true.
I do enjoy very much the English respect for what has come before us to give us what we have today.
Thank you for this enriching interview.
Walter Welty, Colorado.
Walter – your messages (whether by email or in these Comments sections) are always a source of real happiness for me. Thank you for your generous spirit and for taking time out to set down these words – it’s really good to feel that the connections we make are valuable.
Paul
What a brilliant interview. Brought back some memories of fishing with my fathers sea fishing gear on the local river, needless to say I didn’t catch much with that 20lb line!!
Haha – I think that is a necessary box to check in every real angler’s evolution Peter!
I don’t remember doing much on my broom-handle and string rig either to be honest (which wasn’t for lack of trying)
Paul