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The ex-climber and author of Touching the Void on the stage version of his story, his reaction to seeing Free Solo and what he does for fun these days
In 1985, 25-year-old Joe Simpson and another British climber, Simon Yates, 21, were climbing the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes when Simpson fell and badly broke his leg. Further down their descent, Yates was forced to abandon Simpson on the mountainside. Simpson’s book about his improbable survival, Touching the Void, has sold more than 1m copies and in 2003 became a Bafta-winning film. (In the process, Simpson became a hero and Yates an arch villain – both of which notions Simpson strongly rejects.) Now the events have also inspired a play, which opened at the Bristol Old Vic last year and this month transfers to London’s West End. Simpson, 59, lives in the Peak District, and is the author of eight books.
What’s been your involvement in Touching the Void, the play?Well, my first reaction was: “Good luck! How the hell are you going to stage that?” Then [writer] David Greig and [director] Tom Morris came up to see me and I made it clear that I didn’t want any involvement in the writing or the creation of the work. So if it succeeded, it was their success, and if it failed, it was their failure. A coward’s way out! Then I sat back and watched these five-star reviews coming in and thought: “Bloody hell, here we go again…” It’s strange. In fact, it’s more than a bit strange. What next? A bloody musical? Continue reading...