Entertainment

Festival organiser has personal link to Hollywood’s Moby Dick

Published

2 months ago

May 1, 2026

Bill Hamblett’s father helped write the 1956 film script — and his childhood brought him into the orbit of Gregory Peck

THE MAN helping bring a giant lantern parade to life at Fishguard and Goodwick’s Ar Ymyl y Tir/On Land’s Edge Moby Dick-themed festival in September has a remarkable personal connection to the great white whale itself.

**Three amigos: John Huston, Charlie Hamblett and Gregory Peck pictured during the filming of Moby Dick**

Bill Hamblett, director of Cardigan’s Small World Theatre, was a near-neighbour of Hollywood star Gregory Peck during his childhood in California. Even more unusually, Bill’s father, Charles Hamblett, was one of the screenwriters who helped shape John Huston’s classic 1956 film Moby Dick.

“Basically, dad was one of the guys employed to turn Herman Melville’s prose into screen dialogue,” said Bill, who has run Small World Theatre with his wife Ann since 2008.

“He’d decided to go from being a journalist and poet in the UK to trying to crack Hollywood.”

Bill remembers growing up in Santa Monica during the late 1950s and being aware of famous names passing through his family’s world — even if he didn’t fully understand their importance at the time.

“As a kid in Santa Monica I remember being dropped round at Gregory Peck’s house,” he said.

“And I’m pretty certain that John Huston’s daughter, Anjelica, came round to ours for my sister’s birthday party.

“But I’m afraid I don’t have strong memories of Gregory Peck – I wasn’t a particularly starstruck little boy!”

***Bill Hamblett (wearing hat) pictured with his family as a young boy.***

The experiences Charles Hamblett gained during the 1954 Moby Dick shoot off Fishguard later inspired him to write the surreal fantasy novel The Crazy Kill. In the book, Peck becomes ‘Gregory Pinch’ and Huston is reimagined as ‘John Simpson’, in a story that draws on real events but twists them into fiction.

“The Crazy Kill is essentially a pastiche of Moby Dick written in the slang of the 1950s,” Bill explained.

He added that his father’s life was filled with unusual encounters and unexpected chapters.

“You could say dad had a varied and interesting career – he used to hang out with Dylan Thomas, Brendan Behan and all those guys,” he said.

“He also dropped acid as part of the CIA’s secret experiments and later wrote an article about the experience.”

Charles Hamblett later teamed up with journalist and poet Jane Deverson to publish the influential 1964 book Generation X, exploring the emerging mod and beat youth culture.

For Bill, his father’s work remains a striking behind-the-scenes snapshot of the era — and a rare insight into how a major Hollywood production came to west Wales.

“The Crazy Kill’s insight into Huston and Peck is absolutely spot-on and a remarkable snapshot of how Hollywood came to west Wales to make a film about a whale in the middle of the ocean,” he said.

“Huston got that film completed through sheer grit, guts and tenacity and looking back it was a remarkable cinematic achievement – they lost three of those bloody model whales during the filming!”

Bill says it feels strange that, decades later, the story of Moby Dick has returned to his life through the festival.

“And, as a three-year-old child, I was on the periphery of it all,” he said.

“Now that I’m 73, Moby Dick is once again coming back into my life. I mean, you couldn’t make it up, could you?”

For more information about the Ar Ymyl y Tir/On Land’s Edge festival, visit onlandsedge.co.uk.

Entertainment

Waverley marks 79th anniversary with Pembrokeshire sailings

Published

15 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE WORLD’S last seagoing paddle steamer will return to Pembrokeshire this week as Waverley marks the 79th anniversary of her maiden voyage.

The historic vessel will sail from Milford Haven and Tenby on Tuesday (Jun 16), with trips including a daytime cruise around Skokholm, Skomer, St Brides Bay and Ramsey Island from 11:30am to 4:30pm.

There will also be an evening sailing from Milford Haven at 5:00pm, travelling to St Govan’s Head, Caldey Island and along the Pembrokeshire coast, returning at 9:50pm.

Passengers can also join Waverley at Tenby, with sailings to Milford Haven and an evening cruise around Caldey Island and the coast.

On Wednesday (Jun 17), Waverley will make her only Fishguard visit of 2026, with an evening cruise to St David’s Head, passing Strumble Head Lighthouse, from 6:15pm to 9:15pm.

Tickets are available through Waverley Excursions.

Entertainment

The Big Retreat confirms first details for 2027 Pembrokeshire festival

Published

17 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Soul Space sessions, new relaxation areas and Abba Revival among early announcements

THE BIG RETREAT FESTIVAL has revealed the first details of its 2027 event in Pembrokeshire, with organisers promising new spaces, more inclusive activities and the return of a popular Main Stage act.

The festival will take place from May 28 to May 31, 2027, at Newton Farm, Lawrenny.

Organisers said they had been reflecting on feedback from this year’s event, with visitors most often describing the festival as “fun, relaxing and friendly.”

Among the changes already planned for 2027 is the inclusion of all sessions within The Soul Space as part of the standard festival ticket.

New areas dedicated to rest, relaxation and connection are also being introduced, giving visitors more opportunities to step away from busier parts of the site during the weekend.

The Talk Tent will move to the Village Green, while a new Gathering Place will also be created there. Hosted by the festival’s Solo Traveller Manager and Accessibility Manager, the space will be open to everyone as somewhere to meet others, ask questions, relax or take a moment out.

Other changes include new glamping accommodation with electric hook-ups and the return of the football pitch in Family Camping.

Organisers have also confirmed that Abba Revival will return to The Big Retreat Pembrokeshire in 2027 as the first announced Main Stage act.

The tribute act proved popular at this year’s event, with organisers saying the request to bring them back came up repeatedly in visitor feedback.

The festival team said: “One of the things we love most about The Big Retreat is that no two people experience it in the same way.

“Some come for the music. Some for the yoga. Some for the wild swimming. Some for the talks. Some for the food. Some for the adventure.

“However you choose to spend your weekend, our goal remains the same: Feel Good Your Way.”

First wave tickets are now on sale, with organisers also offering a ten-month payment plan.

Glamping accommodation for 2027, including the new electric hook-up options, is due to go on sale on Wednesday, June 17.

Entertainment

Bring your dancing shoes as Lipstick on Your Collar comes to Torch Theatre

Published

20 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Hit-packed celebration of the 1950s and 60s promises a night of nostalgia, live music and dancing

MUSIC lovers are being invited to step back in time for an evening of nostalgia as Lipstick on Your Collar arrives at the Torch Theatre later this month.

Packed with more than forty classic hits from the 1950s and 60s, the show celebrates the golden age of music, from the birth of rock ’n’ roll to the beat group sounds of the British Invasion and beyond.

Audiences can expect favourites made famous by stars including Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Ronettes, Cliff Richard and Cilla Black.

Performed by a full live band featuring some of the country’s top musicians, the production promises excellent vocals, tight harmonies and an infectious sense of fun.

Organisers say dancing in the aisles is “strictly compulsory”, with audiences encouraged to dust off their dancing shoes and enjoy an evening of feel-good entertainment.

Lipstick on Your Collar comes to the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven on Sunday (June 28) at 7:30pm.

Tickets cost £27 and are available from the Torch Theatre box office on 01646 695267 or online at torchtheatre.co.uk.