I've just signed up Michael Caine

[Charlie]

Michael Caine features in my new novel, 'Open House', as does Sir John Gielgud, Chris Fountain and the lad that plays Squid in Neighbours. None of them know it, and I doubt my readers know it. Sometimes, when creating a new character for a story or book, I choose as a starting point, a relevant character from my sixty year experience of watching drama. From Dixon of Dock Green to Shades of Grey, there are thousands of 'em. Choose one, pick out the relevant bits of their appearance and personality and voila you have a new character that will be firmly etched in your brain.