A perfect Sunday with... Ken Bentley
Withnail, Calvin and Hobbes and the most perfect film ever made
Every week, a top writer, artist, actor or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today, it's the turn of writer and director – Ken Bentley
Ken's perfect Sunday… brunch
I love scrambled egg on toast (slightly undercooked eggs) with Worcestershire Sauce and a grind of black pepper. If I’m celebrating then I’ll eighty-six the sauce and chuck in some smoked salmon. Apart from the smoked salmon, it’s stuff you’ve usually got in the house so you don’t have to think too hard about it. I find it comforting partly because it’s so easy to make. It scores very highly on the ratio of effort to satisfaction, which for me is the benchmark equation for a perfect Sunday.
Kens's perfect Sunday… read
I’m a bit of a dialogue nerd so when I read I mostly read plays and screenplays. There’s an art to good dialogue. It isn’t poetry but in my opinion it shouldn’t be hyper-realistic either. At its best it’s another spoken word art form. There’s so much to learn by reading a well-written play or screenplay. The screenplay for Withnail and I is as funny to read as it is to watch the film. I was reading it on the tube and laughed out loud, it’s that good.
But if I’m reading for pleasure I’ll pick up The Importance of Being Earnest. That really is the perfect play.
Ken's perfect Sunday… comic
I went to the same art school as Dave McKean and his work has always been an inspiration. I have a healthy collection of graphic novels, and the worlds he creates are still places I visit often, as well as anything by Alan Moore.
But on a Sunday, I’d much rather loaf on the sofa with my cherished copy of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. I love it because it’s both profound and profoundly silly. Once you begin to appreciate the absurdity and futility of life, you can start to find peace.
Ken's perfect Sunday... movie
I’m a complete addict when it comes to films, I’ll watch pretty much anything. And I love a movie with a powerful ending. The first film that springs to mind is Die Wand (The Wall). It’s based on the novel by Marlen Haushofer which I really should add to my reading list. The film is beautiful and brutal. It’s a film everybody should watch, but to say any more would give too much away. That said, Die Wand might be a bit heavy going for a lazy Sunday.
The film that brings me the most amount of joy is Tremors. Everything about the film is perfect. The script is excellent and should be used to teach creative writing. And the performances are all top-notch; joyful and theatrical. It isn’t an exaggeration to say it’s the most perfect film ever made. I’ve watched it countless times and it hasn’t aged a bit. If it came out now it would still become the classic it is.
Ken's perfect Sunday... TV binge
My inner dialogue nerd will make me watch anything by Aaron Sorkin. The opening monologue in The Newsroom is one of the best dramatic speeches ever written, and it’s as vital now as it was when it first aired in 2012, if not more so.
But I could happily spend the rest of my life rewatching The West Wing. It isn’t perfect and one or two episodes haven’t dated so well, but given what we’re going through at the moment I yearn for a world where politicians are intelligent and empathetic. The West Wing really is some of the best television drama ever made. Every craft skill is at the top of its game. And I know it’s fiction, but watching it gives me hope that we might actually survive as a species. That there are people out there who care, and care deeply.
Ken's perfect Sunday… podcast
I like to be inspired by art. I like it to challenge me and to encourage me to be a better artist myself. The podcast I return to more than any other is The Bright Sessions. It’s one of the best audio dramas I’ve heard. It’s such a clever premise that’s so simple and affordable to make, but it’s such an inventive idea that it quickly transcends its simplicity. And it’s brilliant for binging.
Ken's perfect Sunday… album
The pace of life is so quick that on a day off I like to listen to things that make time slow down, music that helps me achieve a sort of meditative state. So for me a Sunday isn’t the day for PJ Harvey, much as I think she’s a genius. What I listen to depends on my mood, or the weather. Hildur Guðnadóttir, I find great for winter listening. I often find myself listening to Gregory Porter, nobody else makes me stop to listen the way he does, he has a properly captivating voice. Jazz is good for a Sunday, Miles Davis is always reliable, but I’ve recently started listening to Kamasi Washington and he really floats my boat. And if I need something a bit more banging I’ll pop on Calibro 35, the most amazing Italian jazz-funk band.
Ken's perfect Sunday… treat
My perfect Sunday treat is to have absolutely nothing to do. No urgent work that needs doing, no household chores, nobody visiting or to visit, nothing to catch up on, just a completely free day. When I get one of those it genuinely feels like I’ve been gifted an extra day of life. When you don’t feel guilty for spending twenty-four hours doing absolutely nothing, just emptying your mind and listening to the world around you. It’s the closest I get to the perfect meditative state.
Listen to Local Hero on BBC Sounds
A radio reimagining of Bill Forsyth's 1983 film.
Texan energy company executive Mac MacIntyre is dispatched to the tiny Scottish fishing village of Ferness, with orders to buy out the town and develop the area for an oil refinery. But the village works unexpected magic on Mac as he comes to realise that not everything of value is for sale.
Ken is a writer of original plays and adaptations and a director of theatre and of over 750 hours of audio drama including The Invisible Man (Big Finish) starring John Hurt, The Signalman (Granny Eats Wolf/Audible) read by Sam Mendes, and Local Hero (Bafflegab/BBC Radio 4) starring Harry Lloyd and Sophie Kennedy Clark. He won a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2017 and the Audie Award for best drama in 2021 and 2022.
FOLLOW KEN ON BLUESKY