Beckoning Silence On TV - Monday

Just a quick heads-up to let you know that Channel 4 is showing the new Joe Simpson drama documentary, The Beckoning Silence, at 9pm tonight, Monday 22 October.

The film is based on Simpson's book of the same name - right - and is a 90-minute drama-documentary made by the company behind the BAFTA award-winning film of Touching The Void.

The documentary is about the legendary North Face of the Eiger with filming taking place on the mountain earlier this year which apparently necessitated Simpson danglng from a rope beneath a helicopter hover above the Nordwand's icey face.

The focus of the film is the tragic 1930s attempt on the face by four young climbers which ended with the last survivor, Toni Kurz, expiring when dangling just metres from safety on the face. For filming, the team used Swiss guides in period costume to play the parts of the 1930s climbers and recreated their ordeal on the fce itself with Simpson

Despite that tragic history, Simpson himself attempted the route in 2000, only for a team above him to be swept from an ice field and past the ledge where he and his partner were sheltering - the incident was caught on camera, but will never be shown.

Not to be put off, Simpson apparently made a further six attempts on the mountain over the next year.

Should be well worth a watch so, set those timers now.

For more background on Simpson himself, see a recent profile / interview in the Independent at www.independent.co.uk and Simpson's own web site www.noordinaryjoe.co.uk where you can find a Film Diary he put together while filming. It's very long, but very readable in parts...