Disgraced Archer Scripts His Acting Debut

The disgraced Tory politician Jeffrey Archer is poised to make yet another remarkable comeback - this time on stage. Archer plans to make his acting debut in the West End this autumn in a self-penned courtroom-based drama entitled The Accused.

Archer is infamous in the UK for his numerous political and financial scandals. Most recently, his bid last year to become London's first mayor was derailed by the revelation that he had asked a friend to lie in court in his 1987 libel action against the Daily Star newspaper.

In his first interview since he was forced to resign his candidacy in November, Archer told interviewer Martin Bashir that he felt 'very apologetic and very broken' to give up his dream of becoming mayor. He said that he worked on the play script during that time to keep his mind off his troubles and drew on his own courtroom experiences. 'I was desperately fed up, very low, broken and the catharsis was getting up in the morning and trying to do something, trying to concentrate, trying to get one's mind off everything and put something down on paper, actually do something.'

Archer has already hired a director, David Gilmore, and begun rehearsing his lines. He will play the lead role of a doctor who is charged with poisoning his wife. The part is not meant to be sympathetic; the evidence regarding the doctor's innocence or guilt will lead to a cliffhanger to be decided nightly by the audience.

Although Archer is a member of the actors' Equity union, he has never performed professionally. 'It's a new challenge,' he admitted to Bashir, in the interview to aired last night on Tonight with Trevor McDonald. 'I've no doubt the critics will have their pencils sharpened long before they reach the theatre, but I've faced that every time in my life. Once again I will ask the public what they think.'

In addition to his political career, Archer has carved a lucrative niche for himself as a novelist. His best-selling thrillers include 'The Eleventh Commandment', 'First Among Equals' and 'The Prodigal's Daughter'.

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