Nigel Havers has revealed that a film about the infamous drugs bust involving the Rolling Stones in the 60s will be getting the film treatment.
Nigel Havers has revealed that a new film about The Rolling Stones Redlands drug bust is in development, revisiting one of most high-profile celebrity court cases of the 1960s, in which his father, the late Lord Havers, represented Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Keith Richards.
The 74-year-old said the project is expected to follow a recent state musical adaptation of the story at The Chichester Festival, with a film now planned for later in the year. But Havers confirmed that he will not be stepping into the role of his father, Lord Michael Havers, a prominent British barrister and later a conservative politician, because he is now “too old.”
“Chichester Festival did a musical of [the case] last year, I think it’s going on tour and then a film is going to be made sometime this year, but I am too old now to play my dad,” he said.
The Redlands case itself remains one of the defining moments of 1960s Britain. In February 1967, police raided Redlands, the Sussex home of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards during a party attended by members of the band, including frontman Sir Mick Jagger. The raid led to drug charges against Jagger, Richards and art dealer Robert Fraser, which sparked a media storm.
The legal defence of Jagger and Richards was led by the then barrister Lord Michael Havers, who would later become Lord Chancellor under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from 1987-1988.
Now Nigel, who was just a teenager when the case unfolded, recalled the moment the news broke. He told the A Night in with Sally Lindsay podcast: “My parents hated The Stones. Then one night on the telly the news came up, ‘Rolling Stones in drugs bust’. And my dad said, ‘I hope they don’t ask me to defend them.’
“About an hour later the phone goes and dad came back into the room and said, ‘I shall be defending them.'”
Havers who is currently touring the UK with his unscripted one-man show, Talking B**** also remembers his teenage excitement, quipping: “They came to stay with us, and we were sworn to secrecy, and Mick was very frightened about what was going to happen.
“They went to prison for a couple of nights because dad couldn’t get them off to start with and Mick apparently cried like a baby.”
According to Havers, Dartford-born Keith enjoyed the experience. He added: “Keith came out of jail and said to my dad, ‘I’d like to prosecute the Queen because last night I was offered a spliff in jail, a very good one.’ Dad said, ‘I think not.'”
Lord Havers eventually had Jaggers conviction overturned, over doubt as to whether he knew the drugs were illegal and Richard’s prison sentence was quashed and replaced with conditional discharge, which meant he avoided jail.
Last year the actor portrayed his real-life grandfather, Sir Cecil Havers in the ITV drama, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story.
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