"How he got to be in that state, how he managed to survive and how he managed to pull himself out a bit. The book, which was shortlisted for a Whitbread Award, is a combination of biography and memoir. The film is being executively produced by Sam Mendes (yes, he of American Beauty fame) and will star Tom Hardy (Blackhawk Down) as Stuart, and Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking) as Masters. The crews have taken over various locations in the city including Midsummer Common and the house in Hertford Street where the author lived as a mature student. I want a book like Tom Clancy writes"Īnd now, a collaboration between BBC Two and American giants HBO Films will bring a 90-minute adaptation of the story to our screens in early 2007. "Having been homeless, having been in prison a lot, having done all sorts of things wrong, he came to the day centre and gave us all little insights into prison life and street life about which I knew very little." "Alexander, I want a bestseller. At the time they met, Masters was working as a volunteer at Winter Comfort in Cambridge. It was his friendship with a homeless man, Stuart Shorter, that inspired Masters to put pen to paper and record the details of a colourful but difficult life. Sitting on an old sofa in the house where he lived as a student, Alexander Masters tells us what it's like being back in the city, watching the filming of his debut novel, Stuart: A Life Backwards. Stuart: A Life Backwards The cameras are rolling as filming begins on a production of Alexander Masters' acclaimed Cambridge-based novel, Stuart: A Life Backwards People Like You You are in: Cambridgeshire > Features > People Like You > Stuart: A Life Backwards This page has been archived and is no longer updated.