Alan writes his first crime thriller - at age 64!

FORMER BBC Witlshire Sound programme boss, Alan Thompson has completed his first crime thriller.

The former BBC journalist and broadcaster who now presents and produces for Swindon 105.5 says it was a challenge he could not resist.

He said: The Crime Writers Association has been very supportive and there has been a recommendation for film rights for television."

Alan said: "Before we run away with the idea of making a TV film, the story has to be published and this is being discussed at present.

Isle of Dogs tells the story of a police case that was never offcially closed. A shooting in a London night club could hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the death of a hostess.

Alan said: "The genesis has to be in reality and I have been able to develop the characters, many of them based on people I have met or worked with! I did have a similar idea for a story many years ago with the same title but this story is entirely new."

Time as a newspaper reporter almost 40 years ago has stood him in good stead as part of the story takes place in a fictional magistrates court.

He said: "In the 1970s I had to do county court reporting as part of a regular job and over the years I have heard almost every excuse for bad behaviour and motoring offences and I'm sure the magistrates have as well. But it has been very useful to draw on that experience to formulate one of the characters in the book. I've heard it said that when novelists set about the task of a plot and develop the characters, it is the characters that take over. To a degree I have found this to be true. There is some humour in the story and a love tangle with one young rookie cop who has to ask himself whether he is strong enough to resist a girl he works with, while he is still married to a successful but temperamental senior advertising executive. Any entanglement could write off both their careers."

Alan has recently undertaken a series of radio programmes one of which was broadcast on Radio Gloucestershre on Glam-Rock king Marc Bolan from the 70s Rock band T Rex. This was after finding a cassette copy of an interview he did with him in 1975. Alan said he would still be doing more features for radio and television in the future .. Last month he arranged with London-based Wise Buddah Productions to keep details of his Golden Days Archive on file for potential future rock documentaries. This company produces Johnnie Walker's Sunday afternoon show for Radio 2, amongst others.

But Alan adds: "Now I've got the writing bug, I have an idea for two further books. So retirement is not in my lexicon!" ends Based on information supplied by Alan Thompson.