Trivia for
Withnail & I (1987) More at IMDbPro »

• Withnail is a ferocious drunk, but he was played by the teetotaler Richard E. Grant. Finally convinced that he needed to get drunk at least once to have the proper insight into the character, Grant "filled a tumbler with vodka and topped it off with a bit of Pepsi", then swilled the whole thing down. He was teased the next day by costar Paul McGann and director Bruce Robinson, who assured him that he would never be so funny on film again.
  
  
• In the scene where Withnail (Richard E. Grant) ostensibly downs a bottle of lighter fluid, the can, which in rehearsals had been full of water, was full of vinegar. Director Bruce Robinson used vinegar on the take to get a better facial reaction from Grant. The vomiting was scripted and faked.
  
  
• Originally written by Bruce Robinson as a novel. Its conclusion is quite different from the film's: after his soliloquy in the rain at the park, Withnail returns to the flat he shared with Marwood, loads the rifle he took from Monty's country home, pours some wine (also taken from Monty) down its barrel, then puts the muzzle to his lips and drinks. He then pulls the trigger on the gun, killing himself.
  
  
• In the tearoom scene, Richard E. Grant breaks out laughing. This wasn't scripted, but every time he spoke, he could hear the snorting of the dogs belonging to the old ladies at the table behind. He thought that this was someone laughing and kept coursing. After too many re-takes, the director gave up and kept the laughter in.
  
  
• The Camberwell Carrot was actually made with herbal cigarettes.
  
  
• During the motorway scenes, in the interior shots of the car, Paul McGann is seen to be driving, but in some exterior shots, the driver is Bruce Robinson, the director. The reason for this is that McGann had only just passed his driving test when the film was made, and so was a bit wobbly on the motorway. Also, as he pulls away in London to set off for the Lake District, he stalls the car. This was unintentional, and was included anyway.
  
  
• The photograph of Richard Griffiths in Uncle Monty's cottage is from The World Cup: A Captain's Tale (1982) (TV) in which he played a football manager and referee.
  
  
• Despite Paul McGann's speculation on the DVD commentary that Withnail might have gone to Stowe, both he and Uncle Monty are supposed to be old boys of another public school: Harrow. The first hint of this is the print of Harrow hanging up in the Camden flat (it's the one of the redbrick building just next to the door frame leading to the kitchen), but the real clincher is when later, at Monty's house, Withnail lies that Marwood went to "the other place", to which Monty replies, "Oh, you went to Eton!" Members of Eton and Harrow often refer to pupils of the other in this manner.
  
  
• Although credited on screen only as "...and I", Paul McGann's character is named as "Marwood" in the script. It is widely believed that the character's first name is Peter; although this is incorrect. This myth arose as the result of a misheard line of dialog when Withnail and Marwood are enjoying drinks at Monty's house.
  
  
• During the film, Danny mentions an acquaintance of his named The Coalman, then threatens Withnail with a potent drug called The Embalmer. Both The Coalman and The Embalmer are the names of two hangover "cures".
  
  
• Daniel Day-Lewis was offered but declined the role of Withnail. Among the other actors who tested for it were Kenneth Branagh and Edward Tudor-Pole.
  
  
• Much of this film's promotional art and subsequent DVD and Video art is designed by illustrator Ralph Steadman, in the famous gonzo style he used and created for the works of Hunter S. Thompson notably Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). He is listed as Miscellaneous Crew.
  
  
• When Bruce Robinson was appearing in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968/I), the gay director tried constantly to seduce him. Robinson incorporated many of Zeffirelli's chat-up lines into Uncle Monty's dialog as he pursues Marwood.
  
  
• "Fork It!" was the line that secured Richard E. Grant the part of Withnail. Director Bruce Robinson knew in his head exactly how the line should be uttered by the actor (as with the Policeman's "Get in the back of the van!"), and Grant delivered it exactly how he envisaged without being prompted.
  
  
• The name "Withnail" came from man called Jonathan Withnall that Bruce Robinson knew as a little boy. He was a local character who reversed his Aston Martin into a police car in a pub car park. Robinson said he's never been able to spell very well, and spelled his last name "Withnail" by mistake. The character of Withnail was based on Robinson's close friend, actor Vivian Mackerall who died of throat cancer in 1990. They met at The Central School of Speech and Drama in 1964. The pair lived with David Dundas, Michael Feast and others in a Victorian townhouse bought by Dundas's parents in Camden Town, London.
  
  
• It was this film that prompted the family of Jimi Hendrix to take back full control over the use of his songs. They had grown dismayed by the association of Hendrix with drug culture in general.
  
  
• The last scenes of the film to be shot were those in Regents Park next to the Wolves. Paul McGann wore a wig in the scenes when the two are walking together and talking on the bench.
  
  
• Bill Nighy was a friend of Bruce Robinson and was also considered for the part of Withnail.
  
  
• Handmade Films kept back £30,000 of Bruce Robinson's fee to pay for the scenes when Withnail and Marwood are driving through the rainstorm to get to Uncle Monty's cottage. The producers didn't believe these scenes were needed, but the director considered them essential. He was never reimbursed his money after the film's success.
  
  
• Ralph Brown turned up for his audition dressed up like the Danny described in the script, with purple hair and painted fingernails. The casting director Mary Selway and director Bruce Robinson found him frightening but also hilarious. Because of his extra mile, he got the part.
  
  
• Both 'Paul McGann' and Richard E. Grant went on to play Doctor Who. McGann was the 8th doctor and Grant was the 9th, though his status was changed to "unofficial" when the new series of Doctor Who started.
  
  
• Director Cameo: [Bruce Robinson] The Barman in the London pub. He also doubles up for Richard E. Grant as the driver of the car on the way back from London (and can be seen at a couple of points) and Michael Elphick's poacher character in the long distance shots of him visiting Crow Crag.
  
  

Related Links