Thread 27 : To feel disappointed - and disgusted and vindicated now too - after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

A sample...

The Jason Arday scandal begs the question as to why PRH haven't yet washed their hands of the fraudulent duo and consigned OWH to the dustbin of history. What are they waiting for? Why bother to market OWH for publication in late Jan 2028 if PRH have no intention of publishing it?

My view is they'd like to do that, but will be waiting for a moment when it is less likely to be noticed (NOT now, with lots of comparisons being made to Arday) or when they can hang it on some reason that's not their fault. Eg Moth has deteriorated and it now seems insensitive to put this narrative out there, want to respect his privacy now, so cancelling OWH out of respect..

Hi everyone...just popped in to see if the thread was still going...and it is! The charabanc is indeed made of sturdy stuff. Just out of interest, is this the longest thread on Mumsnet? And should @DisappointedReader be getting a Guinness World Record certificate? I hope so!

Wonder what GA thinks nowadays!

https://x.com/Dani_Auso/status/1917607328842477961?s=20

Much, much less publicity for a start. JA rode higher and had further to fall. Mysterious elite institution that’s still romanticised and resented in equal measure with egg on its face and reviewing recruitment processes. Everyone who didn’t get into Cambridge, or whose child didn’t, gets to think ‘Ha!’ It’s not just one journalist with a nose for a story, either — JA is also being investigated by Cambridge (or was, and many Cambridge academics are still calling for it), previous universities he worked at, and every journal he’s ever published in, and institutions like the THE, charities he claimed to have fundraised for.

And unfortunately he also sits in the middle of the culture wars, because one of the first investigators of his plagiarism is a racist who thinks black people are intellectually inferior, so alas, the JA case gives ammunition to a lot unpleasant people, including those who don’t like any research, even the best -quality, original kind, into barriers black kids encounter in education.

It’s a bigger story than TSP, with bigger fallout. It’s probably pure chance that it hit the media at a point when S and S thought it was too late to pull the book — as in, if it happened a month earlier I think they’d have pulled it. And/or JA is all lawyered up. He certainly sent threatening legal letters to a journalist.

It occurs to me that it’s possible PRH are delighted because it’s eclipsed SW and her grubby little lies. TSP is no longer the biggest ‘should have fact checked’ show in town.

Times article from a few months back is pretty convinced that OWH will be published. Money talks etc.

The Salt Path wars are back — all publishers should be nervous

I have just read in The Independent's Culture section that JA is addressing The Salt Path controversy for the first time.The Salt Path Star Addresses Book Controversy For The First Time

The delayed US release of TSP adaptation was going to go ahead. Sadly, the film will not be buried as there is too much money involved. And both GA and JI would be expected to undertake the media rounds to promote the film in the US.

But my heart sank on reading JI saying that "much of it [the film/the book?] is completely valid" If I was JI, even if I was contractually obligated to promote TSP film I would be very careful at what I would say which could be taken as an endorsement of SW and TW and their falsehoods and condoning their behaviour, their fraud, their lies and deceit and the financial abuse of elderly relatives. This has the potential to be both reputationally embarrassing and damaging.

Gillian Anderson has now also spoken: https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0810/1587280-the-salt-path-stars-break-silence-over-controversy/

"It sucks" is slightly less disappointing than the Isaacs comments.

It’s not entirely clear what she’s referring to as ‘sucking’, though.

Yes, particularly on a quick reading. Everyone involved (inclusing the publicists) has had a year to think about this, and I assume that the words in the quote were chosen with great care.

The "sucked" part of the quote is:

"She [GA] said: "It’s very unfortunate. The film was doing really well in the UK - beyond my expectations. I think we were about to sign with Sony Classics for the United States the week when the article came out, so it sucked, and continues to suck.""

Re-reading it with care, I understand the word "so" to mean that the thing that "sucked" (and is "unfortunate") is that the profitabiliry of the film was affected (by The Observer deciding to publish allegations at a commercially sensitive time).

There is then a second part to the quote, which reiterates the message articulated by Jason Isaacs a gew days ago, that the film can be regarded as separate from the book and any controversy:

"A lot of people were enjoying it, regardless, and it is special in its own right. I hope people are able to experience it as its own entity, separate from what may or may not be true or whatever controversy there is."

The quote makes no comment as to truth etc - except to suggest that (as far as the film is concerned) it's immaterial.

That’s certainly how I read it.

"I hope people are able to experience it as its own entity, separate from what may or may not be true or whatever controversy there is."

This is probably as near as she is allowed to say that it is
a) a fairy tale with limited connection to any true story
b) the film has some artistic merit as an adaption of the book
c) people were 'enjoying ' the book before the facts emerged

However, the book and film are utterly discredited by the simple fact that it isn't based on a true story but on a work of complete fiction grounded in dishonesty and deception!

This is an interesting development, at the moment JI and GA seem to be in control of the narrative, what will happen as they get asked progressively more awkward questions? I'm sure there will be people who will want to know more about Sally and Tim as people, I can't see them continuing to be fobbed off with platitudes.

Yeah. It’s absolutely absurd that these two, credible actors are more annoyed about the timing of the expose in the Observer. It’s not like it will affect their careers if this film doesn’t gross as much as it would have. They were made absolute fools of, all of them but none, including the director seem to be angry at the two people who successfully pulled the wool over their eyes. I don’t understand that.
"I hope people are able to experience it as its own entity, separate from what may or may not be true or whatever controversy there is."
Why should we? Why should we continue to let the Walkers profit from their lies? It’s bad enough that I won’t get my money back from buying the books or taking my whole family to the cinema to watch this, but I don’t have to buy the dvd or pay to view it on a television app. Damned cheek. If she wants people to separate the film from the grifters it portrays then they should buy out the Walkers’ rights to it or take them to court and sue them.

It is mental! How can any part of it be valid when it nevee effing happened!!!!

GA and JI didn't treat the film as something entirely separate from the book when they were promoting it before, e.g. on The One Show, red carpet, etc.

@Freshsocks "what will happen as they get asked progressively more awkward questions?"

I would assume that the plan is for the actors to do recorded interviews of the lightweight Hollywood style, where the questions are cuddly and pre-vetted, and include one teed-up question about "the controversy about the book" to which they will repeat the above deflecting and non-committal answer and move on. Can't see them wanting, or needing, to undergo a Paxman-style grilling.

I come from a position of being a Jason Isaacs fan (HTJA). I think that what he’s said is ok. It’s cautious and as far as it can be, non committal

I assume it is part of their contract with the film company not to say anything more disobliging, whatever they really think. Though saying that,the phrasing of both of their remarks suggests they are personally more invested in the commercial interests, and their own positions pre-expose, than in confronting the situation and the way they were taken in, and responding with integrity.

Moth and Ray attending the US premiere of The Salt Path!

I am really disappointed in their responses and I expected integrity as you say. They both wanted to play the parts with as much realism as they could and having spent that time with the Walkers in order to do just that, you’d think they’d be speaking up about the irony of learning how to act homeless, penniless and with a terminal illness from a couple who had been acting these parts all along. Sure they’ve had a year in which to process their emotions about this but that doesn’t excuse the attitude of protecting these grifters by not accusing them outright of being fully responsible for the film’s future and financial failure. The film was based on lies throughout, so you don’t come away with any good feelings about the West Country or the people they meet. Throughout the book she’s disparaging of practically everyone and throws in some politics which in reality she doesn’t give a stuff about. It’s a thoroughly naive suggestion that people should extricate this film from that book and those people. I have no idea why this couple are still being endorsed by Cornish tourism websites and will look into that and find out why. They do it no justice or for that matter does it help to portray them as being any part of this county to the people who live here or visit.
I do believe the film footage could be salvaged if Raynor and Moth are edited out of it. Then it would be possible to appreciate it in its own right.

You’re joking??!!! I’m stunned at the smugness of them. So this is what Sally Walker really looks like, a far cry from Raynor’s natural look. She wrote about not being able to use make up etc and being old, fat, plain etc so well done Sally! Quite the transformation! Amazing what stealing money can do. Moth, looking fine and fit too, equally amazing.