From Crimea with Love
By Jason Salkey
A memoir from the actor who played Rifleman Harris on Sharpe's Rifles
Publication date: July 2021
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Wooden Easter Egg, Matryoshka and Matryoshka key ring
Signed
Rifleman Harris Polaroid
Rifleman Harris Keyring

Photo Collection
Sketch of Rifleman Harris

Signed Photo of Hugh Fraser

Signed Photo of James Purefoy

Signed photo of Michael Cochrane

Signed photo of Ian McNeice

Sharpe Hat

Model Bust of Rifleman Harris

Two Signed Copies
Audio Book
Harris Video Diaries
Lunch with the author
Sharpe Lecture
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In the summer of 1992, Jason Salkey was cast in a role that would change his life forever. Sharpe’s Rifles, a Napoleonic war drama, was to be shot in the Crimean Peninsula. However, little did they know that the producers had unwittingly sent the crew to film in the rapidly disintegrated Soviet Union. There, Jason and the crew faced near starvation and danger hovering just over every horizon as they went on to create one of Britain’s most successful and critically acclaimed television programmes.
From Crimea with Love documents the mishaps, blunders, incompetence and downright corruption that made Sharpe’s Rifles go down in British television and film production folklore for its tales of hardship, disaster and chaos only rivalled by the Ukraine itself.
Follow Jason and the cast of Sharpe through intense depravation, hardship and impending catastrophe until they become every bit of the jaded, battle-hardened soldiers we saw on screen. Tapping into his written diaries, photo journal and video log, Jason Salkey brings you an eye-opening, jaw-dropping insider’s account of one of the best-loved shows ever made.
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Jason Salkey
Jason is an actor, a regular on screens, small and large over the last twenty odd years. His first big job was a huge commercial campaign for Miller Lite beer UK that made his face instantly viewers in the U.K.
Roles in TV shows, commercials and theatre followed. In 1992 he got the part of Harris Sharpe. A modest part in one of British television’s most cherished shows took up the best part of the next five years, a show that eventually reached most of the globe.
That’s probably how you know Jason best, but he has appeared in many films including Memphis Belle, The Russia House, The Steal, Fifth Element, Turn of the Screw, Fairy Tale: A True Story, About a Boy, Going Off Big Time, In America, Road to Guantanamo, The Infidel and Shadowdancer.
Jason is now the unofficial, go-to source for questions concerning the TV production and cast of Sharpe. While on location he shot a huge amount of video which has become a series of films documenting life on Sharpe which has entertained battalions of fans across the world at toy-soldier/ war-gaming / military modelling / living history Re-enactment even in particularly the US and UK.
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My name is Jason Salkey and I’m a Sharpe-aholic. Despite repeated interventions and countless trips to rehab I can’t shake my Sharpe habit; I’m a fan boy, still hooked. I’ve bought three box sets in different languages, I’ve read all the novels twice and I’ll quite happily settle into an episode of Sharpe when I alight upon one during satellite channel hopping.
How did I acquire this monkey on my back, what lead me down the path of Sharpe addiction? Where can I begin to explain the odyssey that constituted my time on Sharpe; a crazy journey that has shaped my life? A long, strange trip that to this day resonates down through the years, pursuing me whether I court it or not!
I suppose we should start at the beginning to the summer of 1992, I use the word ‘summer’ loosely as in the UK summer in London is often a rainy affair. And precisely because of this regular inclemency, I find myself watching the Wimbledon final which has been forced to schedule an extra day’s play, running-over for the first time in years (or ever) due to the exceptionally heavy rain. A typical actor, I was killing time between auditions, waiting for my agent to call with something juicy. I became a professional actor in 1987 a couple of years after graduating college in Massachusetts, New England. I had done all the dues-paying jobs imaginable, educational theatre, pub theatre, student films, you name it – I did it.
My big break – before Sharpe – was a long running advertising campaign for Miller Lite beer which regularly placed my face in almost every living room in the UK. Great exposure for an up and coming actor, but I’d rather it had been in a respected long running series or a part in a hit movie. The money was nice though, it came in regular lumps and I was quickly lulled into the false impression that it would never end; I spent accordingly, saving very little for the (now-arrived) rainy day.
The days leading up to July 6th were as rainy as they come in British summer, both weather- and otherwise. I’d fallen behind on my income tax; high repeat fees meant high taxes. I was not only in arrears, but I’d missed an instalment of the rescheduled payments too. I was up shit creek with no money and no jobs lined up, in the coming days I was to receive a visit from the Inland Revenue demanding to know what’s going on
So, I was sitting in my kitchen, quite thrilled at the prospect of watching this highly unusual, extra day’s tennis; yes, a jobbing actor has to find thrills in even the most mundane. Little did I know that the serve volley was about to be interrupted by a life-changing phone call bringing news far more exciting than an extra day’s play at Wimbledon!
Actors are used to never hearing news either way of how you did at an audition, unless of course you’ve got the job. Even in that event there’s no time scale on how quickly you’re offered the role from the time of the original audition to acceptance.
Jason Salkey has written 1 private update. You can pledge to get access to them all.
4th January 2021 New year, new progress!Dear Supporters of From Crimea With Love.
Again, many thanks to you all for showing belief in this project, I really appreciate the support. And getting the book ready for publications has provided a nice distraction from the annus horribilis the world has just endured.
The ‘copyedit’ of my manuscript has been combed over and will soon be fed into the ‘printing machine’. Another vital stage…
6th July 2020 Final draft submitted!From Crimea With Love has just completed the structural edit phase, where with the help of my editor I’ve expanding on certain passages, made things clearer in others and generally tried to avoid lawsuits! Now my writing duties are almost done, the publisher can get to work on copy editing, type setting, photo selection and all the other magic involved.
It’s taken masses of hard, unglamorous work…
4th February 2020 Reaching the next level!Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for your support of my cherished project and of course for your patience while it’s in the production process. After putting the manuscript through five drafts it was finally handed over to Unbound’s capable hands and I'm told the book is currently well under way with it’s ‘structural edit’. Once that is done I’ll be given a few pointers and suggestions on…
7th June 2019 FINISHING LINE IN SIGHTFirst of all I would like to thank family, friends and Sharpe fans for allowing me to realise the long held desire to put my Sharpe experiences into book form. And thank you to Unbound for letting me write the book I want to write. Some might say how could the ramblings of a spoilt, entitled actor be of any interest to an audience beyond the world wide legions of fans? If tales of mishaps, danger…
These people are helping to fund From Crimea with Love.
Winona Kent
David Rounce
Peggy Wynn
Johanna Ortner
Barbara Roberts
Joseph O'Leary
Eliza Senatorova
Mike Tessier
Paul Rae
Peter Moll
Martin Harvey
Cindy Winter
Mason Kinsey
Russell Collins
Anthony Connell
Mark Goodman
Edward Plowman
Al Carter
Richard Miller
Andrew Davies
Joshua McManus
Steve Rogers
- Please sign in to ask a question.
Looking forward to the book! Hope you get lots of support. Kim :)
Thanks Kim, it coming in slowly. J
How do I get my partners name instead of mine in the book?
I think there is a window where you insert the name you want listed on the thank you page. J
Made my pledge today! What’s your financial target for completion?
Hi Jack, Thanks for your support. The target has now been reached and the manuscript has been submitted.
Hi Jason, how’s the book coming along?
Hi Jack. The book is now in the hands of the editors. J