Rothschild: 'I've not read Mandelson book'

Hannah Rothschild has admitted that she has not read Peter Mandelson's autobiography, despite making a documentary about the politician.

The director of Mandelson: The Real PM? told DS at the launch of the London Film Festival that she did not want the written words of the New Labour architect to affect her "fly-on-the-wall observational" picture.

Asked if she had read Mandelson's memoir The Third Man, Rothschild said: "I haven't read it, no. I decided not to. I decided just to stay within the material that I'd shot. The moment that you start getting something authored it might [affect it] slightly.

"I read the cuts, like everyone else... They always take out the best bits, don't they - or the worst bits! It's pretty fascinating. It's an extraordinary period in politics."

Asked why she chose Mandelson as the subject of her film, Rothschild added: "He's the most interesting person in British politics, don't you think?

"He's colourful, he's clever, he's naughty. You know there's going to be an explosion or two. He was the dream ticket for me."

> Click here to watch our full interview with Hannah