Michael Brandon, the 81-year-old star of the hit police drama Dempsey and Makepeace, has revealed that he was forced to cut certain stories from his autobiography after it was vetted by lawyers. The actor released his memoir That's All I'm Sayin' in 2025 and has just recorded the audio version of the book.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Brandon admitted that some stories did not make the final cut. "I just went in, and I told stories. I told what happened and what I felt, and then I guess there were things which you don't tell because...that would really make it like a confession, or make it an invasion of somebody's privacy," he said.
Legal Vetting Process
Brandon described the vetting process with some humour. "I had to have the book vetted....I said: 'What do you mean? Take it to an animal doctor? What is that?'" he laughed. "It was very expensive and took a long time, and I sat down with the lawyer afterwards for three hours, going over the book," he explained.
Reflecting on the discussions, he continued: "He said: 'You can't say that'. I said, 'But it happened'. 'But you can't say it'. I said, 'It's scarred indelibly on my mind and my being, and I should be able to [put it in the book]'," he said, recalling the exchange.
Privacy Concerns
Lawyers told him that unless someone else was present or the story had already been published and was common knowledge, he would have to make cuts. "'You are invading a person's privacy,' they said. 'If it was just you and another person [there] you can't say them because you will be sued.' And so, these are the modern-day aspects you have to deal with in trying to tell a story of a person who comes from an unwoke era," he shrugged.
Story of a Brooklyn Boy
Brandon was speaking as he prepared to launch the audio version of the memoir. "The things that happened to me surprised me as well as anybody else," he confessed. "I never wanted to write a book of just putting down what I've done. I've read a lot of memoirs and autobiographies, where a lot of celebrities, actors, musicians have written a list of what they did and how it happened. Some of that can be very interesting. [But] I wanted to do something more than that, and not just a kiss and tell, and not a confession, and not a list. I wanted to tell a story."
"And the story was about a boy from Brooklyn who wanted better, who wanted more in life, who wanted to chase his dreams, and wouldn't fit in, didn't fit in," he said. "[Acting] is a crazy business, and I still don't know what other business I could have been in. I was lucky to find my way because I was never aimed in this direction. So I'm grateful," he smiled.
That's All I'm Sayin' (Big Finish, 16.99) is available to download from bigfinish.com.
