Movie director Ray Burdis has paid tribute to his "dear friend" Paul Ferris after the former gangland enforcer's death aged 62. Burdis, who wrote and directed The Wee Man, a film based on Ferris' life in the Glasgow underworld, said he had met with Ferris just weeks ago.
Friendship and film plans
"Paul was a very dear friend of mine. The more I got to know him the more I knew what a kind and caring guy he was regardless of his past," Burdis said. "I am just shocked and stunned that he is dead. I only saw Paul a couple of weeks ago. We were discussing the next film. I will really miss the guy."
The duo were working together on a sequel to the movie, already in pre-production, to be titled Ferris. Paul Brannigan, star of The Angels' Share and River City, is being lined up to play him. Burdis added: "We will forge ahead with the film because I knew that was what Paul wanted us to do."
The Wee Man and its legacy
In 2013, Burdis turned Ferris' first book, The Ferris Conspiracy, into a film about his life - The Wee Man. The BAFTA-award winning film starred Martin Compston as Ferris. It told the story of Ferris growing up in Glasgow's tough Blackhill area in the 80s and 90s, and how he came to work as an enforcer for crime boss Arthur Thompson Snr.
Compston, known for his role in Line of Duty, caught his big break when he played the former gangster as his younger self in the film. Yesterday, Compston took to Instagram to pay his respects, sharing the infamous picture of Ferris standing on the steps of the High Court after being found not guilty of murdering Arthur Thompson Jnr in 1992. He simply captioned it: "RIP the wee man".
Death and legacy
Ferris died following a short illness earlier this week. The 62-year-old was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on Sunday and passed away on Tuesday. He first came to public attention in 1992 when he was cleared at the High Court in Glasgow of the murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr in what was then the longest running trial in Scottish criminal history.
