Perhaps worryingly, the inspiration for A bit of Tom Jones? first came to writer/director Peter Watkins-Hughes while he was struggling to think of something to buy his wife for her birthday. ‘I started thinking what I could get to surprise her…’ Says Mr Watkins-Hughes. ‘I was running out of jewellery ideas, then I remembered the true story about selling off Napoleon Bonaparte’s private parts after his death. (see Celebrity Off cuts) Suddenly, I had this entire concept pop into my head of this secret underworld of people selling celebrity body parts and of a poor schmoe who gives his long suffering wife a bit of her favourite actor as a gift… Originally, the idea was set in 1960’s Los Angeles with struggling actor giving Errol Flynn’s member. ‘Then I realised, I didn’t have enough money for the airfare to LA – let alone the $15 million budget needed to shoot it stateside. So I brought the idea closer to home – and thought about Wales’ original sex bomb – Tom Jones… Although, one draft did put Shakin’ Stevens in line for the fateful chop! ‘

‘Originally the script was just going to written for 30 minuter,’ says Watkins-Hughes, ‘but as ‘more and more dumb ideas just began appearing on the computer screen – and I realised I just had to go with it.’

Some 14 drafts later, the shooting script was finally ready and after a mad scramble to get all the resources, cast and crew together the film began shooting what was to become ‘A Bit of Tom Jones?’