In the spring of 2023, subscribers to the British local lifestyle magazineSomersetLife were eagerly anticipating their April edition – a Gardens Special promising top tips for green-fingered readers and the best places to see seasonal bluebells.
But when the magazine landed on readers’ doormats, a story bigger than blooming gardens of south-west England was on the cover. In what appeared to be a world exclusive interview, the Hollywood A-listerJohnny Depphad confessed his love for the bucolic county. More than that, he had bought a secret hideaway in the area.
Never slow to pounce on a story about the controversial Pirates of the Caribbean star, the national and international tabloid media hungrily reproduced news of Depp’s English bolt-hole. The story went viral.
The British celebrity bible Hello! gushed over the star’s idyllic 12-bedroom property, featuring “a walled garden and even its own dairy farm”. The US weekly magazine People told readers that Depp was “enjoying the quiet life in England”. The Independent lured readers into the story, promising that the star had “opened up about his newfound introverted lifestyle”.
The story was all the more intriguing for having been revealed in the most unlikely of places: the pages of the regional monthly magazine. The six-page feature stated: “It is true that he also bought an estate of 850 acres near Kingston St Mary which includes what is known as Somerset Mansion.”
There was only one problem: according to those close to Depp, he hadn’t.
In the days that followed, publicists for the actor played a frantic game of whack-a-mole, trying to correct the story they say is inaccurate, but which spread like wildfire.
Intriguingly, the journalist behind the story was not one that Depp’s people recognised. “The whole thing was strange,” said one source close to the star.
The author was, in fact, a little-known English freelance journalist called Bernard Bale. The story of how he came to land his Johnny Depp story – along with a litany of other starry interviews – gives a rare insight into the engine room of celebrity journalism, and is every bit as intriguing as the thought of Jack Sparrow tending a Somerset garden.
A trawl through celebrity stories published under Bale’s byline reads like the guestlist for the glitziest of Hollywood galas – if the gala was being held in a local diner.
A non-exhaustive list of those quoted in his pieces includes Barack andMichelle Obama(2019),Jennifer Aniston(2019),Céline Dion(2019) andBarbra Streisand(2020) – and all, quite remarkably, in the Scottish Sunday Post.
Somerset Life readers with longer memories may have recalled a piece in 2018, when the magazine boasted how “Bernard Bale talks to Hollywood A-lister Nicolas Cage about his decision to make our county his home”.
And if his apparent prolific access to A-list stars wasn’t enough, Bale appeared to have a line into the most prominent UK politicians of the day, too.
In February 2022, Rishi Sunak was stewarding the UK economy through the financial upheaval caused by the global pandemic, but despite all this, the chancellor appeared to have found time foran interviewwithDogs Today.
That a politician may seek to woo the dog vote is less surprising than it may seem – British people really love their dogs.
But when asked how Sunak made time for such a small outlet at the height of Covid, sources close to the would-be PM said that nobody could recall an interview with either Dogs Today, or with Bale. “It is extremely unlikely. He was chancellor and no one who would know can recall this,” they said.
In October 2022, Bale’s byline was again on a piece that stated Tom Cruise, “arguably the world’s most famous actor”, had taken “time out of his busy scheduleto talk exclusively to Derbyshire Life”. In February 2024, the Yorkshire Dalesman magazineposted on its social mediathat while Pickering and Scarborough were a long way from Hollywood, in its article: “Sir Ben Kingsley chats with Bernard Bale about his #yorkshire roots.”
But after the Guardian made queries about the above stories, sources close to the stars involved said they could not recall an interview taking place. A source close to Kingsley said he has “not done an interview with this person”.A spokesperson for the Dalesman said all its freelance submissions were subject “to rigorous editorial checks and published in good faith”.
So far, so curious. So how did Bale land these coveted interviews? Following the trail of how journalists source their stories is, by necessity, a tricky business. Reporters do not reveal their sources as a point of principle, and when asked multiple times to confirm how he had landed these interviews, Bale declined. He said he had spent a lifetime establishing a valued professional reputation based on trust, integrity and credibility, resulting in “hundreds of interviews and even friendships” over the years.
It is clear that in the world of showbiz journalism, there are many ways to do business. There are, undoubtedly, agents, managers and sources who will brief on behalf of their high-profile clients in a way that can be spun up into interviews. Some people the Guardian spoke to described Bale’s “old-school” ability to do business with PRs. And as any harassed reporter will testify – writers have little control over headlines or how stories are billed on social media.
What’s more,not all those we contacted in relation to Bale’s work raised questions. The editor of Dogs Today, for example, said there had never been any complaints about his work – which appear to include two interviews with Barack Obama. Several features contained scoops that were later broken in the mainstream media, which seems to corroborate the accuracy of his sources, they added.
So who is Bernard Bale, the man who seems to bridge the gap between the Hollywood Hills and theDerbyshireDales?
On his LinkedIn profile, Bale writes that his “writing career began at the age of 13 when his work was accepted – and paid for – by a local newspaper in west London. From that humble beginning came a career that has engulfed national newspapers and magazines and every element of journalism and writing except frontline war correspondent.”
He describes himself as a “writer, TV and radio broadcaster, speaker, voice actor, PR and marketing consultant, co-owner of Chucklesworld Ltd and global sports and entertainment and visitor attractions partner”. But delving into newspaper archives suggests that this is only a small part of his story.
An early appearance in newsprint was not, in fact, as a writer.
A story in the Daily Mirrorof July 1978 suggests that a Bernard Bale – bearing a striking resemblance to the now older journalist – became embroiled in a “zoo love tangle” at Cleethorpes zoo in which he was reported to have run off with the daughter of a trapeze artist.
At some point, Bale appears to have left the circus behind in favour of publishing celebrity interviews. In March 2022, Derbyshire Life – a stablemate of the Somerset title – published an “exclusive interview” by Bale withGeorge Clooneywith the headline “Why George Clooney is a fan of Derby County”.
The Guardian understands that Bale had provided many other celebrity interviews with stars who had a link to Derbyshire – always with a quick turnaround. He had intimated to editors that he had a relationship with Clooney, and suggested he could get quotes from him about Derby County.
In the article, Clooney was quoted as saying: “‘I watched a few games on TV and gradually I began to understand soccer better and began to look out for Derby County’s games and results. I have been watching ever since.”
The irresistible mix of big-time celebrity and relatively small town club in the Clooney article set off another national news frenzy.
The Sun picked upthe Clooney storythe next day. It published another “exclusive” with the headline: “Hollywood star George Clooney has claimed that he would love to purchase Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side”. It featured a picture of Clooney in a Derby County shirt with “Ocean’s 11” on the back.
The Sun scoop was heavy on fan delight: “It’s unbelievable. But it’s also absolutely terrific. I’m gobsmacked,” said Derby fan Matthew Porter, 32. Even the local MP for Derby North, Amanda Solloway, chipped in: “[It] would be brilliant if George Clooney who loves football and has a passion was to buy [the club].” The story appeared to be based on the exact quotes published in Derbyshire Life, none of which, incidentally, appeared to back up the grabby headline.
The Guardian could not reach George Clooney’s press office for comment. Bale has suggested that some of the ways his work has been presented did not match the way they were originally pitched – and that he cannot control how editors display his writing. He said he has kept records of many of the interviews he has worked on, and is “not responsible for the presentation or editing”, adding that “any assertion or inference that [he] personally [has] misled any reader” was inaccurate and defamatory.
The Guardian understands that after publication editors of the Derbyshire magazine were approached about concerns regarding Bale’s work for a different title.
At the time they were readying another six-page interview from Bale, this time with Keira Knightley. Asked about quotes in the Knightley story, he said they had come via one of her agents, and in the end the magazine decided not to publish.
Derbyshire Life’s editor, Nathan Fearn, said that Bale had periodically supplied features for the publication on a freelance basis. However, in July 2023, the publication had become “aware of issues that had arisen with one of Mr Bale’s interviews for a different title”.
He said: “His work has not been used by Derbyshire Life since.”
As for Somerset Life, the source of the Johnny Depp story that is still carried by national news websites in the UK, the Guardian understands that Bale had written dozens of celebrity interviews without complaint for its pages, and that editors at the publication were under the impression that he had spoken with famous people. But after being contacted by Depp’s representatives and discussions with Bale, he was told that his services as a freelance journalist would no longer be required. A spokesperson for Somerset Life declined to comment.
The Guardian has seen no evidence that the interviews were not obtained legitimately, but sources close to the stars say they do not recall speaking with Bale. Bale says that he has “kept copies of many of the original articles and emails pertaining to articles submitted” and that he has “more than enough evidence, testimonials and so on to prove [his] integrity”.
Bale has had, according to hisown promotional material, a six-decade career as “one of the most experienced and successful writers of our time”. Pushing 80, he appears to still have plenty of energy for broadcasting on an online radio station, turning around books and producing celebrity stories. The Guardian understands he may have more coming down the line. The next one? Look out for Lionel Messi.