Me and Mr Jones: a “little family story” that changed history

Thursday 30 January 2020

Two Jersey siblings have revealed how a "little family story" about their great-great uncle ended up as a blockbuster film hitting cinemas next week.

The thought of stories shared around the family dinner table hitting the silver screen might fill some with dread, but when your great-great uncle was the journalist responsible for exposing one of the world’s largest atrocities, its cinematic value comes as no surprise...

For Jersey-based siblings Eleanor and Gareth Colley, they don’t have to imagine being in this somewhat surreal situation as a film based on the life story of their relative, Gareth Jones, is about hit cinemas next week. 

Pictured: Some of Gareth Jones's surviving relatives, Gareth and Eleanor, grew up and now work in Jersey.

Starring James Norton and directed by Agnieszka Holland ‘Mr Jones’ is a fictionalised account of the life and work of the ambitious Welsh reporter who eventually paid a heavy price in search of the truth.

From flying in a plane with Adolph Hitler to travelling to the Soviet Union to report on a devastating famine sweeping Communist-ruled Ukraine, Jones’s life was a far cry from most family anecdotes.

Known as the ‘Holodomor’, the famine killed millions of Ukrainians and it was Jones’s reporting which revealed the horrors he witnessed to the Western world. His remarkable life was sadly cut short when he was killed by Chinese ‘bandits’, but due to the enemies he made by reporting the truth, the full circumstances surrounding his early death remain shrouded in mystery.

Gareth and Eleanor first found out about their links to Jones when they were just children and their grandmother, the late Dr Margaret Siriol Colley, sat them down to tell them all about the story that became the subject of her extensive research and writings.

Video: The trailer for 'Mr Jones'.

Although they never thought they would be watching their “little family story” on the big screen, Jones’s descendants are eager for his achievements to be shared with the world.

For Eleanor, now a lawyer at a local firm, it was only as she got older that she really understood the significance of her great, great uncle’s work. 

Having inherited not only his legacy, but also his name, Gareth - who owns an events company - says that he is “very proud” to be related to such an extraordinary man who dedicated his life to uncovering the truth.

Having studied Russian and Eastern European studies – coincidentally the same degree as Jones graduated Cambridge with – Eleanor said that the rise of Ukrainian nationalism has also shone a different light on this part of history. 

Pictured: The film comes out next week.

She told Express that the Holodomor “became a more important historic moment” after “Russia had denied it for so many years” when Ukrainians began to raise more awareness about the impact of the famine on their country.

Indeed, the screenwriter Andrea Chalupa is herself Ukrainian-born and says that she wrote the film for her grandfather – a survivor of the Soviet regime – and “...to unearth a buried history."

Speaking about why Jones’s story is important, Eleanor said: “I think he was important because he was a journalist who told the truth and in this time of ‘fake news’ and a lot of people not really perhaps saying what the truth was, he was a fine example of that. So, perhaps now he’s even more relevant than he was back in the day.”

Indeed, many couldn’t handle the brutal truths contained in Jones’s reports, with many people – including some of his journalistic contemporaries – setting out to discredit him. 

Pictured: James Norton in 'Mr Jones'. (Signature Entertainment)

“It was so impressive what he did and he was obviously so determined at the time even though he was from a rural part of Wales, [he] really pushed himself forward to do all of those things. I think it’s just that the part of him telling the truth and even when he was highly criticised for it afterwards,” Eleanor added.

When asked how they feel about the upcoming film, the siblings said they were both “happy” that their great, great uncle’s story is going to be shared with the world. 

Eleanor said: “Of course, it’s a film it’s not a documentary so expect some kind of artistic licence to be made and nobody really knows what happened on the ground there. It’s just really about telling the story I think.”

Having seen an early-version of the film at its premiere in Berlin last year where they also met the cast, Eleanor and Gareth describe it as being “well-acted”, “political” and “very unusual” in comparison to other blockbusters. 

So pleased @MrJones_Film about our Great, Great Uncle Gareth Jones is getting such positive reviews https://t.co/4Jzg2YGV0F

— Eleanor Colley (@Elie_Jersey) February 11, 2019

“It’s just amazing to think this little family story… just suddenly becomes on the film screen,” Eleanor remarked. 

‘Mr Jones’ is out on 7 February. 

Pictured top - left to right: The real Gareth Jones and James Norton in the role. (Signature Entertainment)