Travolta, Cruise and me

Panorama last night was about the Church of Scientology.

I haven't seen Panorama for ages, certainly not in its 30-minute format, and if last night's show was a typical example of its reporting, then I won't be watching again for ages. There was nothing new; it proved nothing; it was just nonsense.

I decided to watch it because a few years ago I was asked to consider ghost-writing a book by a woman who had come out of Scientology. It was just after my ghost-written 'autobiography' of a New York cop was published, when my editor at Hodder asked me to go to meet this lady.

I spent some time with her and her husband and she and I got on well. I suspect it was her husband, with whom I didn't click, that led to me not being asked to do the book in the end. I think he wanted to do it himself but, as far as I know, Hodder never published it.

One of the things this lady asked, was, would I be prepared to have my life, and anything I'd ever done wrong, be made public as that was how the Church of Scientology would be likely to respond, by trying to discredit me as well as her. At the time I said it wouldn't worry me, but would that have been foolish or brave?

Actually they wouldn't have to look very far. Just reading my blog would give them enough to discredit me!