In the matter of Where Eagles Dare, in the course of my work for Ofqual, I had occasion to meet and talk several times with Derren Nesbitt. He told me that Richard Burton was on about two quarts of vodka a day and that Clint Eastwood had a near-infinite capacity for beer and food and was the terror of the canteen staff.

Apparently, the scene in which Derrens' character was shot took so many takes that he ran out of trousers that weren't soaked in Kensington Gore, so they had to move it to mid-shot. It seems that on the last take, they put too much explosive in the blood-bag, and it shattered the board it was mounted on, sending splinters into Derrens' eyes. They took him to the A&E where he stood in blood-soaked trousers, a ripped, partially-butned and blood-soaked jacket, his face also covered in blood. Fortunately there were no serious injuries, and a few days later, Clint Eastwood sent him a large fruit basket with a big bottle of Optrex on top!