He was the son of the most famous man in the world, a runaway hippy, a failed pop singer and then a goat farmer. Now, Michael J Chaplin is publishing the novel it took him decades to write

Michael J Chaplin tells a story about an ancient sect that only counted a man’s age from the day his father died. It has resonated with him ever since he heard about it. On this score, he is 46 years old – his father, Charlie Chaplin, died on Christmas Day in 1977.

On a more conventional score, Michael is 77 and about to publish his first novel. A Fallen God is a retelling of the medieval romance Tristan and Isolde set in the 13th century. Apart from his family (he’s been married twice and has seven children), he says it’s the first thing he has done in his life that he’s truly proud of.