Richard Curtis dedicates Christmas novel to Walberswick

Richard Curtis (left) with Himesh Patel and Danny Boyle promoting their movie Yesterday, which was filmed on locations in East Anglia

Comedy writer and producer Richard Curtis has dedicated his new book to the coastal village where he has spent lockdown saying he felt "amazingly lucky" to have a home there.

The Love Actually and Mr Bean writer has a house in Walberswick, Suffolk.

He said the beauty of the area inspired him while co-writing That Christmas with illustrator Rebecca Cobb.

The novel is set in Suffolk and tells the story of an unconventional Christmas.

Walberswick is home to the Grade I listed St Andrew's Church

Published by Penguin, the story follows a group of children who have to organise festive celebrations when their parents are unable to return home in time.

"It's all inspired by Christmases up here," said Curtis, who has dedicated the book to the people of Walberswick, which is just south of Southwold.

"We were here all of the way through lockdown. We just felt amazingly lucky. We love the people here.

"I was locked down in my study most of the time, but the great thing here is when you stop working, you can then walk. Instead of London where I can sort of walk around the block, here you can go the beach, you can come up through the green, up the high street. It's all such a joy," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

The village hosted the annual British Crabbing Championships until 2010

Wonderful Walberswick

• The Suffolk village is south of Southwold, with the two coastal settlements divided by the River Blyth

• At the 2011 census it was home to 380 people, though a large proportion of homes in the village are second homes or rented holiday homes

• It boasts more than 1,000 acres of heath and marshland protected within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and provides a varied local habitat for wildlife

• The village is the setting the novel The Sea House by Esther Freud, who is cousin to Richard Curtis's partner Emma Freud

• The British Crabbing Championships were held in Walberswick for 30 years from 1980 until 2010, before being cancelled when it became too popular.

Curtis also wrote all four series of the BBC TV comedy Blackadder and the rom-com Four Weddings & A Funeral and worked with director Danny Boyle on 2019's Beatles-inspired film Yesterday, which featured scenes shot in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex.

"I so love the smaller cinemas in Suffolk," said Curtis.

"One of my great Christmas feelings is getting in the car to go to Lowestoft and watch some superhero movie. In fact, I think we are going to watch Wonder Woman 1984 if we possibly can."

Love Actually (2003) is cited by many as their favourite ever Christmas movie, but it is not Curtis's pick.

"I always watch and strongly recommend Elf - that's my favourite."

Danny Boyle (left) was taken along the east coast by Richard Curtis, who lives in Suffolk, in search of the right locations for their 2019 film Yesterday