Pinter comes out for premiere

Harold Pinter braved the rain to join actors Sir Michael Caine and Jude Law (pictured left to right, above, with designer Betty Jackson) for the London premiere of Sleuth last night. Pinter, who has suffered throat cancer in recent years, and has been ill again recently, wrote the script for the remake of the 1972 thriller, his first screenplay in 10 years.

Pinter will not have been amused to be described by the BBC last night as 'Sir' Harold Pinter. The playwright very publicly turned down a knighthood during John Major's premiership. Only in 2002 - the year Mick Jagger accepted a knighthood - did Pinter agree to accept the much more grand accolade of Companion of Honour (there are no more than 65 at any time). But he remains Mr Pinter.

Among others at the Leicester Square premiere were Kenneth Branagh, who directed the film, which is a remake of a 1972 thriller based on Anthony Shaffer's stage play. Caine appeared in the original film opposite Laurence Olivier. This time, Law plays the younger man and Caine steps into Olivier's shoes.

After yesterday's rain-soaked premiere, Jude Law went on to the Variety Club Showbiz awards where he and Keira Knightley were named actor and actress of the year. ·