Documentary follows producer James Ellis Ford's album made on a cancer ward

A new documentary follows producer James Ellis Ford through the making of his album Lost In Another World, which he wrote, played, sang and recorded in full while isolating on a cancer ward, The Quietus reported on August 12. The outlet noted Ford made the record during treatment that carries only a 30 percent survival rate.

Ford was rushed to hospital on Christmas Eve 2024 and diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, AML, before starting four rounds of chemotherapy; he made the album during one fortnight of isolation between rounds of radiation treatment. In the documentary, he talks with Quietus editor John Doran about that experience.

Ford is a producer whose credits include Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Depeche Mode, Gorillaz, The Last Dinner Party, Pulp and Pet Shop Boys, and he also plays in Simian Mobile Disco and The Last Shadow Puppets, both on extended hiatus when he became ill. A multi-instrumentalist, he played as many as 18 instruments on his debut solo album, and his diary had been booked up months in advance before his diagnosis, The Quietus reported.

Lost In Another World was recorded at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital, and Domino will release it on August 14, 2026, alongside the documentary.

It follows an earlier single from the album, The Ever After, and a report on the album's hospital origins that MusicSuey covered the day before, part of a steady run of rock and pop documentary coverage this year.