[1][4] In the early 1960s, MacKerrell performed with Ian McKellen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and with John Neville in Coriolanus at Nottingham Playhouse, where he also worked as assistant stage manager.
He also appeared in the 1967 BBC television version of Pride and Prejudice as Mr Hurst, for which he was credited as Vivian James, an earlier stage name.
His last words were reportedly "Give me a fucking pre-med you fuckers, I’m a personal friend of Sir Lancelot Spratt.
[1] Bruce Robinson related how MacKerrell once drank lighter fluid and was unable to see for days after the incident.
[6] This is depicted in a scene from Withnail & I. MacKerrell's diaries record the event, as well as others that appear in the film, such as visiting the wolves in Regent's Park Zoo.