A hybrid combination of 1970s police series and science fiction time travel, Life on Mars (Kudos/BBC Wales 2006-07) exemplifies the capacity of contemporary British television to find a loyal audience for work that it is innovative and unsettling. The programme rapidly garnered both critical and popular attention, regularly gaining in excess of 7m viewers. It was also screened internationally, including on US network television. An American remake was broadcast in 2008-9, and a Spanish ver...

This book explores the ways in which television has engaged directly and indirectly with the new realities of the post-9/11 world. It offers detailed analysis of a number of key programmes and series that engage with, or are haunted by, the aftermath of the events of September 11 in the USA and what is unavoidably through problematically and contentiously referred to as the resulting ‘war on terror’.The substantive part of the book is a series of independent chapters, each written ...

The definitive guide to hundreds of Britain’s most outstanding gardens, in the care of the National TrustThe National Trust has the finest collection of gardens in the United Kingdom. In this book, Stephen Lacey paints a vivid picture of the individual gardens, and places each one in its context within British horticultural history.All the major periods and styles of garden design are represented, from the formality of early gardens such as Hanbury Hall and Ham House, magni...

Stephen Lacey is quite possibly the most neurotic human being on the planet. A bundle of depression, anxiety and hives, he wonders whether he's cut out to be a father. In fact, he's not even sure he likes children.Henry Loves Jazz is a fly-on-the-wall account of what happens when Henry, his first-born child, comes home: the sleepless nights, exploding eco-nappies, celebrity chef cookbooks, black jellybeans and giant Mexican tarantulas.Henry Loves Jazz is n...

Tony Garnett is the first book-length study of one of the most respected and prolific producers working in British television. From ground-breaking dramas from the 1960s such as Up the Junction and Cathy Come Home to the 'must see' series in the 1990s and 2000s such as This Life and The Cops, Garnett has produced some of the most important and influential British television drama.This book charts Garnett's career from his early days as an actor to his position as executive producer...

The British `New Wave' of dramatists, actors and directors in the late 1950s and 1960s created a defining moment in post-war theatre. British Realist Theatre is an accessible introduction to the New Wave, providing the historical and cultural background which is essential for a true understanding of this influential and dynamic era.Drawing upon contemporary sources as well as the plays themselves, Stephen Lacey considers the plays' influences, their impact and their critica...

A Shakespeare scholar and Professor of English at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, discusses the relevance of literature in terms of its psychological value. His talk is illustrated with historical and anecdotal references to the life and works of Shakespeare, the Jacobeans, Samuel Johnson, Proust and others

An unthinkably shocking event sends shockwaves through a tight-knit mother's group, testing their bonds and revealing closely-held secrets that threaten to shatter their lives in an explosive, enthralling debut novel about motherhood, friendship and love.'All those things no one ever tells you about motherhood. It's like secret mothers' business. Lots of my friends had babies before me, but not one of them ever told me it would be this hard. It's like a code of...

With this book in one hand and a brush in the other, you can learn how to create different finishes and effects with paint to change everyday rooms and furnishings into something special, all for the price of a pot of paint. The first section of the book tells you everything you need to know before you start - how to prepare surfaces properly, choose the right paint for the right place, use the best tools and select a colour scheme that will work with the room in question. 50 different tec...

WINNER, INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2022 BOOK OF THE YEARTrent Dalton, Australia's best-loved writer, goes out into the world and asks a simple, direct question: 'Can you please tell me a love story?'A blind man yearns to see the face of his wife of thirty years. A divorced mother has a secret love affair with a priest. A geologist discovers a three-minute video recorded by his wife before she died. A tree lopper's heart falls in a forest. A working ...

This pocket-sized guide to identifying and interpreting metal and ceramic marks has been improved with the addition of the most recent hallmarks, along with details of the new hallmarking system.Do you attend car boot sales or browse in antique shops in search of bargains? Have you ever wished you knew more about grandma’s silver spoon? Do you envy the experts’ ability to identify and date old hand-me-downs? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, Collins Gem Antique Marks ...

Hilarious, heartwarming and inspirational, this is the number 1 Sunday Times bestselling autobiography by comedian Sarah Millican. The funniest book of the year!*****'The naughtiest, helpiest, laughieoutloudiest and goodest book I've ever done reading on. Give that girl a banana!' DAWN FRENCHSARAH MILLICAN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, FEEL NORMAL AND PROBABLY SNIFF YOUR LEGGINGS.Part autobiography, part sel...