After decades of theatrical ventures and performing together, 1957 would be the last time Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh would work together, with a European tour and London season of Shakespeare's seldom-performed Titus Andronicus. Strangely, not much has been written about one of the most prestigious touring theatre productions of all time, which visited six European capitals and became the first British Shakespearean company to perform beyond the Iron Curtain at the height of the Col...

Known as a red-light district with a reputation for sleaze and crime, Soho is also a diverse area, a bohemian location which has been an adult playground for hundreds of years.This is David Barry's Tales from Soho, eighteen entertaining stories set in London's other square mile. Within the stories live countless motley characters who have inhabited or frequented the area over the decades. In The Poet in Soho, we follow a famous Welsh writer on odyssey through a number of famous pubs; in Th...

When they visit their Uncle Vince, little do Bridget and her younger brother Robert know that today will be a day like no other as they join him in hair-raising escapades, travelling across infinite space and thousands of years, accompanied by Leonardo, their uncle's Irish wolfhound, the coolest dog in the universe! During this adventure of a lifetime, they soon discover how dangerous life can be in other centuries, and when they become separated from their time machine, the time traveller...

First broadcast in 1968, Please Sir! is generally considered to hold a firm place in the distinguished ranks of the greatest British sitcoms. David Barry - known to millions as mummy's boy Frankie Abbott - was a fan favourite, appearing in all three series as well as both the 1971 feature film and spin-off TV show The Fenn Street Gang. In this entertaining and expertly-written memoir, David tells the whole story, from his own audition all the way through to what the gang are doing today. A...

Do you know where in Edinburgh you can find a book bound in leather made from human skin? Who was Half-Hangit Maggie? What museums, theatres and concert halls can you visit in the city? And where will you find the most incredible panoramic view Edinburgh has to offer?All these questions and more are answered in this fascinating easy-to-read guide to Edinburgh. Whether you are planning a visit to Scotland’s beautiful capital or you are simply interested in the amazing history of the city, t...

Dylan Thomas is a much-loved Welsh poet, well known for creating the wonderful radio drama Under Milk Wood; initially commissioned for BBC Radio, it was subsequently performed in theatres both nationally and internationally and has been revived on multiple occasions.But did you know that Thomas also wrote the screenplay for a horror film about Burke and Hare, the Edinburgh graverobbers and murderers? And that he wrote no fewer than six film documentaries during the Second World War for the...

David Barry’s autobiography spans almost five decades of theatre, film and television experience. As a 14-year-old he toured Europe with Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, in one of the most prestigious post-war theatre tours. Vivien Leigh took a shine to him and he saw both sides of her complex character first hand. One minute she was sweetness and light, and the next she became a screaming harridan as she publicly berated Sir Laurence. In his early twenties, he starred as Frankie Abb...

Who can you trust when you can't trust family?Three months after her wedding day, Carol no longer trusts the man she married. Tony, a self-proclaimed entrepreneur, works as a travel agent out of a single shop, yet somehow has the means to live extravagantly: The new BMW, high-end restaurants, designer clothes - only the best for him. Whenever Carol reflects on their relationship, she realises she knows nothing of Tony's past, and there seems to be a darkness in him that scares her. Yet, ap...

Do you know why the ancient Greeks refused to eat beans? How many rowers were required for the largest Greek warships? What is the meaning behind the story of Narcissus? And how many Sophoclean tragedies have survived in complete form to this day?All these questions and more are answered in this fascinating easy-to-read guide to ancient Greece. Whether you are studying the subject and need access to the important information fast, or you are simply interested in a most fascinating period o...

Do you love cinema and want to know more about its history? Are you a film fan looking for an informative yet light-hearted review of the last one hundred and thirty years of the silver screen? If so, you've found what you're looking for! In this book, TV and movie star David Barry takes us on a journey through the history of cinema, from the silent movies at the time of the birth of the industry all the way up to today's CGI-fuelled blockbusters. The author guides us through this huge sub...

In Westminster Abbey at Poet's Corner sixteen Great War Poets are commemorated on a slate stone.The inscription on the stone is taken from Wilfred Owen's 'Preface' to his poems and reads 'My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity.' Of the sixteen poets commemorated, six of them died during active service in the First World War, and ten of them survived the war, many of them living to old age. All sixteen of these officers and soldiers that served in that terrible wa...

Glancing quickly over the bar, he saw the bartender lying face down in a pool of blood, senselessly gunned down simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. New York City in the prohibition era, and Bill Sutton's wife thinks he earns an honest crust as a rent collector. Instead, he leads an extraordinary double-life as 'Willie the Actor', a notorious bank robber. Based on a true story, the novel's protagonist is a gentle gunman who never once fires a shot.But it was believed...