The first full account of the beautiful, innocent young woman who married Reggie Kray - and became trapped in the violent and terrifying world of the Kray Twins.She was young, very beautiful and had everything to live for - but the life of Frances Shea, wife of Reggie Kray, remains one of the most tragic stories of the Sixties.Courted by Reggie as a schoolgirl, Frances was lured into an outwardly glamorous world of nightclubs, expensive clothes and showbiz parties. Yet she very soon discov...

Through the darkest days of the Second World War, an elite group of courageous civilian women risked their lives as aerial courier pilots, flying Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and many other powerful war machines in thousands of perilous missions.The dangers these women faced were many: they flew unarmed, without radio and in some cases without instruments, in conditions where even unexpected cloud could mean disaster.In The Female Few, five of thes...

Tuesday, 8 May 1945: Victory in Europe Day.A day of joyous celebration, as the end of a conflict which had engulfed the world came within touching distance. Millions of people celebrated in the streets throughout Britain.Yet not all was right in the world. Struggles remained ahead - war still raged on between the Allies and Japan. Agreements and treaties were yet to be forged. Lives continued to be lost around the world.Meanwhile in Britain, although...

Elvis is waiting outside in a big pink Caddy.Or rather, he would be if the dreams and fantasies of millions of teenage girls could only come true… And like so many other thirteen-year-olds, East End schoolgirl Jacky Hyams has fallen under the spell of the man with the swivel hips and sexy voice, an unforgettable moment in time amidst a tidal wave of social change in Britain: the era of the Fifties teenager.All around her, people are shaking off the memory of the drab austerit...

Step back a hundred years to the world of the pampered, privileged upper classes and look inside Downton Abbey to find out exactly what goes on behind the magisterial doors of TV's favourite stately home. They were the super rich of their times, pampered beyond belief - the early 20th century Edwardian gentry, who lived like superstars, their every desire or need catered to by an army of butlers, servants, footmen, housekeepers and grooms. Class, money, inheritance, luxury and snobbery dom...

Britain’s first wartime fighter plane, the Hawker Hurricane, shot down more enemy planes than any other fighter. With November 6th 2025 marking 90 years since its first flight, there’s no better time to celebrate this legendary aircraft and its pivotal role in the Battle of Britain.Often eclipsed by the legend and aerial heroics of the Spitfire, the Hurricane was the authentic warhorse of aviation history. Stable, rugged, less expensive to build — and far more easi...

London, 1966, was a time when anything seemed possible, especially for a young, free-spirited girl in search of adventure. With pop music, fashion and youth culture at its height London was the most 'swinging' city on earth and the outlook was optimistic. In the follow-up to her bestselling memoir Bombsites and Lollipops, Jacky Hyams takes a look back to the years that changed Britain forever. A time of miniskirts, sexual-freedom, and spies from behind the Iron Curtain. But the excitement ...

CONTAINS EXCLUSIVE SOUND CLIPS FROM THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS ARCHIVES.Spitfire Stories, published in association with Imperial War Museums, is a fascinating anthology of first-hand stories from Spitfire heroes and heroines of the Second World War.The Spitfire is the world’s most iconic aeroplane. Coming into its own during the Battle of Britain, it became famous during the Second World War

Sunday, 3 September 1939: the dawn of a new conflict that would engulf the world, following the words of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain: 'This country is at war with Germany'. By the time World War II ended in 1945, nearly half a million people from Britain and its empire had lost their lives, and the world had changed forever.Eighty years on, a look back at the lives of British people in September 1939 reveals a very different world from the one we know today. Unprecedented ha...

For the first time, pensioners outnumber children in the UK. With limited support for carers and no formal training, this book provides everything you need to know about caring for ageing parentsWe're all living longer than ever. But there is, inevitably, a point when most of us have to face the fact that Mum or Dad - or both - really do need more help. For many, the responsibility of supporting their parents and aiding them to make the right decisions at the right...

Spitfire Stories, published in association with Imperial War Museums, is a fascinating anthology of first-hand stories from Spitfire heroes and heroines of the Second World War.The Spitfire is the world’s most iconic aeroplane. Coming into its own during the Battle of Britain, it became famous during the Second World War as the only plane that could match the enemy fighters in the sky.Yet, even tod...

Jennifer Saunders is Britain's best-loved comedienne, screenwriter and actress. For the first time, author Jacky Hyams reveals the story behind Jennifer's rise to fame, her successful career as the Queen of Comedy and the highs and lows of her remarkable life. Born in 1958 in Sleaford, Jennifer's mother was a biology teacher and her father was a pilot in the Royal Air Force. In 1977 she attended the Central School of Speech and Drama where she met her comedy partner Dawn French. After grad...