'There are prizes, normally named after PG Wodehouse, given to literary comic novels and non-fiction, and these books will have blurbs saying "hilarious" on them. This is infinitely funnier than any of them' DAVID BADDIEL'The funniest series of books ever written in the English language' RICHARD OSMAN'Hilarious' THE TIMES'Absolute f**king genius' CAITLIN MORAN'With a genuine belly laugh to be found on almost every page, it only cements Partridge's status as the world's greatest comedy character' EMPIRE'Partridge... has become the man our time deserves. Aha!' THE TIMES'This is a deeply silly book. It's also glorious...[with] proper belly laughs on pretty much every page' i NEWS'Every sentence screams pure Partridge...a spoof that comes close to comic genius' DAILY EXPRESS'Expect plenty of laughs' HEAT'Not only has Alan Partridge created an entirely new storytelling structure, it's very funny indeed' JON RONSON In Big Beacon, Norwich's favourite son and best broadcaster, Alan Partridge, triumphs against the odds. TWICE.Using an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films, Big Beacon tells the story of how Partridge heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits. But then something quite unexpected and moving, because Big Beacon also tells the story of a selfless man, driven to restore an old lighthouse to its former glory, motivated by nothing more than respect for a quietly heroic old building that many take for granted, which some people think is a metaphor for Alan himself even though it's not really for them to say.* Leaving his old life behind and relocating to a small coastal village in Kent, Alan battles through adversity, wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious community, and ultimately shows himself to be a quite wonderful man. * The two strands will run in tandem, their narrative arcs mirroring each other to make the parallels between the two stories abundantly clear to the less able reader. Read more

Spontaneous, hilarious, irrepressible and, of course, trailblazing - Kenny Everett was revolutionary in television and radio comedy. Chris Evans, Chris Moyles, Rob Brydon and Steve Wright have all cited Kenny as a huge influence on their work - even the great Spike Milligan called him a genius. It was Kenny who developed the radio show format with which we are so familiar today: a mix of music, jingles, funny voices and sound effects. When he seamlessly made the move to television in the seventies, he created unforgettable characters such as Sid Snot, Cupid Stunt and Marcel Wave.Rarely seen without a smile on his face in public, in reality, Kenny was a deeply insecure man who suffered severe bouts of depression. He also struggled with his sexuality, only coming out to the public in 1985. Diagnosed with HIV in 1987, Kenny died in 1995.This in-depth and affectionate biography has been fully authorised by Kenny's family and contains original interviews with Kenny's sister, Kate and with his former wife, Lee, as well as entertainment figures such as Barry Cryer, Cliff Richard, Chris Tarrant and Paul Gambaccini. Packed with fabulous stories about the highs and lows of Kenny's life, his great friendships with The Beatles and Freddie Mercury, this is a book that any fan of comedy and entertainment must read. Read more

The Elis James and John Robins' Show has become cult listening, and that cult has registered for charitable status, published quarterly accounts and been given a full blessing by the Archbishop of Broadcasting. It's official: Elis and John are a religion, and this book is their Holy Vible.Have you ever failed to Keep It Session? Is your new flatmate a complete coin? Have you ever eaten Space Raiders on the toilet and written 'Grief Is Living' in your journal? Then this book is for you. If not, don't worry, it won't be long before you're making up games, looking at Freddie, or facing your own personal farthing-gate.Our obsessions make us what we are, and though you may never have addressed a will to Brian May or cried watching Ronnie O' Sullivan make a 147, you'll have done something similar, and Elis and John are here to tell you that you're not weird, so come on in, and taste the vibe! Or should I say, READ the vibe! Read more

'Searingly honest... gripping... fascinating and hugely entertaining.'- Sunday Times'Moving and frank ... A story of a childhood defined by loneliness, the absence of a father and the grim experience of a Quaker boarding school. It is also one of the most perceptive accounts of Britain in the 1970s.'- Misha Glenny'A crisp, unself-pitying memoir of a 'trainwreck' youth ... I've always likes Webb on the radio. But I like him much more after reading this book. He offers precisely the kind of brisk honesty and considered analysis he expects from his interviewees. Our politicians should all read it, and step up their game.' -Telegraph.........................................................................................................................................................Justin Webb's childhood in the 1970s was far from ordinary.Between his mother's un-diagnosed psychological problems, and his step-father's untreated ones, life at home was dysfunctional at best. But with gun-wielding school masters and sub-standard living conditions, Quaker boarding school wasn't much better.Candid, unsparing and darkly funny, Justin Webb's memoir is as much a portrait of a troubled era as it is the story of a dysfunctional childhood, shaping the urbane and successful radio presenter we know and love now.........................................................................................................................................'I thoroughly enjoyed Justin Webb's bonkers childhood. He captures the middle class of the age with a tenacity only possible in one of its victims.' -Jeremy Paxman Read more

I was self-invented, adapting myself minute by minute, a girl on the run. And yes, built for speed.'When it comes to her portrait of LA in the 1960s and '70s, Moore gives its most famous chroniclers, Joan Didion and Eve Babitz, a run for their money' Lucy Scholes, TLS'Tales of the Hollywood high life certainly provide giggles and glitz, though the darkness is never far from the surface' Guardian 'Even better than her fiction: a gossipy, sardonic, nonchalantly glamorous production' The Times At seventeen, Susanna Moore left her home in Hawai'i, with no money, no belongings and no prospects. But in Philadelphia, an unexpected gift of four trunks of beautiful clothes allowed her to assume the first of many disguises.Her journey takes her from New York to Los Angeles where she becomes a model and meets Joan Didion and Audrey Hepburn. She works as a script reader for Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, and is given a screen test by Mike Nichols.But beneath Miss Aluminium's glittering fairytale surface lies the story of a girl's insatiable hunger to learn. Moore gives us a sardonic, often humorous portrait of Hollywood in the seventies - and of a young woman's hard-won arrival at selfhood. Read more

The gripping autobiography of broadcasting legend 'Whispering' Bob Harris.Radio 2 DJ Bob Harris first became a household name in the 1970s as the face of live music TV show The Old Grey Whistle Test, and his infectious enthusiasm and ability to discover new musicians has seen him become a national treasure. Today his velvety voice can still be heard on Radio 2's Bob Harris Sunday and Bob Harris Country. Bob tells his story of over 40 years of broadcasting, from the young, passionate music fan who moved to London determined to make music his life, to being presented with an OBE for his services to music broadcasting. Much like his musical heroes, Bob's personal life also had a somewhat rock 'n' roll vibe: he has been married three times, gone bankrupt, fought cancer, weathered a very public spat with a fellow DJ and has had to revamp his career four times. Bob also reveals all about working with the big names of rock, including the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie.Featuring a 16-page full-colour plate section and foreword by Robert Plant, this is a frank, vibrant and inspiring tale of one of the most influential names on the radio and reveals the story of the man behind the voice. Read more

'Full of glorious examples of caller wisdom [with] laugh-out-loud anecdotes' Allison PearsonHaving taken over 25,000 listener calls on his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime show, Jeremy Vine decided it was time to take stock of the wisdom his listeners have imparted over the airwaves. And it is clearer than ever before that caller wisdom is far more valuable than most of what we hear from 'the experts'. The voice of the so-called 'ordinary person' - totally unvarnished and unspun - turns out to be not so ordinary after all.These moments of truth could not have come at a more pertinent time - with world politics, war and Brexit in the fray. And it always helps to make people laugh. This is his hilarious account of lessons learnt from listeners, life and Len Goodman by way of musings on everything including love, lollipop ladies and poisonous plants. Read more

Terry Wogan was one of Britain's best-loved radio and television celebrities witty, charming and relaxed and undoubtedly captured the nation's heart. Here, Terry tells his life story from his beginnings as a young Limerick boy to his incredible success as an enduring celebrity with shows such as Wogan and The Eurovision Song Contest. Is It Me? is written in Terry's own inimitable style, with self-deprecating humour and a wry take on everyday life. The story is a delightfully observed, light-hearted journey through Terry's personal and professional lives. After reluctantly starting his career in banking, Terry escaped to make a sucessful break into broadcasting with RTE. Fronting Children in Need, Wogan and The Eurovision Song Contest and collecting millions of listeners to his morning BBC 2 radio show, Wake Up To Wogan, he is now the most prolific and popular presenter at the BBC. 'I am sure it's a challenging read' Sir David Frost 'I don't remember him' Jimmy Young Read more

March 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission – 42 being the answer, of course, to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan are bringing back into print The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts with an introduction from Simon Jones.The collection also includes the previously 'lost' Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, 'Sheila's Ear' and the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams.This collection, which is a faithful reproduction of the text as it was first published in 1985, features all twelve original radio scripts – Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. For those who have always loved Douglas Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading and a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia.This special anniversary edition will accompany reissued eye-catching editions of the five individual Hitchhiker books coming in March 2020: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless. Read more

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING HILARIOUS AND HEARTFELT MEMOIR FROM LINDA ROBSON__________Linda Robson’s nickname is Baggy Mouth for good reason.She may be one of the nation’s favourite TV personalities – whether playing Tracey Stubbs in Birds of a Feather or being a regular on Loose Women – but she can’t help hilariously oversharing. Luckily, this is an ideal trait for her first-ever memoir . . .Taking us back to the very beginning, growing up in a North London council house, Linda explains how she came to attend theatre school aged nine, where she met Pauline Quirke.As their friendship blossomed and evolved into a professional partnership, small parts in theatre and film productions culminated in the pair being cast in the enduring and beloved sitcom Birds of a Feather.With a wicked glint in her eye, Linda recounts the twists and turns of an actor’s life, sharing tales of backstage antics, on-set stories and demanding co-stars from across her her varied and celebrated career.However, it has not all been laughter, and she candidly talks about the struggles she’s faced in her personal life and the battles she has had to overcome. Yet her determination to pull herself back from the brink shows us that the tough times really do make us stronger.Truth Be Told is funny, warm and loose-lipped about a remarkable life well-lived.__________PRAISE FOR TRUTH BE TOLD'Searingly honest' The Mail Read more

The best jokes, gags and scenes from a true British comedy classic.‘Cheer up, could be worse. State the country's in, we could be free.’‘Doctor: I want you to fill one of those containers for me.Fletcher (other side of the room): What, from 'ere?’You can count the number of truly classic British sitcoms on one hand – well, perhaps two. But however many hands you use, Porridge will be one of the first programmes to register for inclusion. Undoubtedly one of the real gems, the prison-based show starring the late Ronnie Barker as the recalcitrant yet loveable rascal, Fletcher, transcends the generations; like any other classic, it remains as accessible and funny today as it did when first aired in the 1970s.Including the pilot, transmitted a year before the first series hit the screen, twenty-one instalments were made, attracting audiences of up to 20 million. Written by those prolific scribes Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and brought to life by an estimable bunch of actors, headed by the great Ronnie B as Fletch, a recidivist who spent most of his adult life behind bars, the sitcom quickly attracted plaudits and became a shining example of what good situation comedy is all about.The Best of British Comedy – Porridge includes:• The History: an overview of how Porridge was born and developed• Gags and Catchphrases: a collection of classic quotes• Did You Know?: snippets of info about the show, cast, etc.• Favourite scenes: the most memorable scenes in full• A Porridge quiz‘New Faces, Old Hands’FLETCHERMy beloved Isobel.The little woman. Well she aint so little.I said to her the other day, 'Isobel, I'll never get over you, I'll have to get up and go round.’ Read more

During his run into turning FIFTY, CHRIS EVANS is on a MISSION. To take stock of WHERE HE IS and WHERE HE'S AT in order to figure out how BEST to get the MOST out of what he BELIEVES are the BEST YEARS yet to come.His typically positive and upbeat journey involves ONE HUNDRED DAYS of contemplation, research, focus, frustration and DECISION MAKING while SECRETLY:*Training for The London MARATHON*Bringing back his cult Nineties TV show TFI FRIDAY*And the small matter of suddenly being asked to take over TOP GEAR.HEALTH, LOVE, MARRIAGE, SEX, DEATH and even RELIGION all come under his witty microscope as he poses the conundrum - MIDLIFE: CRISIS vs OPPORTUNITY ?There can only be one winner. Read more

On the way to a show in Skipton, in North Yorkshire, I noticed a road sign to a town called Keighley. So later, during the show, I mentioned this, asking the audience 'Is that your rival town?' And the room went chillingly quiet, until one woman called out with understated menace, 'Keighley is a sink of evil.'Based on his award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, Mark Steel's ‘In Town’, is a celebration of the quirks of small town life in a country of increasingly homogenized high streets. Steel's bespoke observations on the small, sometimes forgotten, towns of Britain goes right to the heart of British culture today, championing the very people who shape the places we live in now.‘As everywhere hurtles along a route towards being identical to everywhere else, it seems any expression of local interest or eccentricity is becoming a yell of defiance. Scrape away the veneer of Wetherspoons and Pizza Hut-inspired uniformity, and the march of Tesco's towards being reclassified as a continent, and Britain is as magnificently diverse as ever, and ready to celebrate each distinct community. The elements of a town that make it unique are what make it worth visiting; they change a journey from being functional to being an experience. For example, one drizzly dark February afternoon as I came out of the station at Scunthorpe, I got in a minicab, and the driver didn't even look at me, but kept staring straight ahead as he said, 'I don't know what you've come here for, it's a fucking shit-hole.'’Unearthing some of Britain's most unusual tourist attractions, and noting local quirks and habits, Steel's journey takes him through the backwaters of England, up to Scotland and across to Ireland, where he encounters a country united by a peculiar ingrained sense of pride, no matter which village, town or city, to give a refreshing take on Britain, its people and its places. Read more

Who played the best pranks on his fellow team-mates? Which member of the TMS team terrorised his teachers in the annual staff-pupil game? And the truth behind 'the greatest sporting commentary of all time'...Between them, Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell have probably watched more cricket than anyone alive, and they have many stories to tell, both as players and as commentators for Test Match Special. From their days as schoolboy cricketers, learning the ropes, to the shenanigans of the county circuit, and now their careers as commentators, they have seen it all.Joined by colleagues from TMS such as Isa Guha, Ebony Rainford Brent, Alison Mitchell, Carlos Brathwaite and Aatif Nawaz, Aggers and Tuffers share the highlights, mishaps and moments of brilliance and emotion that they have witnessed and experienced on pitches around the world. Read more

What's the nature of reality? Does the universe ever end? What is time and does it even exist? These are the biggest imagination-stretching, brain-staggering questions in the universe - and here are their fascinating answers.From quantum weirdness to freaky cosmology (like white holes - which spew out matter instead of sucking it in), This Book Will Blow Your Mind takes you on an epic journey to the furthest extremes of science, to the things you never thought possible. This book will explain: Why part of the universe missing (and how scientists finally found it)How time might also flow backwardsHow human head transplants might be possible (in the very near future)Whether the universe is a hologramAnd why we are all zombiesFilled with counterintuitive stories and factoids you can't wait to share, as well as lots of did-you-knows and plenty of how-did-we-ever-not-knows, this new book from the bestselling New Scientist series will blow your mind - and then put it back together again. You don't need a spaceship to travel to the extremes of science. You just need this book. Read more

Lindsay Wesker is a novelist, playwright, songwriter, radio broadcaster, club DJ, teacher and the son of noted English playwright Sir Arnold Wesker.Lindsay has been in the music industry since 1981, working for such companies/organisations as Black Echoes, WEA, A&M Records, Kiss (100) FM, BBC, Avex Records, Mushroom Records, ZTT, MTV, Mi-Soul, Point Blank Music School and LCCM (London College Of Contemporary Music).This is the story of how Lindsay followed in his father's footsteps but via an unconventional route, and the many 'mistakes' he made along the way. Read more

A collection of essays exploring the philosophical elements present in Neo-Noir films.Film noir is a classic genre characterized by visual elements such as tilted camera angles, skewed scene compositions, and an interplay between darkness and light. Common motifs include crime and punishment, the upheaval of traditional moral values, and a pessimistic stance on the meaning of life and on the place of humankind in the universe. Spanning the 1940s and 1950s, the classic film noir era saw the release of many of Hollywood’s best-loved studies of shady characters and shadowy underworlds, including Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Touch of Evil, and The Maltese Falcon. Neo-noir is a somewhat loosely defined genre of films produced after the classic noir era that display the visual or thematic hallmarks of the noir sensibility.The essays collected in The Philosophy of Neo-Noir explore the philosophical implications of neo-noir touchstones such as Blade Runner, Chinatown, Reservoir Dogs, Memento, and the films of the Coen brothers. Through the lens of philosophy, Mark T. Conard and the contributors examine previously obscure layers of meaning in these challenging films. The contributors also consider these neo-noir films as a means of addressing philosophical questions about guilt, redemption, the essence of human nature, and problems of knowledge, memory and identity. In the neo-noir universe, the lines between right and wrong and good and evil are blurred, and the detective and the criminal frequently mirror each other's most debilitating personality traits. The neo-noir detective?more antihero than hero?is frequently a morally compromised and spiritually shaken individual whose pursuit of a criminal masks the search for lost or unattainable aspects of the self. Conard argues that the films discussed in The Philosophy of Neo-Noir convey ambiguity, disillusionment, and disorientation more effectively than even the most iconic films of the classic noir era. Able to self-consciously draw upon noir conventions and simultaneously subvert them, neo-noir directors push beyond the earlier genre's limitations and open new paths of cinematic and philosophical exploration.Praise for The Philosophy of Neo-Noir“Conard can feel confident that these terrific essays will be of interest to film enthusiasts, particularly fans of Neo-Noir. Additionally, for those who come to this volume with some background in philosophy, not only will they be pleased to find fellow philosophers offering accessible introductions to philosophical thinkers and ideas but they are sure to increase their understanding of noir, Neo-Noir, and many familiar film titles, as well as more deeply appreciate the ways in which popular film and television offer wide and varied avenues to doing good philosophy.” —Kimberly A. Blessing, co-editor of Movies and the Meaning of Life“Taking up such latter-day classics as Chinatown, Blade Runner, and Memento, this volume explores how contemporary filmmakers have taken up the challenge of classic film noir and broadened the genre. In this analysis, even the pastel shades of South Beach take on a dark coloring in Miami Vice. These probing essays locate what is neo in Neo-Noir and thus define it as a postmodern genre.” —Paul Cantor, author of Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization“This collection will serve as a terrific interdisciplinary guide through the chaotic, intriguing world of postmodernist thought as it relates to film and philosophy.” —Choice Read more

Worldwide, an increasingly diverse and growing number of people are seeking therapy. We go to address past traumas, to break patterns of behaviour, to confront eating disorders or addiction, to talk about relationships, or simply because we want to find out more about ourselves. Susie Orbach has been a psychotherapist for over forty years. Also a million-copy bestselling author, The New York Times called her the 'most famous psychotherapist to have set up couch in Britain since Sigmund Freud'. Here, she explores what goes on in the process of therapy through a series of dramatized case studies. Insightful and honest about a process often necessarily shrouded in secrecy, In Therapy: The Unfolding Story is an essential read for those curious about, or considering entering, therapy. This complete edition takes us deeper into the world of therapy, with 13 further sessions and a new introduction. Read more

The bestselling facsimile reproduction of the famed trench newspaper of the First World War - a unique portrait of life on the wartime frontline.Decades ahead of the amusing but distorting buffoonery of Blackadder Goes Forth, this complete edition of the Wipers Times, the famed trench newspaper of the First World War, is an extraordinary mix of black humour, fake entertainment programmes and pastiche articles, and constitutes a unique record of life on the wartime frontline.From its long-running cartoon pun (Are We Being Offensive Enough?) to its brilliantly subversive column Things We Want to Know (the name of the officer who originated the idea), its hilarious spoof ads to its pastiche fake contributors (Belary Helloc), this complete facsimile edition of the Wipers Times, produced to accompany the BBC dramatization, is a historical masterpiece that enables us to sample the real spirit of the trenches . . . from the safety of our armchairs. Read more

Did you know that hamsters are only able to blink only one eye at a time? Did you know the longest video game marathon ever recorded was twenty nine hours and thirty one minutes? Did you know the earliest case of hearing loss documented in writing is from Ancient Egypt in 1550 BC?In these 1500 facts you're going to learn more than you learned from all your high school teachers combined. It's full of interesting information that you can whip out in any conversation. You'll never be lost for words and always have the perfect ice breaker.You're going to learn more about the world you live in & some of the topics include:ScienceEconomicsHuman AnatomyAnimal SpeciesSpaceAnd many, many more!What’re you waiting for? Knowledge is power! Scroll up and click the Buy Now button and we’ll delve into the interesting and fascinating facts about the world around us. Read more