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Friday 27th August 2021 |
We start off this week with some of the latest comedy products to be announced. From film to radio, and memoirs to novelisations, there's a wide range of products to pick from.
We've got one competition at the moment, to win a copy of Arthur Askey's second starring feature film, Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt. Based on a hit stage play, we've also got an interesting article on its history.
Coming soon
Off The Rails
A new independently-produced comedy feature.
Three women in their 50s recreate an inter-rail journey across Europe to fulfil a friend's dying wish, leading to as many laughs and tears as the first time around.
Staring Kelly Preston, Jenny Seagrove, Sally Phillips, Ben Miller, Franco Nero and Judi Dench.
Bleak Moments
Sylvia (Anne Raitt) leads a quiet life caring for her sister Hilda (Sarah Stephenson) who has complex care needs. Their lonely suburban existence is accentuated by a social awkwardness that detaches them from the community and fuels a life of seclusion and despair.
Released in 1971 to critical acclaim, Mike Leigh's debut feature film is a haunting study of social isolation. Uncompromising and deeply affecting, the film introduced Leigh's unique and highly influential natural style that he has continued to develop over a 50 year career.
A "true landmark" in the history of British film, Bleak Moments has been newly remastered by the BFI and is presented on Blu-ray for the very first time.
Lucy Beaumont - Drinking Custard: Diary Of A Confused Mum
From TV's award-winning comedy mum, Lucy Beaumont, comes her "hilarious debut on the trials and tribulations of motherhood". Known for her sharp, witty and surreal view on everyday life, Lucy shares the unpredictable craziness of being a mum in this "brilliant and laugh-out-loud 'mumoir'".
Mums everywhere will recognise the madness of it all. Like when Lucy was hospitalised with indigestion in her third trimester (blame the burrito), or when she was *this close* to slapping her hypo-birthing instructor. Or the efforts she made to infiltrate the local mum's social groups and when she embarrassingly forgot her own new-born baby's name!
"Heart-warming and laugh-out-loud funny", Drinking Custard also captures Lucy's marriage to comedian Jon Richardson, as they navigate Lucy's raging pregnancy hormones and balk at pram prices together.
Bridget Christie - A BBC Radio 4 Stand-Up Comedy Collection
The collected radio shows of award-winning stand-up comedian Bridget Christie.
In Bridget Christie Minds The Gap, she gives us her personal take on feminism, asking why it became a dirty word and whether women still need it, with the help of token man Fred MacAulay. Bridget Christie's Utopia sees her embarking on a comic quest for her Shangri-La. Worried about world events, she explores political disengagement, spirituality, a new life in the country and being mega-rich. And in Bridget Christie: Mortal, recorded from her home during lockdown, she turns her attention to the metaphysical questions we all spend our life avoiding (while being interrupted by cats, chores, children and her own dead self from beyond the grave). Do twins share a soul, or do they get one each? How do you live in the moment? And who's blocked the toilet again?
Billy Connolly - Windswept & Interesting: My Autobiography
In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his "windswept and interesting" life.
Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4 and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds. He found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.
As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.
Windswept & Interesting is Billy's story in his own words. It is "joyfully funny - stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom" as well as countless digressions on fishing, farting and "the joys of dancing naked". It is an "unforgettable, life-affirming story of a true comedy legend".
Drop Me Here, Darling
It's not easy, being chauffeur to your ex-wife. Especially when she's wealthy and you're broke... Leslie Duggan (Leslie Phillips) was once a high-flying property tycoon - but then came the 1980s property crash, which wiped out his business and left him broke. Down on his luck and desperate to earn a living, he takes a job chauffeuring his wealthy ex-wife, Caroline (Jill Bennett), who owns a successful mail order company and is very much on the up. The Duggans may be divorced, but they're still close friends. Although they no longer live together, they're still involved in each other's affairs - and keep a beady eye on each other's love lives. But when they're out and about, while it's Leslie behind the wheel of the Roller, it's Caroline who's in the driving seat - and what Madam says, goes...
Drop Me Here, Darling was first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 between December 1982 and February 1983. The cast also features Kenneth Connor and Joan Sanderson.
Mo Gilligan - That Moment When: Life Stories From Way Back Then
You might know Mo as the critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, BAFTA-winning presenter, Masked Singer judge and social media mega star. But do you know the moments that really made him? Opening up on the turning points, the good times, the challenges and the lessons learned, this is Mo as you've never seen him before.
Journeying through childhood memories in South London, Mo reminisces about school days and old-school raving, and takes us behind the scenes of his first comedy gigs, the creation of the original Geezer, selling out national tours and becoming one of TV's most in-demand stars.
Share the moment that Mo decided he wanted to be a comedian, the moment he went viral, the moment he realised he was famous (and how to deal with it), the moment his Netflix special dropped, the moment he won his BAFTA and the moments he still has to come. In among the laugh-out-loud observations, life lessons and candid storytelling, there lies the bigger influences in Mo's life - the unsung heroes of the black British comedy scene, the power of community and the feel-good legacy he wants to create.
Katy Birchall - Sex Education: The Road Trip
The first official Sex Education novel. When Series 3 is over, return to the world of Moordale with a brand-new, stand-alone story featuring the show's most popular characters.
Maeve gets an unexpected call from her brother, Sean. It's no surprise to her that he is in trouble again. But she's the only family he's got, so she must saddle up and ride to the rescue. Or at least, scrounge a lift from Aimee and drive there... Otis and Eric insist they can help, and Maeve's mission becomes a summer holiday road trip.
Sean's been partying with a group of decadent socialites who have now accused him of a crime. The evidence against him is pretty damning. Trying to clear his name, Maeve and friends integrate themselves into the rich kids' circle - it's time to go undercover. Thanks to Eric's dance floor moves, Aimee's easy charm and Otis' ability to offer good advice, they get to know the group. And they soon discover that Sean is not the only one with a motive for getting even with beautiful party girl Tabitha.
Father Dear Father
Patrick Cargill reprises his hit sitcom performance as a harassed writer trying to cope with two irrepressible teenage daughters in the big screen version of Father, Dear Father.
Featuring Natasha Pyne and Anne Holloway as his mischievous offspring and guest-starring Richard O'Sullivan, Beryl Reid and Donald Sinden, the film is featured here as a brand new high definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Patrick's latest attempt to lay down the law to Karen and Anna, his two home-living, partygoing daughters, is stopped in its tracks when Karen declares that she wants to get married!
Another smash-hit sitcom from Thames Television, this world premiere Blu-ray HD restoration also includes the film's original theatrical trailer, an image gallery, and the full-frame as-filmed version of the feature, before its widescreen cropping for cinema presentation.
Home To Roost
Mollie Sugden and Deryck Guyler star in this 1974 sitcom about life in retirement, written by Woman's Hour veteran Anne Jones.
William and Olive Wheeler are an old-fashioned couple, who call each other 'Mother' and 'Father', and are happy in their traditional roles as breadwinner and housewife respectively. But now William has retired after 40 years in the office, and is finding it hard to adjust to a life of leisure - while Olive is trying to get used to having him under her feet all day for the first time in their marriage. Over the course of the series, the couple struggle to settle into a new post-retirement routine that will suit them both. William ponders the possibility of getting a little job, reluctantly signs up for his pension, and embarks on a spot of DIY; while Olive badgers William to buy a car, suggests a move to the seaside, and spends a day in bed, leaving her husband to attempt the housework. Can they find a way to co-exist at home together, without driving each other completely mad?
Josh Widdicombe - Watching Neighbours Twice A Day...: How '90s TV (Almost) Prepared Me For Life
Josh Widdicombe tells the story of a strange rural childhood, the kind of childhood he only realised was weird when he left home and started telling people about it. From only having four people in his year at school, to living in a family home where they didn't just not bother locking the front door, they didn't even have a key.
Using a different television show of the time as it's starting point for each chapter, Watching Neighbours Twice A Day is part-childhood memoir, part-comic history of 90s television and culture.
David Renwick - One Foot In The Grave And Counting
In One Foot In The Grave And Counting Victor Meldrew, anti-hero of the nineties, continues his war against the world in a 21st Century where social and technological change have done little to make life more bearable. Not for the first time, his attempts to claw back some self-respect with a new job are met with a string of disasters, while a mission to untangle the affairs of a deceased relative takes him to a spooky old house in the wilds of Yorkshire, pursued by a knife-wielding maniac. Mercifully he survives the ordeal, only to become embroiled in a macabre train of events that see him wind up in the bed of a married woman.
For Margaret Meldrew, living with the nation's grumbler-in-chief is all part of the daily routine, until a face from the past brings her to the edge of an emotional crisis that could threaten their marriage. And in an age where communication between continents is no big deal how noble is Mrs Warboys' decision to befriend a convicted axe murderer in Arkansas? Guaranteed, as ever, to make the worst of a bad situation, she manages not only to draw Margaret into the mind of a killer, but to test her very sanity as the affair reaches a strange and grisly conclusion.
Renwick's first novelisation of the iconic 1990s BBC sitcom is also republished with accompanying new artwork.
Adam Kay - Kay's Marvellous Medicine
The new book from bestselling, record-breaking author Adam Kay.
The olden days were pretty fun if you liked wearing chainmail or chopping people's heads off but there was one TINY LITTLE problem back then... doctors didn't have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked. It's time to find out why Ancient Egyptians thought the brain was just a useless load of old stuffing that might as well be chucked in the bin, why teachers forced their pupils to smoke cigarettes, why hairdressers would cut off their customers' legs, and why people used to get paid for farting.
You'll get answers to questions like: Why did patients gargle with wee? How did a doctor save people's lives using a washing machine, a can of beans and some old sausages? What was the great stink?
If you're sure you're ready, then pop a peg on your nose (there was a lot of stinky pus back then), pull on your wellies (there was a lot of poo there too), wash your hands (because they certainly didn't) and explore this gross and gruesome history of the human body!
Jimmy Carr - Before & Laughter
Jimmy Carr. At the top of his game, he is an award-winning comedian who consistently performs to sell-out arenas around the world. He's also, by his own admission, a happy guy. Yet it wasn't always like that.
Back when he was 25, Jimmy was in a white-collar job he hated. He was bored, felt unfulfilled and was generally pretty miserable. How did he achieve this level of success he is now enjoying, in both his professional and personal life? How did he manage to thrive as a comedian but also as a human being? The answers are in this book, which contains "valuable and mind-opening advice that everyone will benefit from, at whatever point in their lives", because Jimmy knows all about the pursuit of happiness, having obsessed about and researched the subject ever since he chose to make huge changes in his life.
From prioritising the future over the present to understanding the benefits of laughter, and from working on your disposition to finding your edge, Jimmy takes us through some key pillars to help us free ourselves from punishing patterns of behaviour and negative internal voices, so that we can pursue our dreams. He delves into specific moments and incidents in his own life that shows how he managed to make it work for him. And because we're talking Jimmy Carr here, there are jokes, jokes and more jokes throughout. This is "self-analysis through the power of laughter at its most rewarding".
Lovely Jubbly: A Celebration Of 40 Years Of Only Fools And Horses
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Only Fools And Horses, as Jim Sullivan (writer and son of show creator John Sullivan) takes you behind the scenes of each and every episode, in this fully illustrated definitive history of the iconic BBC show.
Once upon a time in Peckham, a South London grafter named John Sullivan had the idea for a sitcom based on the market traders and wheeler dealers he had grown up around, and au revoir, the nation's favourite sitcom, Only Fools And Horses, was born. In Lovely Jubbly: A Celebration Of 40 Years Of Only Fools And Horses, Jim takes us behind the scenes of each and every episode of the iconic series. Featuring interviews with cast and crew, and never-before-seen images from the Sullivan archive, Lovely Jubbly, this is the ultimate nostalgic trip down Hooky Street, and a cushty gift for Only Fools And Horses fans everywhere.
Richard Herring's Would You Rather?
The perfect boredom-busting book for long winter evenings with the family, Richard Herring's Would You Rather? is packed with hundreds of the biggest questions to face us all, including:
Would you rather have a conversation with a dolphin or an elephant? Would you rather fall in love or fall into a swimming pool full of your favourite biscuits? Would you rather live in a giant shoe or a giant peach? Would you rather own a car with Jimmy Carr, a lorry with Laurie Anderson or a van with Van Morrison?
The questions will have the whole family, whether 6 or 106, debating on car journeys and train journeys, or stuck in on wet days during the school holidays, and will keep you entertained around the table at Christmas lunch (or when you're falling asleep after Christmas lunch...).
Little Blighty On The Down
All five series of the "pitch-perfect" parody of the British political landscape in the late '80s and early '90s - a political, satirical, village-set comic soap opera first broadcast in 1988, from Spitting Image writers John O'Farrell, Mark Burton and Mike Coleman.
Little Blighty is an idyllic part of the world, with a church, a market, a small school and a pub, The Cock and Bull. Village life is pretty uneventful, though the humdrum happenings include social turmoil, economic upheaval and vicious political squabbles - all presided over by the redoubtable head of the Parish Council and secretary of the Rotarians, Mrs Roberts. This formidable lady has been running things for nine years: despite the best efforts of the leader of the opposition, Working Men's Club chairman Mr Blandish. He's desperate for his members to present a united front against Mrs Roberts, but unfortunately they're too busy fighting amongst themselves.
The cast includes Jo Kendall, Andrew Sachs, Nick Hancock, Michael Troughton and Alistair McGowan.
Rob Beckett - A Class Act
Rob Beckett never seems to fit in. At work, in the middle-class world of television and comedy, he's the laddy, cockney geezer; but to his mates down the pub in south-east London, he's the theatrical one, a media luvvy. Even his wife and kids are posher than him.
In this "hilarious" exploration of class, Rob tries to understand the life he lived growing up as a working-class kid in comparison to the life he lives now. Will he ever favour a craft beer over strong lager? When did it become normal for kids to eat sushi? Is he still working class? Why does he feel so embarrassed about success? And, will it ever be acceptable to serve pie mash on a wooden board?
Tackling the questions big and small, A Class Act is a "funny, candid, often moving account" of what it feels like to be an outsider and why actually that's the best (slightly awkward) place to be.
Daisy May Cooper - Don't Laugh, It Will Only Encourage Her
Don't Laugh, It Will Only Encourage Her is the "endearingly honest" debut memoir from the co-creator and star of award-winning BBC comedy This Country.
Life hasn't always been straightforward for Daisy May Cooper: growing up in rural poverty in Gloucestershire with her brother Chaz, she had to work a myriad of low-paid and unrewarding jobs just to make ends meet.
She explains: "I have lived the most humiliating, ridiculous, screw-up of a life but Mum was right, you've just got to remember, sometimes the worst experiences make the most entertaining stories."
Victoria Wood Unseen On TV
In the five years since Victoria Wood's death, one great sadness has been the realisation that we'll never again be surprised by new material from her. But now, as part of the research for the Sunday Times bestselling and critically acclaimed biography Let's Do It, her official biographer, Jasper Rees uncovered a treasure chest of unseen work.
From her first piece of comic prose written for her school magazine through to material written for the great TV specials of her maturity and beyond, the store of her writing is full of secret gems that span nearly half a century. This is a unique and intimate insight into the working of a singular comedy talent. From the first to the last, these are words that no one else could have written, which will make you laugh in the way that only she could.
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - The Complete Fourth Series
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Series 4 sees lifelong friends and comedic royalty, Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse return to the riverbanks. Features six episodes and the fabled 2020 Christmas special featuring Chris Rea.
Pre-order the Blu-ray (or DVD) now: the series returns this Sunday at 8pm on BBC Two.
Robert Sellers - Raising Laughter: How The Sitcom Kept Britain Smiling In The '70s
Aside from providing entertainment to millions of people, the sitcom is a window into the culture of the day, and Raising Laughter provides a fresh look at one of our most divisive and controversial decades: the 1970s.
It was the era of the three-day week, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the winter of discontent, trade union Bolshevism and wildcat strikes. Many of these sitcoms tapped into the decade's sense of cynicism, failure and alienation, providing much-needed laughter for the masses.
Shows like Rising Damp and Fawlty Towers were classic encapsulations of worn-out, run down Britain, while the likes of Dad's Army looked back sentimentally at an imagined English past. This is nostalgia with a capital N, an oral history, the last word, and an affectionate salute to the kind of comedy programme that just isn't made anymore.
The Watch
The Watch follows an unlikely group of misfits, The City Watch, who are forced to find the guts to save the world, surprising even themselves in the process. The comedic yet thrilling eight-part series pits trolls, werewolves and other improbable heroes against an evil plot to resurrect a great dragon which would lead to the destruction of life as they know it.
From lead writer and executive producer Simon Allen, the modern and inclusive series is inspired by the characters created by Sir Terry Pratchett.
Quantick's Quite Difficult Quiz Book
Distinctive, unusual, difficult, but spectacularly entertaining, this quiz book is to other pub quizzes what Trivial Pursuit was to Ludo, what The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is like to the Rhyl phone directory, and what the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is like compared to a kid's scooter. Loads better.
David Quantick works regularly with Armando Iannucci, including on the new HBO series, Avenue 5. He won an Emmy as part of the writing team on Veep, a BAFTA for Harry Hill's TV Burp and a Writers' Guild Award for The Thick Of It. For over fifteen years, David has also hosted his own very popular quizzes at festivals, events, pubs, clubs, cinemas and in tents: the quizzes range is broad and the questions are tricky. They're not about statistics, there's no sport, the picture rounds are conceptual, and there's sometimes a round called 'Martin Amis Character or Blur Song'. Each quiz is funny and entertaining even if you don't know the answers. The quizzes are informative and opinionated. In some ways, they're like stand-up with questions.
This is a book based on David's excellent live quizzes. Questions are about books and music, movies and actors, strange events and interesting quotes. You don't leave a Quantick quiz knowing how many times Spurs have won the League, but you may know how many Shirleys have sung a Bond theme or how George V made the front page of The Times.
Tessa Coates & Stevie Martin - Nobody Panic: How To Be A Functional Adult Without Screaming
You'll never need to buy another self-help book - Nobody Panic is the essential guide to being a fully functioning adult without screaming.
Useful, funny and life-affirming, Nobody Panic will give you all the skills necessary to at least convince people you're bossing life. From the useful, such as how to nail a job interview and how to rewire a plug to the mandatory like how to cry in public and how to leave a WhatsApp chat - Nobody Panic is the ultimate life hack. This is a companion book to the critically acclaimed podcast of the same name which has been downloaded over a million times and charted in eight countries.
Not just for podcast listeners, Nobody Panic is painstakingly researched and combined with relatable stories and hilarious anecdotes - this is the perfect title for anyone looking to get a little bit more out of life.
Seekers
All 12 episodes of Steve Burge's sitcom about the staff and clients of an Essex job centre. When Stuart is made redundant from his post as an advisor at Rayleigh Job Centre, he finds it hard to let go. Losing his job is tough enough, but worse than that is losing his chance of finally forging a relationship with his colleague, senior job seeker Nicola, who he's been yearning for ever since their one-night stand seven years ago.
Queuing up to sign on, he finds himself reunited with his old school mates, Joe and Terry, who he thought he outgrew years ago. They're delighted to have him back in their gang, and are soon far too busy to find a job: winding up Stuart is a full-time occupation. Meanwhile, on the other side of the desk, we listen in to the unfulfilled staff who spend their days dealing with assorted jobseekers from various walks of life. This sharply observed sitcom stars Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey) as Stuart, Daniel Mays (Line Of Duty) as Joe, Tony Way (After Life) as Terry and Zahra Ahmadi (Count Arthur Strong) as Nicola.
The Brig Society - The Complete Series 1-4
In the complete Series 1-4 of the multi-award-winning show, stand-up comedian Marcus Brigstocke has been put in charge of a thing! In each episode, Marcus finds he's volunteered to be in charge of a big old thing - a hospital, a prison, the banking system, the great British press - and each week he starts out by thinking 'Well, it can't be that difficult, surely?' and ends up with 'Oh - turns out it's utterly difficult and complicated. Who knew...?'.
Helping him fail to find the answers are regular guest stars such as Rufus Jones (Hunderby, Holy Flying Circus), William Andrews (Sorry, I've Got No Head), Margaret Cabourn-Smith (Miranda) and Colin Hoult (from Ricky Gervais's Derek). Together they tackle the ills of British society, from the House of Lords and internet-trolling all the way up to the big issues - like why a paisley hanky is good for hiding disreputable stains, and how to use toothpaste to fool your landlord.
For more, see our full list of new releases and products coming soon.
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Louis Barfe tells the touching story of the nation's best friends, Morecambe & Wise, in a new comedy biography. Other quality double acts have been and gone, yet none come close to the affection in which Morecambe & Wise are held. Barfe explores how it is that thirty-seven years after their last television show, they continue to work their unique brand of comedy magic. A Radio 4 Book of the Week, Sunshine and Laughter is out in hardback and eBook from Head Of Zeus now. Get it from Waterstones
Out now
Andrew Ross - Pat Coombs: The Authorised Biography
Pat Coombs was the unsung heroine of British comedy. With her distinctive looks and incredible array of funny voices she was instantly recognisable, and as a favourite 'foil' to many of Britain's top entertainers, including Bob Monkhouse, Ted Ray and Dick Emery, her career spanned more than fifty years
A true Cockney, born within the sound of Bow Bells, Pat was a star on radio from the 1950s and went on to become a much-loved face on television with appearances in countless series, ranging from Beggar My Neighbour and Don't Drink The Water to You're Only Young Twice and EastEnders - interspersed with a string of small screen hits were roles in the Carry On films and numerous appearances in television adverts and quiz shows (including Celebrity Squares and Blankety Blank), all of which made her a firm fixture in British entertainment.
In this unashamedly affectionate biography, Andrew Ross draws upon Pat's personal archive, as well as memories from family and colleagues and his own five-year friendship with 'Patty', to chart her life and remarkable career. From her earliest days in wartime London to the final years of her life (when she stoically battled ill-health to continue working), this authorised biography is a tribute to an unforgettable lady who touched the lives of many generations.
Rentadick
Originally scripted by comedy legends John Cleese and Graham Chapman, this "hilarious" farce was the first of only two main features from cult director (and Oscar-winning editor) Jim Clark.
Starring James Booth, Richard Briers and Richard Beckinsale as three hapless private investigators, Rentadick is featured here as a brand new high definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Armitage, a rich scientist, has problems. Not only is his luscious wife being pursued (and caught) by all and sundry, but his laboratory is under threat of industrial espionage. He engages private detectives to protect both his business and his wife, but the service he receives is certainly not what he expected!
Life In London
Pierce Egan's renowned 19th-Century comic novel, adapted by Dan Tetsell, is a tour of the sprawling post-Regency Metropolis in the years before the Victorians turned up and made everything boring. The comedy drama - billed as showing the 'fast life' of Regency London - stars Mark Gatiss, Greg Wise and James Bachman, with Geoffrey McGivern as garrulous author Pierce Egan.
Tawny Pipit
A new remaster of this beautiful and atmospheric feature, made in rural England during WW2 as a show of defiance against those who threatened the English way of life.
Jimmy Bancroft (Niall MacGinnis) is a fighter pilot convalescing in an English village, from injuries sustained during the Battle of Britain. Along with his nurse Hazel Broome (Rosamund John) they spend summer days lazing in the Cotswold meadows until they discover a pair of nesting Pipits. Hazel's ornithologist uncle confirms that the birds are indeed tawny pipits, but the word soon spreads around the egg-collecting community that there is a rare and lucrative nest in this rural English village. Afraid of having the bird's eggs stolen or destroyed, the villagers agree to defend the nest against thieves, the army and the Ministry of Agriculture!
Written and directed jointly by Bernard Miles and Charles Saunders, this British comedy resonates with propaganda that aims to cheer up an audience weary of the ongoing war.
Jacob Hawley: On Drugs
In his first BBC Sounds podcast series, stand-up comic and New Comedy Award finalist Jacob Hawley examines one of the most important issues affecting young people today, looking into every aspect of British drug culture to discover its scope and effects.
As a recreational drugs user for almost a decade, Jacob thought he knew more than most about the topic - but was shocked by how much he still had to learn. Beginning with a debate about legalisation, these 16 episodes examine the highs and lows of drug use and abuse, from psychedelics, ayahuasca and chemsex to addiction, county lines gangs and drugs behind bars and on the streets. Jacob visits a rehab clinic to talk to recovering addicts, meets families who have lost loved ones to drugs and speaks with dealers and policemen to canvass opinions from both sides of the law. "Enlightening, informative and insightful", it will expand your mind and make you rethink the way you look at drugs.
Rob Deering - Running Tracks
Rob Deering has been listening to music his whole life, but it was only in his mid-thirties that - much to his surprise - he found himself falling in love with the hugely popular, nearly perfect, sometimes preposterous activity of running.
In this "vividly conjured collection", Rob shares stories of when a run, a place and a tune come together in a life-defining moment. His adventures in running have spanned four continents, fifteen marathons and numberless miles of park and pavement, and the carefully chosen music streaming through his headphones has spurred him forward throughout.
What makes the perfect running tune? Where can you find the best routes, even in an unfamiliar town? Why do people put themselves through marathons? In Running Tracks, Rob Deering shares his sometimes surprising answers to these questions, and explains how a hobby became an obsession that changed his life forever.
Ed Reardon's Week 14
The complete Series 14 of the popular BBC Radio 4 comedy - plus Christmas special.
In these globally unprecedented times, Ed is also experiencing new and unusual circumstances. For the first time in 20 years, he's financially independent thanks to the timely arrival of his state pension, and living in a stylish, newly affordable 'capsule urban living unit' (a former office space converted into a flat). But old habits die hard, and Ed's soon distracted by an unexpected meeting with his ex, Maggie, a fight to save an ancient oak tree, a request to write Ping's granny's memoirs and an eye-wateringly expensive trip to the vet. On his uppers once more, Ed is unexpectedly offered two potentially lucrative projects: scripting a movie for Jaz Milvane and writing a series of biographies for Maggie. But he can only choose one job - which is it to be?
Snatch - 20th Anniversary
More than 20 years since its release, Guy Ritchie's crime caper with a comic twist debuts on 4K UHD Blu-ray. For those who haven't seen it before, the plot can be summarised as "a diamond heist gone wrong, a colourful Irish gypsy-turned-prize fighter... and a very temperamental dog."
The Blandings Collection: P.G. Wodehouse Volume 2
Audible Studios presents the second volume of the best-selling PG Wodehouse collection. In this volume, Stephen Fry lends his voice to the Blandings stories. This collection contains: Summer Lightning, Heavy Weather, Blandings Castle And Elsewhere, Lord Emsworth And Others, Uncle Fred In The Spring Time.
Volume 1, The Jeeves Collection, was released in December.
For more, see our full list of new releases and products coming soon.
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