Film, Television & Music

***Order now to secure the limited Collector’s Edition!***

Featuring a silver foiled design underneath the dust jacket, this special edition is exclusive to the first print run and available only while stock lasts.

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Blockbusters, Baywatch … Mastermind, Moonlighting … Porridge, Parkinson … Peter Kay takes you on a journey into the wonders of TV –back to the days when Dusty Bin was a household name, Robin of Sherwood was a pin-up and the Brookside siege was the event of the year. For a young telly-loving Peter growing up in Bolton, TV meant Sunday bath nights with a black-and-white portable, the unbridled excitement of the new Christmas TV guide and his elderly neighbour’s inconvenient hearing problem.

Here, for the first time, he collects his TV memories and adventures together in this brilliant book. Join Peter as he finds success on the small screen, leaving his own unique footprint in the golden age of TV: from making tea at Granada Studios and marching along to ‘(Is This the Way to) Amarillo’ to hanging out in the Rovers Return, having run-ins with Bernard Manning and starring in possibly the worst Doctor Who episode of all time. You’ll go behind the scenes of the legendary Phoenix Nights, take The Road to Nowhere with Max & Paddy and discover how Peter created his BAFTA-winning performance in Car Share.

So sit back and enjoy a journey through the wonderful world of television. Endearing, sidesplittingly funny and utterly unforgettable – T.V. sees Peter Kay at his vivid, nostalgic and hilarious best.

Peter Kay’s book ‘T.V.’ was a No.2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 25-09-2023.

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‘We jumped in at the deep end and bought a farm! A reluctant wife, a couple of crazy kids and a husband whose knowledge of farming you could write on the back of a stamp… What could go wrong?!’ – Kelvin

‘Exactly! And the journey has only just begun…’ – Liz

Join the Fletchers as they navigate the peaks and troughs of life on a lively farm.

When Kelvin and Liz Fletcher left their happy home in Oldham for a 120-acre farm in the Peak District, they were totally unaware of the surprises that lay in store. Come along for the ride as they navigate the Mishaps, like shearing sheep in a way that costs more than the price for the wool; the Lessons, such as never turn your back on a flock of sheep – or, put simply, ‘always close the gate!’ – and the Adventures, going from self-professed ‘townies’ to farmhands overnight.

In Fletchers on the Farm, childhood sweethearts Kelvin and Liz reflect on their history, their future and their daily balancing act of juggling acting careers, four young children and a farmyard full of animals. With wise words on building and nurturing a happy farm and family, this uplifting, heartwarming book is about following your dreams – even if you have no clue how to do it!

Time to pull on those wellies and get stuck into a farming adventure like no other.

‘Like any farm, determination and perseverance are vital. We took a huge step into the unknown and, together, we haven’t looked back. The adventure continues!’

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The hilarious new collection of stories and observations from Jeremy Clarkson – setting our off-kilter world to rights with thigh-slapping wit once again.

Who is that tractor-driving Gentleman Farmer?
Has Jeremy turned into a horny-handed son of the soil?

These and other perplexing questions may or may not be answered in the latest volume of Clarkson’s utterly unbiased musings on life, the universe and everything in between (except cars – this isn’t one of his four-wheel drive books).

Inside you’ll also discover why:
· Bathing in crude oil isn’t for everyone
· People who go fishing hate their kids
· Noise-cancelling headphones will never silence James May
· The rambler who stole his marrow is in for it

Full of fact-checked opinions and ideas so good they’re no longer following the science but chasing it up a tree, Can You Make This Thing Go Faster? is one hundred per cent guaranteed Clarkson . . .

Praise for Clarkson:

‘Brilliant . . . laugh-out-loud’ Daily Telegraph

‘Outrageously funny . . . will have you in stitches’ Time Out

‘Very funny . . . I cracked up laughing on the tube’ Evening Standard

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Discover the enthralling Richard & Judy Book Club pick from international bestseller Joseph O’Connor.

‘The best novel that I’ve read in the last twenty years… It’s fantastic’ RICHARD MADELEY

‘Breathtaking… A hugely entertaining book about the grand scope of friendship and love’ Sadie Jones, Guardian
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London, 1878. Three extraordinary people begin their life together – and the idea for Dracula is born.

Fresh from life in Dublin, Bram Stoker – now manager of the Lyceum Theatre – is wrestling with dark demons in a new city, in a new marriage, and with his own literary aspirations. As he walks the streets at night, streets haunted by the Ripper and the gossip which swirls around his friend Oscar Wilde, he finds new inspiration. Soon, the eerie tale of Dracula begins to emerge.

But Henry Irving, volcanic leading man and impresario, is determined that nothing will get in the way of Bram’s dedication to the Lyceum. And both men are growing ever more enchanted by the beauty and boldness of Ellen Terry, the most celebrated actress of her generation.
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Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2019
Winner of the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year

‘A colourful tale of secret love and public performance…in a romantic, lost London’ The Times

‘Hugely entertaining and atmospheric’ DEBORAH MOGGACH

‘Extraordinary’ SEBASTIAN BARRY

‘A novel I’d recommend to anyone: a rollicking and moving story’ James Naughtie, Radio Times

‘Fabulous… A truly great book you simply cannot put down’ JUDY FINNIGAN

‘Rich, sad, funny, and a beautiful read. You’ll LOVE it’ RICHARD MADELEY

‘Ingenious…hugely impressive and utterly haunting’ Sunday Mirror

*JOSEPH O’CONNOR’S STUNNING NEW NOVEL, MY FATHER’S HOUSE, IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW*

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‘The most life-affirming, joyful read of the year’ – Sunday Times

‘Winningly heartfelt’ – The Guardian

‘A triumph’ – Daily Mail

Bob Mortimer’s life was trundling along happily until suddenly in 2015 he was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel an upcoming tour. The episode unnerved him, but forced him to reflect on his life so far. This is the framework for his hilarious and moving memoir, And Away…

Although his childhood in Middlesbrough was normal on the surface, it was tinged by the loss of his dad, and his own various misadventures (now infamous from his appearances on Would I Lie to You?), from burning down the family home to starting a short-lived punk band called Dog Dirt. As an adult, he trained as a solicitor and moved to London. Though he was doing pretty well (the South London Press once crowned him ‘The Cockroach King’ after a successful verdict), a chance encounter in a pub in the 1980s with a young comedian going by the name Vic Reeves set his life on a different track. And now, six years on, the heart condition that once threatened his career has instead led to new success on BBC2’s Gone Fishing.

Warm, profound, and irrepressibly funny, And Away… is Bob’s full life story (with a few lies thrown in for good measure.)

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‘So bold and so vulnerable at the same time. I don’t know how she did it’ – Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Now with an introduction from Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About Love, revealing how a new generation of women can take inspiration from Nora’s sharp wit and wisdom about life.

*Never marry a man you wouldn’t want to be divorced from.

* If the shoe doesn’t fit in the shoe store, it’s never going to fit.

* When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.

* If only one third of your clothes are mistakes, you’re ahead of the game.

* Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five.
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‘I give this as a present more than other book. I buy it for people so often that I’ve been known to give girlfriends two copies, one birthday after another’ – Dolly Alderton
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‘I am only one of millions of women who will miss Nora’s voice’ Lena Dunham

‘Oh how I loved Nora Ephron’ Nigella Lawson

‘Funny, knowing and smart’ India Knight

‘The book that most influenced me’ Lily Allen

‘Nora’s exacting, precise, didactic, tried-and-tested, sophisticated-woman-wearing-all-black wisdom is a comfort and a relief’ Dolly Alderton

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023 – SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR

THE OFFICIAL DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF BBC SPORTS REPORT

‘Opens the doors to one of the great radio institutions.’ – Dan Walker

‘An absolute joy to read.’ – John Inverdale

‘That opening tune always quickens the pulse.’ – Henry Winter

Sports Report is as much a 75-year history of sport as a BBC radio institution and Pat Murphy pays handsome tribute to a programme that is still followed affectionately by millions.

For nearly 75 years, one BBC programme has been a constant factor in chronicling the way sport is covered, in all its many facets. It has been a window on the sporting world all over the globe – packed tightly into every Saturday evening for the bulk of the year.

First broadcast in 1948, Sports Report is the longest-running radio sporting programme in the world and one of the BBC’s hardy perennials. Pat Murphy has been a reporter on the programme since 1981 and here he sifts comprehensively through the experiences of his contemporaries and those who made their mark on Sports Report in earlier decades. He hears from commentators, reporters, producers, presenters and the production teams who regularly achieved the broadcasting miracle of getting a live programme on air, without a script, adapting as the hour of news, reaction and comment unfolded.

Drawing on unique access from the BBC Archives Unit, he highlights memorable moments from Sports Report, details the challenges faced in getting live interviews on air from draughty, noisy dressing-room areas and celebrates the feat of just a small production team in the studio who, somehow, get the show up and running every Saturday, with the clock ticking implacably on.

—

Waterstones Best Books of 2022 – Sport

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THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: a hilarious and heartfelt new autobiography from the national treasure Sir David Jason

‘There are British telly icons and then there is Sir David Jason. This book is such gold . . . an absolute delight’ ZOE BALL
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‘During my life and career I have been given all sorts of advice and learned huge amounts from some great and enormously talented people. I’ve been blessed to play characters such as Derek Trotter, Granville, Pop Larkin and Frost, who have changed my life in all sorts of ways, and taught me lessons that go far beyond the television set. And I’ve worked a few things out for myself as well, about friendship, ambition, rejection, success, failure, adversity and fortune.

With any luck, some of these thoughts and observations will chime with episodes and challenges you have faced, or are facing, in your own life. And if they don’t. . . well, hopefully, at the very least you’ll get to have a good old laugh at my expense.

So lean back, pour yourself a glass, and try not to fall through the bar flap . . .’
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‘An absolute delight . . . a romp with so much detail. Offers wisdom in difficult times . . . like being invited into his living room’ BBC BREAKFAST

‘It’s beautifully written . . . so conversational and chatty . . . it’s so lovely and warm’ CHRIS MOYLES

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Two comedy greats talk life, friendship and the joys of fishing…

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have been friends for 30 years, but when life intervened, what was once a joyous and spontaneous friendship dwindled to the odd phone call or occasional catch up. Then, Glory Be! They were both diagnosed with heart disease and realised that time is short. They’d better spend it fishing…

So they dusted off their kits, chucked on their waders and ventured into the achingly beautiful British countryside to fish, rediscover the joys of their friendship and ruminate on some of life’s most profound questions, such as: How did we get so old? Where are all the fish? What are your favourite pocket meats? What should we do if we find a corpse?

Following the success of the BBC’s Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing series, this wonderful book by two lifelong friends is a love letter to the joys of angling, the thrill of the catch and the virtue of having a right daft laff with your mates. On the fish, the equipment, the food, and the locations, Gone Fishing is the perfect book for fans of Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse and for anyone who wants to read a brilliantly written and endlessly funny joint memoir on life, friendship and joys of fishing.

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British television, stage and film actor Tom Hiddleston has a gift for playing the villain. Still only in his thirties, he has become one of Britain’s great acting exports and has brought both the big and small screen to life for audiences around the world.

First emerging on British television and stage winning the Lawrence Olivier Award in 2008 and appearing in Othello opposite Ewan Macgregor Hiddleston’s breakthrough came when he was cast as Loki in the 2011 Thor film, and again in The Avengers (2012) and the 2013 blockbuster Thor: The Dark World , a role that cemented him as a star. He has since worked with legends of stage and screen, including Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg, and recently won a Golden Globe for his role in the BBC adaptation of John Le Carre’s The Night Manager .

In this book, Sarah Marshall traces Tom Hiddleston’s career to date, from his early introduction to theatre as a child, through to his role at the heart of the blockbuster Marvel Universe and leaves few readers doubting the incredible talent of this modern star.

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The real Molly-Mae, in her own words

Molly-Mae Hague is no stranger to the limelight, having found fame on TV and online. But behind the polished exterior there is a young girl with a unique story. It’s the Molly not everyone gets to see.

In Becoming Molly-Mae she unravels herself completely for the first time to open up about how she nurtured her creativity from a young age, took ownership of her body image, battle self-doubt and built a happy life. Along the way she shares the moments, relationships and life lessons that have made her who she is. From the energetic child who loved Irish dancing and pageants, to the teenager holding down a job at Boots whilst building her dreams at fashion school, her journey to Love Island and how she copes with fame today.

By sharing these parts of herself, Molly-Mae gives a fresh take on finding beauty and balance in a busy world.

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‘A beautiful, witty, moving and joyful portrait of marriage’ Red

‘A memoir laden with laughter and love’ Daily Mail

‘Deeply moving, poignant and enthralling’ Mail on Sunday

Give a heartwarming and cosy tale in this first-hand account of one of the most celebrated partnerships in the history of British entertainment, the 60-year marriage of Timothy West and Prunella Scales
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Timothy West and Prunella Scales are – first and foremost – actors. Over seventy years they have delighted millions, portraying a host of larger-than-life characters that the nation has taken into their hearts.

But their finest roles, it turns out, have always been as husband and wife – in the extraordinary and enduring double act that is Tim and Pru.

In Pru & Me, Timothy West charts the course of their lives, from the years before they met – treading the boards in the 50s – to their secret courting, marriage and settling in Wandsworth. And then together as they established themselves at the heart of British theatre, television and film over the next seventy years, in some of the nation’s favourite shows, such as Fawlty Towers and Brass.

Crammed full of stories, often funny, sometimes poignant and occasionally jaw-dropping, Pru & Me also vividly recounts the late blaze of glory that introduced the world to the real Tim and Pru via Great Canal Journeys. Here, the couple charmed the nation while at the same time charting Pru’s gentle struggle with dementia.

An honest, charming and above all uplifting story of twin souls who, once they found one another, clung together through thick and thin. Pru & Me is a joyous portrait of a very, very special love story.
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Are these statements true? Aye or Naw?
Usain Bolt would beat a cat over 100m.
A jiffy is a real unit of time.
Volkswagen sell more sausages than cars.
All will be revealed.

Will Ewen and Cat’s Wee Book of Aye or Naw? change your life? NAW.
But will it make you instantly more interesting to other humans? OH AYE!!

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‘There’s never been a more honest or raw memoir … and it may just save lives’ Daily Mail

‘Funny, fascinating, compelling … also a wonderful read for fans of Friends’ The Times

The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence.

This is the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, who takes us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell – and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it – Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humour, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening – as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.

‘An unflinching and often harrowing must-read for 90s pop culture fans’ Guardian

‘Written with Chandler’s trademark sarcasm and self-deprecation’ Telegraph

‘A hopeful read … I started to think of [it] not as a celebrity memoir about addiction, but as an addiction memoir written by a man who understands his own history through the prism of showbiz’ Independent

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As seen in The Last Movie Stars documentary – the raw, candid, unvarnished memoir of an icon. The greatest movie star of the past 75 years covers everything: his traumatic childhood, his career, his drinking, his thoughts on Marlon Brando, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, his greatest roles, acting, his intimate life with Joanne Woodward, his innermost fears and passions and joys. With thoughts/comments throughout from Joanne Woodward, Tom Cruise and many others.

In 1986, Paul Newman and his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, began an extraordinary project. Stuart was to compile an oral history, to have Newman’s family and friends and those who worked closely with him, talk about the actor’s life. And then Newman would work with Stewart and give his side of the story. The only stipulation was that anyone who spoke on the record had to be completely honest. That same stipulation applied to Newman himself. The project lasted five years.

The result is an extraordinary memoir, culled from thousands of pages of transcripts. The book is insightful, revealing, surprising. Newman’s voice is powerful, sometimes funny, sometimes painful, always meeting that high standard of searing honesty. The additional voices – from childhood friends and Navy buddies, from family members and film and theater collaborators such as Tom Cruise, George Roy Hill, Martin Ritt, and John Huston – that run throughout add richness and color and context to the story Newman is telling.

Newman’s often traumatic childhood is brilliantly detailed. He talks about his teenage insecurities, his early failures with women, his rise to stardom, his early rivals (Brando and Dean), his first marriage, his drinking, his philanthropy, the death of his son Scott, his strong desire for his daughters to know and understand the truth about their father. Perhaps the most moving material in the book centers around his relationship with Joanne Woodward – their love for each other, his dependence on her, the way she shaped him intellectually, emotionally and sexually.

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF AN ORDINARY MAN is revelatory and introspective, personal and analytical, loving and tender in some places, always complex and profound.

Praise for Paul Newman
‘One of the greatest screen actors of all time and a beautiful man.’ Daniel Craig

‘He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us.’ George Clooney

”He was my hero.’ Julia Roberts

‘Paul was an American Icon.’ President Bill Clinton

‘The ultimate cool guy, who men wanted to be like and women adored. He was an American icon, a brilliant actor, a Renaissance man and a generous but modest philanthropist … Newman entertained millions in some of Hollywood’s most memorable roles ever, and brightened the lives of amny more, especially seriously ill children, through his charitable works.’ Arnold Schwarzenegger

‘Sometimes God makes perfect people and Paul Newman was one of them.’ Sally Field

‘One of the very finest screen actors of our time. Newman spanned the gap between the golden days of Hollywood, the 40s and 50s with actors like Cary Grant and James Stewart and Clark Gable, and the present lot represented by Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise’ Sir Michael Parkinson

‘Newman was a fine driver, who was famous in Hollywood for doing his own stunt driving as often as not.’ Ron Dennis, Formula 1’s McLaren Chief

‘To say he was an extraordinary man would be an understatement. he saw himself as a working actor, not a movie star, and insisted that everyone else did the same. There was no ego, no entourage, no hangers on. Only Paul, his script and his incredible spirit. One can say this about very few people, but he was a truly great man. It seems to me to be one of the great 20th-century lives: he was famously generous, with his extraordinary and unstinting work for his charities, he was a shining example of how to use global fame for the greater good, and most of all he was one of the great movie actors of this or any other age. [Directing Newman] was the highlight of my professional life.’ Sam Mendes

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