Dancing in the Moonlight

An Autobiography

by Ronnie Barker

This is Ronnie Barker's uproarious, racy and affectionate memoir of the vanished world of the repertory theatre. Dancing in the Moonlight is his droll, wickedly candid autobiography from the moment as a nineteen year old he threw up his steady job in an Oxford bank for a heady affair with the stage.

'Wonderfully evocative' Sunday Express

'Suffused with nostalgia... an inspiring and eminently readable book' London Evening Standard

'A steamy tale' Daily Mail

Morecambe and Wise - Behind The Sunshine

by Gary Morecambe & Martin Sterling

It is no exaggeration to say that Morecambe and Wise's inimitable brand of comedy has entered the realms of the true classic. From their early days as childhood hopefuls, Eric and Ernie trod the boards in variety theatre, honing and refining their act. But, despite Eric's claims that 'show business is all fun', the journey was never as easy as they made it appear. From his unique vantage point, Gary Morecambe, with his co-writer Martin Sterling, pays affectionate tribute to Britain's best-loved comedy duo. Drawing on family records and reminiscences, interviews with countless contemporaries, guest stars, producers, friends and impresarios such as Glenda Jackson, John Thaw, Michael Grade, Penelope Keith and Rowan Atkinson, the authors present the first genuinely three-dimensional portrait of these comedy greats.

'Ernie would set up Eric's lines like a golf ball on a tee.' Des O'Connor

A Funny Way To Make A Living!

The Autobiography

by Bill Pertwee

This autobiography is as humorous, entertaining and varied as you would expect from a man who has rubbed shoulders with the great names of theatre and comedy, like Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Horne, Michael Denison, Derek Ninnno, Evelvn L Laye, Donald Sinden, George Burns and Sammy Davis Jnr to name but a few - and who has played cricket with Peter May, Colin Cowdrey, Bill Edrich and Freddie Trueman.

Navy Blue boards / Gold inscribed spine

Halliwell's Film & Video Guide - 1998 Edition

13th Edition With Hundreds Of New Films

Edited by John Walker

Widely recognised as the biggest and best film guide available, including:
A concise synopsis of every film's plot - Critics' quotes and reviews - Quick reference guide to the best films ever - Fascinating behind-the-scenes gossip and facts.

New easy-to-use symbols for:
Family viewing suitability - Video availability and format - Soundtrack and laser disc availability - Oscar awards and nominations.

Halliwell's Film & Video Guide has been published for many years, and is updated every year. This particular copy is the only one that'll be featured on The Cuttings.

The Great Crime of Grapplewick

A Novel

by Eric Sykes

Following the disturbance and inconvenience created by WW II, the little northern town of Grapplewick is settling back into its normal routine and doing its best to ignore the austerity of the post-war years (frugal times are, after all, nothing new to Grapplewick) when self-styled criminal mastermind Terence, also known as Raffles, rolls into town with his pavement artist sidekick, Rembrandt. The two turn the town on its head searching for a former partner in crime named f Helliwell, who disappeared with the proceeds from their last job . . . Terence and Rembrandt's plans for revenge and retribution build towards a frantic climax on Christmas Eve but, given their clueless incompetence, can they really come out on top...?

The British Cinema Book

Edited by Robert Murphy

The study of British cinema is now recognised as a vitally important window on the past and has become a dynamic and rapidly growing area. The British Cinema Book represents the progress made in exploring the history of British cinema. Essays range from: silent cinema to the future of British films in the 90s; the documentary movement to quota quickies; the flamboyant melodramas of the 40s to the portrayal of women in the 60s; the role of European exiles to the cosy pleasures of Ealing. These pieces, all of which were newly commissioned for The British Cinema Book, provide a comprehensive and definitive account of the history and characteristics of British cinema.

The twenty-four contributors, all experts in their fields, span several generations and encompass widely variant attitudes.

Robert Murphy teaches film studies and scriptwriting at Sheffield Hallam University. He is the author of Realism and Tinsel (Routledge, 1989), Sixties British Cinema (BFI, 1992) and Smash and Grab (Faber and Faber, 1993).

The Carry On Companion

by Robert Ross

Here is the essential guide to the Carry On phenomenon. Robert Ross takes an exuberant and unashamedly affectionate look at the world of Britain's best-loved comedy team.

All 31 films featured
Full cast lists and production details
Best scenes! Best jokes! for each film
'Sid' quality ratings for all Carry On productions
TV specials and stage shows
Complete Carry On chronology
Carry On filmography of all 120 key personnel
Over 70 illustrations
Exclusive memories from the stars

Robert Ross, editor of Cor!, leading fanzine of British comedy, is an accomplished TV and film critic and popular broadcaster on BBC radio.

Dad's Army

The Making of a Television Legend

by Bill Pertwee

Dad's Army followed the bungling adventures of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard during the dark days of the Second World War.The hilarious story of these enthusiastic part-time soldiers, defending their country with pitch-forks and a butcher's van, caught the public imagination from its first screening in 1968. Here is the complete inside story of Dad's Army - from original idea to hit TV comedy. So popular did the series become that it was made into a film, radio show and stage play. Dad's Army star, Bill Pertwee, gives a colourful account of the many funny and exciting incidents, on and off the set - including filming for Columbia Pictures and taking tea at 10 Downing Street.He presents an intimate, behind-the-scenes view of the actors, their families and friends. Packed with original photographs, many never published before, this will be treasured by all those who enjoyed the classic comedy series.

Now That's Funny! - Writers On Writing Comedy

by David Bradbury & Joe McGrath

From The Goon Show through Monty Python's Flying Circus to Father Ted, comic writing for radio, television and film has been full of high points of hilarity.

In this book of interviews David Bradbury and Joe McGrath speak to some of the legendary geniuses of the comedy trade, questioning them on just how they go about the task of writing something funny. They explore the world of jokes, sketches, plots and characters. They talk about how to survive in a business full of peril and burn-out. And each reveals a side of himself and herself which will be new to audiences.

The writers and writer/performers interviewed include the A-list of the comedy world: Denis Norden, Spike Milligan, Johnny Speight, Ray Galton & Alan Simpson, Keith Waterhouse, Barry Cryer, Eddie Braben, Michael Palin, John Sullivan, Richard Curtis, Victoria Wood, Paul Merton, Ian Pattison, Graham Linehan & Arthur Mathews, Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir, Caroline Aherne, John Morton, Chris Evans, Danny Baker & Will Macdonald.

Red boards / Gold inscribed spine

Morecambe & Wise

by Graham McCann

MEN AND WOMEN, young and old, lowbrows and highbrows - everybody used to watch The Morecambe & Wise Show. When the masses settled down to watch Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, the masses were, for once, massively entertained.

This is not just a biography of Britain's best-loved double-act, it is also the biography of one of British television's best-loved shows. Morecambe and Wise worked together for more than forty years, honing skills drawn from the music-hall, Variety, radio, movies and television and then combining them to produce an award-winning show that became the jewel in the crown of BBC's light entertainment output. Graham McCann's meticulous biography includes previously unpublished material from the BBC archives, as well as innumerable insights gleaned from interviews with many of the people who knew and worked with Morecambe and Wise. Amusing, judicious and impeccably researched, this much-needed book extends and enhances our understanding of, and admiration for, two great entertainers who ended up as national treasures.

Black boards / Gold inscribed spine

British Theatre Since The War

by Dominic Shellard

British theatre of the past fifty years has been brilliant, varied and controversial, encompassing invigorating indigenous drama, politically didactic writing, the formation of institutions such as the National Theatre, the exporting of musicals worldwide from the West End, and much more. This entertaining and authoritative book is the first comprehensive account of British theatre in this period.
Dominic Shellard moves chronologically through the half-century, discussing important plays, performers, directors, playwrights, critics, censors and agents, as well as the social, political and financial developments that influenced the theatre world.
Drawing on previously unseen material (such as the Kenneth Tynan archives) first-hand testimony and detailed research, Shellard tackles several long-held assumptions about drama in the period. He questions the dominance of Look Back in Anger in the 1950s, arguing that much of the theatre of the ten years before its première in 1956 was vibrant and worthwhile. He suggests that theatre criticism, theatre producers and institutions such as the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company have played particularly key roles in the evolution of recent drama...

Black boards / Gold inscribed spine