Author:BBC Radio Comedy,Humphrey Lyttelton,Graeme Garden,Barry Cryer
A bumper collection of classic fun and games from one of BBC Radio 4's best-loved and most enduring comedy panel games.
‘The funniest comedy quiz show of them all.’ Sue Arnold, Observer
The inimitable Humphrey Lyttelton is in the chair for these 36 hilarious editions, collected together for the first time. He presides over regular players Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Willie Rushton; plus guests including Stephen Fry, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Paul Merton, Sandi Toksvig and Jeremy Hardy.
Hear them having their wicked way with favourite rounds including One Song to the Tune of Another, Limericks, Sound Charades, Cheddar Gorge and Swanee Kazoo. The teams are helped along by lively audiences from a variety of British towns and cities and, as is customary on Clue, Colin Sell is at the piano and the lovely Samantha sits on Humph's right hand.
Also included is a special episode, Everyman’s Guide to Mornington Crescent, which reveals the full and unexpurgated history of The Greatest Game on Earth; and Willie Rushton's last show, featuring an introductory tribute from Ned Sherrin.
A feast of unrestrained revelry and inspired ad-libs, this is the authentic, award-winning antidote to panel games. Accept no substitutes! Duration: 18 hours approx.
Rosa's raw account of Hoskin's bravery in the face of Parkinson's, and her own struggle to accept his death, will resonate with any bereaved reader
—— Daily Mail[A] heart-warming memoir … A moving story about growing up and the close bond between a father and daughter.
—— OK!Niven's life was Wodehouse with tears.
—— John MortimerHigh Fidelity for classical music fans.
—— Publishers WeeklyThese dialogues...add up to a sprawling feast of Mahler-style “polytonality” - or, alternatively, the sort of protean jam-session that Monk and Parker relished.
—— Boyd Tonkin , Arts DeskMurakami is Japan's greatest living writer
—— Washington PostIts cool, conversational style is one of the trademarks of Murakami’s writing – his novels all have the easy calm of a bar room dialogue – and Absolutely On Music has the particular feel of sitting at a table with two friends while they bat around their ideas.
—— Ross McIndoe , SkinnyIt’s a conversation that is well worth hearing.
—— Richard Osborne , GramophoneA lively rumination on classical music.
—— Keeley Bolger , Belfast Telegraph MorningAbsolutely on Music is an intimate and fascinating conversation between two maestros… [A] compelling, moving novel.
—— Scottish WomenMurakami’s grasp of music is frequently both astonishing and inspiring. He has incredible ears and is able to distinguish and annunciate the smallest differences in interpretations… When Murakami writes in prose, he does so with the quick charm and alluring detail that fans of his novels will relish.
—— Andrew Mellor , RhinegoldA riveting story. Mitchell, an exemplary journalist, goes deep into the political dynamics of Cold War Berlin. John Le Carré couldn’t have done it better.
A narrative full of interest and acute observation.
—— Allan Massie , The ScotsmanTense, fascinating... Mitchell delivers a gripping, blow-by-blow account.
—— Publishers WeeklyA gripping page-turner that thrills like fiction.
—— Kirkus ReviewsOne of the most gripping stories of the Cold War.
—— Omnivoracious - The Amazon Book ReviewMonstrous behaviour and vanity suffuse this oral history of Hollywood’s troubled dynasties… Tragedy lurks around the manicured lawns and marbled halls.
—— Anthony Quinn , GuardianThe anecdotes come so thick and fast it’s like being machine-gunned with marshmallows. Gradually, though, the mood darkens, the catalogue of vulgarity, cruelty and insanity takes its toll. While the Technicolor tour is relentlessly fascinating, it is reassuring to be shown in black and white that, in La-La Land at least, with the millions comes endless misery.
—— Mark Sanderson , Evening StandardJean Stein’s approach to family history is unconventional… Stein weaves them together with immense narrative skill.
—— Christopher Silvester , Spears Wealth Management SurveyThe stories are mesmerising… Great for people who want to see beyond the world of make-believe.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA very dark oral history of Hollywood… mesmerising.
—— iWriters like Costello because he's always taken writing seriously. That's obvious to anyone who pays attention to his lyrics, and it's even more apparent to anyone who reads Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, his charming new autobiography. The book is refreshingly free of salacious gossip and needless name-dropping; it's an intelligent self-assessment from a musician who went from angry young man to elder statesman of pop ... a defiantly fun autobiography.
—— Michael Schaub , NPR BooksThis is a big book, literally, by one of the best rockers in the business. Given the singular, and eclectic, nature of his career, it is no surprise that Elvis Costello's anecdotal autobiography is an idiosyncratic journey through his music and the people and places that have inspired him ... A must for Costello fans everywhere.
—— Booklist (starred review)Costello's prose cuts with the same spiky wit and observational power as his well-known lyrics ... packed with great lines, vivid anecdotes ... a treat for his many fans.
—— Kirkus ReviewsPlenty of tales to keep the pages turning. Readers will be fascinated by Costello's stories...his book feels like a discussion between friends over a pint.
—— Publishers WeeklyOften brilliant and wholly idiosyncratic
—— David Ulin , Los Angeles TimesRevelatory, evocatively crafted, [and] highly entertaining
—— David Fricke , Rolling StoneA winningly droll and good-natured guide to his life and many works throughout
—— Clark Collis , Entertainment WeeklyPunctuated with sardonic and self-aware truths
—— PitchforkVivid ... It's not surprising that one of rock's most literate songwriters would pen such a deep, free-form memoir
—— Houston ChronicleElvis Costello delivers an impeccably detailed autobiography. He's often as brilliant at turning a phrase in prose as he is in his lyrics
—— Paste MagazineEnthralling ... This is family history as musical encyclopedia, and to listen to Costello recount his life is to be buttonholed by an enthusiastic fan. Fandom for Costello is inseparable from the compulsion to write songs and, it seems, to understand his own life ... Fortunately for the fan of Costello's music the topic of discussion is often his own songs, and he is, unsurprisingly, a witty and eloquent guide
—— Paul Grimstad , New Republic[Costello] pens books with the same clever writing that he uses in song
—— Kathy Flanigan , Milwaukee Journal-SentinelCostello['s] book is capacious, clever, and full of heart and soul
—— Dan DeLuca , Philadelphia InquirerThe story unfolds like a movie that jumps across time, more thematic than chronological, as boyhood anecdotes and obsessions intersect with mature songs and adult reckoning.... The book doubles as a selective mini-history of 20th century music, as told by a discerning guide. He addresses artists both towering (Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash) and relatively unheralded (David Ackles, Robert Wyatt) with a fan's affection and music scholar's insight
—— Greg Kot , Chicago TribuneWith an encyclopedic knowledge and appreciation for, and deep love of, music, and with an expressive power and heart, Costello's memoir will take its place in the highest echelons of the genre
—— Library Journal (starred review)His book is almost essential as an idiosyncratic history of 20th-century pop music
—— ExpressStudded with entertaining anecdotes
—— Evening Standard Best Music Books of 2015