Dark Forces: The 13th Spider Shepherd Thriller
Book
When you're caught between two evils, only the most decisive will survive. The thirteenth book in...
Death of a Busybody
Book
The eponymous nosy parker in Death of a Busybody is Miss Ethel Tither. She has made herself deeply...
Head of State
Book
Two corpses. A country on the edge of a political precipice. A conspiracy so bold it would make...
Cleo De 5 a 7
Book
Cleo de 5 a 7, Agnes Varda's classic 1962 work depicts, in near real-time, ninety minutes in the...
Bartlett Plays: 1: Not Talking, My Child, Artefacts, Contractions, Cock
Book
This first collection of Mike Bartlett's plays showcases the adroit expertise and flair of a writer...
Devising Theatre with Stan's Cafe
Mark Crossley and James Yarker
Book
Since it was founded in 1991, British theatre company Stan's Cafe has garnered an international...
Out of the Firing Line ... into the Foyer: My Remarkable Story
Book
War hero and '60s Soho doyen Bruce Copp has lived a unique life. With an address book brimming with...
Outlaw: How I Became Britain's Most Wanted Man
Book
Ray Bishop was on the run, skulking in a dealer's house in north London, when an image of his face...
Clearly made on a punishingly low budget, and the vision of the future is occasionally a bit wonky from a modern perspective, but the five episodes written by series creator Chris Boucher are some of the best, most intelligent, wittiest and most cynical SF ever broadcast by the BBC. The other episodes not so much: everything gets a bit campy and there are a lot of national stereotypes on display. (Plus, the theme tune has been called the worst in TV history, and most of the incidental music is rubbish too.) Even when it's not particularly good, it's always trying to do something a bit different, and David Calder is consistently excellent as Spring. Not the first nor the last SF or fantasy show to be cut loose by the BBC before it had a chance to realise its potential.