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In The Red (novel)
''In the Red'' is a 1989 PG Wodehouse Prize nominated black comedy- crime novel by Mark Tavener, featuring fictional BBC Reporter George Cragge and fictional Police Officer Frank Jefferson, investigating a series of murders of London bank managers, a small political party contesting a by-election, and a plan to overthrow the Director-General of the BBC. The novel's setting in the worlds of finance (from which it draws its title), politics and media, was inspired by the writer's early experiences working for the BBC and the Liberal Party. The novel was released (BBC Books, 1998) following the production of a television adaptation of the same name ( BBC Two, 1998). Adaptations The seven-part radio adaptation of the same name (BBC Radio Four, 1995) by Tavener and Peter Baynham, starring Michael Williams and Barry Foster in the lead roles, was followed by three six-part sequels (BBC Radio Four, 1997–1999). The three-part television adaptation of the same name ( BBC Two, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Tavener
Mark Adrian Tavener (8 July 1954 – 18 October 2007) was an English writer, humorist, and dramatist best known for his BBC radio and television series '' In the Red'' (BBC Radio Four, 1995-1999/ BBC Two, 1998) and '' Absolute Power'' (BBC Radio Four, 2000-2006/BBC Two 2005–2007), both of which came out of his PG Wodehouse Prize nominated novel '' In the Red'' ( Hutchinson, 1989). Biography Tavener was born and brought up in Plymouth and educated at Plymouth College, before attending Peterhouse, Cambridge. ''In the Red'' franchise Tavener wrote a satirical novel, '' In the Red'' ( Hutchinson, 1989), about fictional BBC Crime Reporter George Cragge's investigation into the serial killing of London bank managers, a small political party contesting a by-election, and a plan to overthrow the Director-General of the BBC, drawing on his early experiences working for the BBC and the Liberal Party. Working with comedy-writer Peter Baynham he later adapted this into a seven-part radi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio Four
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM, LW and DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it the UK's second most-popular radio station after Radio 2. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts news programmes such as ''Today'' and ''The World at One'', heralded on air by the Greenwich Time Signal pips or the chimes of Big Ben. The pips are only accurate on FM, LW, and MW; there is a delay on digital radio of three to five seconds and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Satirical Novels
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Briton (d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM, LW and DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it the UK's second most-popular radio station after Radio 2. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts news programmes such as ''Today'' and ''The World at One'', heralded on air by the Greenwich Time Signal pips or the chimes of Big Ben. The pips are only accurate on FM, LW, and MW; there is a delay on digital radio of three to five seconds and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Absolute Power (comedy)
''Absolute Power'' is a British comedy programme, set in the offices of Prentiss McCabe, a fictional public relations company (or 'government-media relations consultancy') in London, run by Charles Prentiss (Stephen Fry) and Martin McCabe ( John Bird). It started in 2000 on BBC Radio 4, lasting until 2004 with the fourth and final radio series. A six-part television series ran on BBC Two towards the end of 2003; the second six-episode television series ran on BBC Two on Thursdays at 10 pm from 21 July to 25 August 2005. A one-off radio episode was broadcast on 3 November 2006. The title is taken from a quotation by the historian Lord Acton: "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Radio version The programme was devised and written by Mark Tavener, and logically follows the programme '' In the Red'', ''In the Balance'', ''In the Chair'', and ''In the End'' which he wrote with Peter Baynham. In some of these, Prentiss and McCabe (again played by Fry an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alun Armstrong
Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic".Kalina, Paul"Old Hand Returns with New Tricks" ''The Age'', 8 November 2007. Retrieved 2018-06-08. His credits include several Charles Dickens adaptations, and the eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in ''New Tricks''. He is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of ''Les Misérables'', and won an Olivier Award in the title role in ''Sweeney Todd''. Early life Born Alan Armstrong in Annfield Plain, County Durham, his father was a co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warren Clarke
Warren Clarke (born Alan James Clarke; 26 April 1947 – 12 November 2014) was an English actor. He appeared in many films after a significant role as Dim in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange''. His television appearances included ''Dalziel and Pascoe'' (as Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel), ''The Manageress'' and ''Sleepers''. Early life Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His father worked as a stained-glass maker and his mother as a secretary. He left Barlow Hall Secondary Modern School, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, aged 15 and began work at the ''Manchester Evening News'' as a copy boy. He later moved on to amateur dramatics and performed at Huddersfield Rep before working as an actor full-time. During this period he also decided to change his first name to Warren, a name he chose as his girlfriend of the time had a crush on Warren Beatty. Career Clarke's first television appearance was in the long-running Granada soap opera ''Coronation Street'', initially ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malcolm Bradbury
Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury, (7 September 1932 – 27 November 2000) was an English author and academic. Life Bradbury was born in Sheffield, the son of a railwayman. His family moved to London in 1935, but returned to Sheffield in 1941 with his brother and mother. The family later moved to Nottingham and in 1943 Bradbury attended West Bridgford Grammar School, where he remained until 1950. He read English at University College, Leicester, gaining a first-class degree in 1953. He continued his studies at Queen Mary College, University of London, where he gained his MA in 1955. Between 1955 and 1958 Bradbury moved between teaching posts with the University of Manchester and Indiana University in the United States. He returned to England in 1958 for a major heart operation; such was his heart condition that he was not expected to live beyond middle age. In 1959, while in hospital, he completed his first novel, '' Eating People is Wrong''. Bradbury married Elizabeth Salt and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Foster (actor)
John Barry Foster (21 August 1927 – 11 February 2002) was an English actor who had an extensive career in film, radio, stage and television over almost 50 years. He was best known for portraying the title character in the British crime series ''Van der Valk'' (1972–1992) and Bob Rusk in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Frenzy'' (1972). Early life Foster was born on 21 August 1927 in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, the son of a toolsetter. His family moved to Hayes, Middlesex when he was a few months old. He received his formal education at Southall County School. After leaving school, Foster trained as a plastics organic chemist at the local EMI Central Research Laboratories, while unsuccessfully submitting ideas to advertising agencies. Having been "called to the Colours" under the National Service Act 1948, Foster served with the Royal Air Force. He subsequently trained as an actor, having won a scholarship to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He arrived there ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Williams (actor)
Michael Leonard Williams (9 July 1935 – 11 January 2001) was a British actor who played both classical and comedy roles. He was best known for co-starring in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' with his wife Dame Judi Dench, and for voicing Dr. Watson in the long running Sherlock Holmes adaptations for BBC Radio. Early life and career Williams was born in Liverpool, Lancashire. Personal life Williams married Judi Dench on 5 February 1971, the same year that they co-starred in a stage production of John Webster's ''The Duchess of Malfi''. They had one daughter, Tara Cressida Williams (b. 1972), known as Finty Williams, who is also an actress. Williams was also godfather to the actor Rory Kinnear. He was the President of the Roman Catholic Actors' Guild. Shortly before his death from lung cancer at the age of 65, Williams was appointed a Knight of St Gregory (KSG) by Pope John Paul II for his contribution to Catholic life in Britain. The honour was officially bestowed upo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Baynham
Peter Baynham is a Welsh screenwriter and performer. He is best known for appearing in a series of comedic Pot Noodle television adverts in the 1990s. His work largely represents collaborations with comedy figures such as Armando Iannucci, Steve Coogan, Chris Morris, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sarah Smith. Born in Cardiff, Baynham served the Merchant Navy after leaving school and later pursued a career in comedy — first in stand-up, and then as a writer and performer for various news and sketch comedies in radio and television while enjoying personal fame starring in Pot Noodle adverts. He then became a writer in feature film. In television, with Iannucci he is writer for ''I'm Alan Partridge'', developing the character Alan Partridge as performed by Coogan, and as writer and host of the ''Armistice'' review shows. With Morris, he is writer for ''The Day Today'', ''Brass Eye'', and ''Jam''. Baynham himself created the animated series ''I Am Not an Animal''. In feature film, with B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In The Red (radio Series)
''In the Red'' is the first in a sequence of four black comedy-crime drama series created for BBC Radio 4 by Mark Tavener featuring Michael Williams as BBC Reporter George Cragge and Barry Foster as Police Superintendent Frank Jefferson. The first seven-part series (BBC Radio 4, 1995), was adapted by Tavener and comedy-writer Peter Baynham from Tavener's novel of the same name ( Hutchinson, 1989), which had been inspired by the writer's early experiences working for the BBC and the Liberal Party. The subsequent series, '' In the Balance'' (BBC Radio 4, 1997), ''In the Chair'' (BBC Radio 4, 1998), and '' In the End'' (BBC Radio 4, 1999), were all six-parts each and followed the same format, with the two lead characters investigating a series of murders often linked to British politics and media. There was also a three-part television series based on the original novel (BBC Two, 1998), adapted by Malcolm Bradbury, featuring Warren Clarke as Cragge and Alun Armstrong as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
