Showing titles in Entertainment & Performing Arts

Peopled with a wonderful collection of warm, wicked, and weird characters, Vic Reeves' memoir is an enchanting, surreal, and utterly hilarious comic gem.

The complete Genius radio series, in which Dave Gorman and his celebrity guests consider the ridiculous, unworkable, but sometimes genius inventions of the public. Guests such as Stewart Lee, Johnny Vegas, Germaine Greer and Charlie Brooker peruse a parade of proposals, be they innovations, gadgets, gizmos, philosophies or follies, in an attempt to sort the worthy from the worthless. Will they unearth some genuine gems of genius? And which pitch will win the legendary Genius trophy?

Steve Hughes spent his formative years in Australia as a heavy metal drummer! After 10 years of recording and touring Steve gave up his job as a drummer and decided to start talking to the audience. Widely regarded one of the most esteemed and exciting stand up comedians working on the International circuit, Steve rocks the room with over 45 minutes of blistering political stand up, recorded live at The London Comedy Store.

A soul-stirring new musical conceived by New York Times best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult and playwright Timothy Allen McDonald, Breathe places listeners inside the walls of five homes during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Filled with songs and vignettes that examine new relationships, rekindling flames, parenting, racial reckoning, and grief during a pandemic, this incredibly timely world premiere—written and produced online in 2020 in real-time as events unfolded—reflects the very topics that weighed on the hearts and minds of Americans.

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes, with Michael Williams as Watson, in this collection from the unique, fully dramatised BBC Radio 4 canon. These 12 stories range from Holmes' very first case to the epic struggle between Holmes and Moriarty high above the Reichenbach Falls.

J.R.R. Tolkien: An Audio Portrait is a compilation of radio and TV archive material from the '60s and '70s featuring interviews with J.R.R. Tolkien, his relatives, and his colleagues in which he talks about The Lord of the Rings, his other Hobbiton books, life as an academic, correspondence received from fans, and his views on the 20th century. This audiobook is presented by Brian Sibley.

Victoria Wood was a true pioneer among entertainers, earning her the rightful place as a national treasure time and time again. So one of the greatest sadnesses following her death in 2016 was that she left the world without giving her own full account of her life, having never written her autobiography. Now, with complete and exclusive access to Victoria's extensive archive of personal and professional material, and with intimate interviews with her family and closest friends, Jasper Rees will finally tell her rich story in full.

We all know and love The Sopranos, one of the most important television dramas to ever hit the small screen, having run for six seasons on HBO. The story of the Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano balancing his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization pioneered decades of genre-bending "peak TV". Now, Off the Back of a Truck takes you one step further into the world of Tony Soprano and his families, offering an Italian potluck of fresh and fun takes that any true fan can get lost in for hours.

Hattie Hayridge reads from her autobiography, Random Abstract Memory. Recognised internationally as Holly the Computer in the hit BBC TV comedy series Red Dwarf, stand-up comic Hattie Hayridge is no stranger to the bizarre side of life.

With the television hits The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, and movies like The Flamingo Kid, Beaches, Pretty Woman, and The Princess Diaries under his belt, Garry Marshall was among the most successful writers, directors, and producers in America for more than five decades. His work on the small and big screen delighted audiences for decades and has withstood the test of time.

Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer star as old flames Jean Pargetter and Lionel Hardcastle. Their love story was all set for a happy ending in the 1950s when Jean was a student nurse and Lionel, a young army officer. But he was posted abroad and they lost touch. Thirty-eight years later, Lionel has returned to London to publish his autobiography and, through a strange coincidence, he is reunited with Jean who has set up a secretarial agency.

A notorious author shares a train compartment with a long-time reader. But can they connect with each other through a silent tide of self-doubt and second-guessing? From the playwright of Art. Sir David Suchet and Dame Harriet Walter star in L.A. Theatre Works' performance of Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man. Translated by Christopher Hampton. Directed by Gordon House.

First published in 1961, this is the autobiography of Harpo Marx, the silent comedian of The Marx Brothers fame. Always silent on the stage and screen, Harpo speaks for the first time and shares the story of his remarkable life with humor, intelligence, and love. A truly gifted musician, brilliant comic, and wonderful person, Harpo comes alive in Harpo Speaks.

Three mischievous narrators spin a surreal, reality-bending, sci-fantasy space western about a crotchety outlaw, a struggling cultist, and a diabolical bastard making awful decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.

The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney's Dream is the story of how Walt Disney's greatest creation was conceived, nurtured, and how it grew into a source of joy and inspiration for generations of visitors. Despite his successors' battles with the whims of history and their own doubts and egos, Walt's vision maintained momentum, thrived, and taught future generations how to do it Walt Disney's way.

After first meeting over sixty years ago while filming a costume drama for the BBC, Prunella Scales and Timothy West have enjoyed a partnership like no other. In this book, Tim traces their united steps through life professionally and personally, and covers the highs and lows of caring for Pru since her dementia diagnosis, twenty years ago. As with all things in life, she and Tim have tackled it together, often with a glass of wine in hand and almost always with a smile.

Chris Evans' extraordinary career has seen him become one of the country's most successful broadcasters and producers and a well-known face in his own right. From his early years on Manchester's Piccadilly radio to Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, The Big Breakfast, and TFI Friday for Channel 4, Chris changed the TV landscape during the '90s. And on BBC Radio 1's Breakfast show and as owner of Virgin Radio, he ushered in the age of the celebrity DJ.

When Brian De Palma agreed to allow Julie Salamon unlimited access to the film production of Tom Wolfe's best-selling book The Bonfire of the Vanities, both director and journalist must have felt like they were on to something big. How could it lose? But instead Salamon got a front-row seat at the Hollywood disaster of the decade.

Unearth the terrifying and true tales behind some of the scariest Horror movies to ever haunt our screens, including the Enfield poltergeist case that was retold in The Conjuring 2 and the serial killer who inspired Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. Behind the Horror dissects these and other bizarre tales to reveal haunting real-life stories of abduction, disappearance, murder and exorcism.

Sir Terry Wogan is one of the most popular entertainers in Britain today. But what must it be like to live the life of Sir Terry Wogan? From radio to TV studio, from host at a charity event to experiencing the thrills of a Eurovision Song Contest, from presenting awards to receiving awards.

In this much-praised interview, octogenarian Peter Ustinov talks to John Bird. The man of many talents has an astonishing range of accomplishments behind him as an Oscar-winning film and theatre actor, author of novels, plays, and screenplays. He is also a raconteur, graphic artist, photographer, stage director, and designer and the recipient of many humanitarian awards for his work with UNICEF and UNESCO.

We all love stories. But why do we tell them? And why do all stories function in an eerily similar way? John Yorke, creator of the BBC Writers' Academy, has brought a vast array of drama to British screens. Here he takes us on a journey to the heart of storytelling, revealing that there truly is a unifying shape to narrative forms - one that echoes the fairytale journey into the woods and, like any great art, comes from deep within. From ancient myths to big-budget blockbusters, he gets to the root of the stories that are all around us, every day.

Marcus began his comedy career at Bristol University where he performed stand up and character shows and soon won the BBC New Comedian of 1996. He has since emerged as a major comedy, writing, and acting talent, with an impressive list of TV and film credits. Devil May Care is a satirical live show with Marcus taking on the role of Lucifer, regaling us with his views on moments in history and the modern world, interacting with the audience and trying to ensure his makeup doesn’t run!

Probably the most eccentric man in Britain, Radio 4's John Shuttleworth will reduce you to tears of laughter with his unique mix of music and dialogue.

More comedy gold that didn't get broadcast for reasons of good taste and good old fazshioned decency! The usual team, plus some other top-class comedians.

When beloved host Johnny Carson announced his retirement after 30 years on The Tonight Show, millions of Americans mourned. But inside the television industry, the news ignited a battle between two amazing talents - Jay Leno and David Letterman - who both yearned to occupy the departing legend's chair. For NBC, it would be a decision with millions of dollars at stake. Soon these two comedians with strikingly different styles, who had once shared a friendship as they worked the clubs together, would be engaged in a fierce competition for the prize.

It's simple: Netflix Is A Daily Joke is a joke a day podcast featuring a daily dose of your favorite Netflix comedians. One joke a day. Every day.

Following the huge success of his sell-out 100-date UK stand-up tour, Dara O'Briain Live at the Theatre Royal marks the explosive finale to the run. Recorded in front of 2500 fans at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, this show has Dara at the very top of his game, musing on subjects as diverse as driving tests, baguettes, and the Milky Bar Kid.

This book charts the personal and professional journey of Greg Doran, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, from 2012 until 2022. My Shakespeare uniquely captures the excitement, energy, surprises, joys and agonies of working on the greatest of plays; sheds new light on these plays through Doran’s own research and discoveries made in the rehearsal room; and gives unprecedented access into the craft, life and loves of this exceptional director.

From their modest beginnings in Byker Grove through to their 'unique' time as pop stars and an award-laden TV career, those three decades have flown by in the blink of an eye. They've also featured an incredible cast of supporting characters, including their first scriptwriter - (an unknown comedian called David Walliams), Saturday night fun and games with countless Hollywood A-listers and celebrities they torture - sorry, work with - every year in the jungle.