Ithell Colquhoun – The Living Stones - October 2018 October 30th, 2018

ITHELL COLQUHOUN (1906–1988) was a painter and writer who, along with Eileen Agar and Leonora Carrington, one of the best-known English women surrealists. A friend of André Breton, she was also associated with Aleister Crowley. Her writing has been compared to that of William Blake and Walter de la Mare – the latter being a…

Robin Ince – I’m A Joke (And So Are You) - October 2018 October 15th, 2018

I wrote the foreword for Robin Ince’s new book. What better way to understand ourselves than through the eyes of comedians – those who professionally examine our quirks on stage daily? In this touching and witty book, award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince uses the life of the stand-up as a way of exploring some…

The Goodies : The Complete BBC Collection - September 2018 September 13th, 2018

I interview Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie & Tim Brooke Taylor at Leicester Square Theatre as part of a DVD extra on a DVD box set of their BBC Catalogue In 1970, the Goodies unleashed their legendary blend of surreal storylines, strikingly topical satire, slapstick and general lunacy on an unsuspecting viewing public. Capturing the irreverent…

Hometown Tales: Birmingham - June 2018 June 28th, 2018

Hometown Tales is a series of books pairing exciting new voices with some of the most talented and important writers at work today. Some of the tales are fiction and some are narrative non-fiction – they are all powerful, fascinating and moving, and aim to celebrate regional diversity and explore the meaning of home. In…

If You Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One - January 2017 January 21st, 2017

TV’s Frankie Boyle has declared that no-one over 40 should do stand-up, as the old comedians lose their edge and their anger. Stewart Lee is 42 and Frankie’s heartless Scottish words have made him wonder if it’s worth carrying on. Undaunted, the furiously baffled comedian tries to win round the legendarily harsh Glasgow audience with…

Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle Series 4 - January 2017 January 21st, 2017

Stewart Lee’s final, and most punishing, BAFTA and multiple-British Comedy Award winning BBC2 stand-up series; recorded live at The Mildmay Club in Stoke Newington, it features six half hour sets on Wealth, Islamophobia, Patriotism, Death, The Migrant Crisis, and Childhood Memories. Chris Morris returns as the hostile interrogator, picking apart Britains most consistently critically acclaimed…