The True History of the Blackadder

Author: J. F. Roberts
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409051714
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 500

Book Description
___________________ They had a cunning plan. A few decades ago, three young grads from England's greatest universities - Oxford, Cambridge, and Hull (actually, Manchester) - came up with a historical comedy series. Few thought it would live long in the memory. Today, Blackadder is a timeless comic masterpiece, and its stars have gone on to glittering careers. The True History of the Black Adder is the first ever history of one of Britain's greatest and most unique sitcoms, from its medieval beginnings to its legendary tragic finale. Informed by exclusive - and hilarious - interviews with essential figures like Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed and many more, this the definitive account of how a British institution came to be, as well as a fascinating look into how this classic comedy was almost very different - and a compendium of brilliantly funny anecdotes from a team of Britain's most celebrated comedians. British history is a patchwork of questionable stories, constantly rewritten, re-evaluated and ridiculed; final editorial control has always belonged to the winners. And nobody likes winners... At last, Blackadder enthusiasts can now uncover THE cunning plan, in all its hideous hilarity.

Black-adder

Author: Richard Curtis
Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN: 9780140296082
Category : Black Adder (Television program)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A collection of scripts from the television series as well as miscellaneous items such as Baldrick's family tree and an index of Blackadder's finest insults.

British TV Comedies

Author: Juergen Kamm
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137552956
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 393

Book Description
This collection offers an overview of British TV comedies, ranging from the beginnings of sitcoms in the 1950s to the current boom of 'Britcoms'. It provides in-depth analyses of major comedies, systematically addressing their generic properties, filmic history, humour politics and cultural impact.

The Raven's Heart

Author: Jesse Blackadder
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 0732291887
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 22

Book Description
"The Raven's Heart" is a breathtaking epic set during the disastrous reign of Mary Queen of Scots.

The Frood

Author: Jem Roberts
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409052354
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Book Description
As a wise ape once observed, space is big – vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly so. However, if you look too closely at space, it becomes nothing but lumps of rock and sundry gases. Sometimes it's necessary to take a step back, and let a few billion years go by, before any of the true wonder and scope of the cosmos becomes apparent. Similarly, the late 20th century author, humorist and thinker Douglas Adams was big – vastly, hugely and thoroughly mind-bogglingly so, both in physical terms, and as a writer who has touched millions of readers, firing up millions of cerebellums all over planet Earth, for over 35 years – and for nearly half of that time, he hasn't even been alive. It would be ridiculous to pretend that Douglas Adams's life and work has gone unexamined since his dismayingly early death at 49 but throughout the decade since the last book to tackle the subject, the universes Adams created have continued to develop, to beguile and expand minds, and will undoubtedly do so for generations to come. An all-new approach to the most celebrated creation of Douglas Adams is therefore most welcome, and The Frood tells the story of Adams's explosive but agonizingly constructed fictional universe, from his initial inspirations to the posthumous sequel(s) and adaptations, bringing together a thousand tales of life as part of the British Comedy movements of the late 70s and 80s along the way. With the benefit of hindsight and much time passed, friends and colleagues have been interviewed for a fresh take on the man and his works.

Soupy Twists!

Author: Jem Roberts
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
ISBN: 1783526378
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
This first ever, officially authorised biography of Fry & Laurie takes us on their journey from insecure Footlighters to international comedy heroes. It is the tale of a true friendship, a deep affection between two very funny men which has long been reflected back from an adoring public. Jem Roberts, acclaimed chronicler of Blackadder and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, covers everything from the excitement of being the first Perrier Award winners with The Cellar Tapes to the terrors of performing on Saturday Live, the collaborative warfare of Blackadder and the ultimate depiction of Wodehouse’s most inimitable characters, Jeeves & Wooster. Beyond this, the trials and tribulations of their remarkable subsequent separate career paths, from QI to House, will be explored for the first time. With tantalising, never-before-seen titbits from the A Bit of Fry & Laurie archive, and interviews with Emma Thompson, Richard Curtis, John Lloyd and more, this history of Fry & Laurie is an overdue celebration, paying tribute to a legacy of laughter from one of the funniest double acts of all time.

The Romans For Dummies

Author: Guy de la Bedoyere
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119997887
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 475

Book Description
"A must for anyone interested in the Roman Empire and its impact on world history." —Tony Robinson, star of Blackadder and Time Team This entertaining and informative guide is the perfect introduction to the amazing world of ancient Rome and its emperors, epic wars, awesome architecture, heroes, and villains. With a complete rundown of Roman history alongside fascinating insights into the lives of everyday Romans, you'll discover the amazing people and events involved in the rise and fall of one of the greatest of all ancient civilizations and how its influence is felt around the world today. If you've tuned into any of several TV shows focused on Rome and want to learn more about this fascinating part of history, The Romans For Dummies is the book for you. Schoolteachers and lecturers looking for light-hearted inspiration for lessons will also benefit from this riotous Roman adventure chronicling the rise and fall of the Empire. The Romans For Dummies is an accessible guide written in plain English giving you the fascinating facts of this ancient civilization. You'll learn about the following (and more): How Roman society was divided into classes The assemblies that ruled Rome Why villas were important to the Romans Details about the Roman army, including a Roman soldier's equipment The wonder of Roman architecture, cities, roads, aqueducts, and sewers Everything you ever wanted to know about gladiators and then some The importance of Roman temples, shrines, and the gods How Rome became a republic, an empire, and then collapsed Additionally, you'll learn about turning points in Roman history, (mostly) good and (some) bad Romans, Rome’s greatest enemies, and great places to visit you won’t want to miss on your next Roman holiday. Grab a copy of The Romans For Dummies to discover this and so much more. Guy de la Bédoyère is a historian, archaeologist, and Roman expert, he is well known for his numerous books and appearances on TV, especially Channel 4's Time Team.

No Cunning Plan

Author: Sir Tony Robinson
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 028307258X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 457

Book Description
Packed full of incident and insight, No Cunning Plan is a funny, self-deprecating and always entertaining memoir by Sir Tony Robinson. Sir Tony Robinson is a much-loved actor, presenter and author with a stellar career lasting over fifty years. In this autobiography he reveals how the boy from South Woodford went from child stardom in the first stage production of Oliver!, a pint-sized pickpocket desperately bleaching his incipient moustache, to comedy icon Baldrick, the loyal servant and turnip aficionado in Blackadder. It wasn't all plain sailing though. Along the way he was bullied by Steve Marriott, failed to impress Liza Minnelli and was pushed into a stinking London dock by John Wayne. He also entertained us with Maid Marion and Her Merry Men (which he wrote and starred in) and coped manfully when locked naked outside a theatre in Lincoln during the live tour of comedy series Who Dares Wins. He presented Time Team for twenty years, watching countless gardens ruthlessly dug up in the name of archaeology, and risked life and limb filming The Worst Jobs in History.

Chasing the Light

Author: Jesse Blackadder
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1743097824
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 489

Book Description
A fictional recounting of the little-known true story of the first woman to ever set foot on Antarctica, and her extraordinary fight to get there. A fictional recounting of the little-known true story of the first woman to ever set foot on Antarctica, and her extraordinary fight to get there. It's the early 1930s. Antarctic open-sea whaling is booming and a territorial race for the mysterious continent between Norwegian and British-Australian interests is in full swing. Aboard a ship setting sail from Cape town carrying the Norwegian whaling magnate Lars Christensen are three women: Lillemor Rachlew, who tricked her way on to the ship and will stop at nothing to be the first woman to land on Antarctica; Mathilde Wegger, a grieving widow who's been forced to join the trip by her calculating parents-in-law; and Lars's wife, Ingrid Christensen, who has longed to travel to Antarctica since she was a girl and has made a daunting bargain with Lars to convince him to take her. Loyalties shift and melt and conflicts increase as they pass through the Southern Ocean and reach the whaling grounds. None of the women is prepared for the reality of meeting the whaling fleet and experiencing firsthand the brutality of the icy world. As they head for the continent itself, the race is on for the first woman to land on Antarctica. None of them expect the outcome and none of them know how they will be changed by their arrival. Based on the little-known true story of the first woman to ever set foot on Antarctica, Jesse Blackadder has captured the drama, danger and magnetic pull of exploring uncharted places in our world and our minds.

At Night All Blood Is Black

Author: David Diop
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374720479
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
*WINNER OF THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE* *ONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021* Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for fiction Shortlisted for the 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award "Astonishingly good." —Lily Meyer, NPR "So incantatory and visceral I don’t think I’ll ever forget it." —Ali Smith, The Guardian | Best Books of 2020 One of The Wall Street Journal's 11 best books of the fall | One of The A.V. Club's fifteen best books of 2020 |A Sunday Times best book of the year Selected by students across France to win the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, David Diop’s English-language, historical fiction debut At Night All Blood is Black is a “powerful, hypnotic, and dark novel” (Livres Hebdo) of terror and transformation in the trenches of the First World War. Alfa Ndiaye is a Senegalese man who, never before having left his village, finds himself fighting as a so-called “Chocolat” soldier with the French army during World War I. When his friend Mademba Diop, in the same regiment, is seriously injured in battle, Diop begs Alfa to kill him and spare him the pain of a long and agonizing death in No Man’s Land. Unable to commit this mercy killing, madness creeps into Alfa’s mind as he comes to see this refusal as a cruel moment of cowardice. Anxious to avenge the death of his friend and find forgiveness for himself, he begins a macabre ritual: every night he sneaks across enemy lines to find and murder a blue-eyed German soldier, and every night he returns to base, unharmed, with the German’s severed hand. At first his comrades look at Alfa’s deeds with admiration, but soon rumors begin to circulate that this super soldier isn’t a hero, but a sorcerer, a soul-eater. Plans are hatched to get Alfa away from the front, and to separate him from his growing collection of hands, but how does one reason with a demon, and how far will Alfa go to make amends to his dead friend? Peppered with bullets and black magic, this remarkable novel fills in a forgotten chapter in the history of World War I. Blending oral storytelling traditions with the gritty, day-to-day, journalistic horror of life in the trenches, David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black is a dazzling tale of a man’s descent into madness.