James Lawrence Isherwood was a paradoxical character; eccentric, even pavonine in appearance yet also living in an unkempt environment.I saw this for myself first hand when I visited his Wigan home a couple of years after a fire; the kitchen and hallway still bore the scorchmarks while the detritus of his profession was strewn willy-nilly.Isherwood … Continue reading The day I met the one of the great Northern Artists
Interviews with director Polly Thomas and writer May Sunbwanyambe By Harry Turnbull, 1 Apr 23 The Chatterleys Naked Productions and Greaea Theatre When the Lord and Lady of the Manor are forced to relocate to Redcar you know times are hard. Not that I am being unkind - this is after all my neck of … Continue reading BBC Radio drama reviews
Pretty VacantFeaturing Tim McInnerny and Jane SlavinProduced by Eoin O'Callaghan for Big FishWritten by Hugh Costello At first the timbre was unmistakable, a haughty rumble so often associated with the upper crust. But this time the voice was raw and unsettling, for Tim McInnerny had taken on the character of a streetwise Mancunian geezer. It … Continue reading Radio drama reviews by @turnbullissimo
Barbeque 67 Robert Glenister and Anamaria Marinca Directed by Andy Jordan Written by Andy Barrett Ah the Summer of Love 1967. Hippies, flower power, anti war demonstrations and countless Sausalito sunsets. But not so fast. A new audio drama claims to tell the real story of how it all started......in the backwater of Spalding, Lincolnshire. … Continue reading HEY JOE, WHERE YOU GOING WITH THAT SPUD IN YOUR HAND?
Each day on BBC's Love or Money, a succession of rather plain, older men and women confess to throwing tens of thousands of pounds at young hotties and silver foxes. In most cases the victim has neither met nor spoken to the perpetrator but has been seduced by an attractive online picture and a line … Continue reading Romance fraud. It’s not what it used to be.
Motor review Lexus LS600 The last time I was offered a massage in a car was on a morose, slate grey night in downtown Birkenhead. I had popped into the Co-0p for some groceries and emerged to find a bedgraggled creature occupying the front passenger seat. The hag had smeared lipstick, a pasty face with … Continue reading The hag had smeared lipstick, a pasty face with haunted eyes and a skirt rolling above her bony, white thighs……..
It’s a figure as uncompromising as the average Briton’s: obesity is now costing the UK almost £100billion a year. Analysis from the Tony Blair Institute published last week described the “sick and impoverished nation” our excess weight is creating, amounting to four per cent of the GDP - that has seen an additional 6kg added to men’s … Continue reading Piling on the pounds? Here’s two simple changes to help
The Archers has just recently recast one established actor and now faces a second dilemma. Ian Pepperell passed away recently after playing Roy Tucker in the radio soap for 28 years but no word has yet emerged whether the hotelier will be recast, killed off or become one of the disappeared. BBC Radio 4 has … Continue reading COULD ROY TUCKER END UP ROVING AROUND BULGARIA?
THE witch had eyes as black as coal and waistlong hair to match. She stared at me balefully and whispered, "I wouldn't go home tonight, there could be bad luck."I laughed it off and sauntered off to find the car. Barely 10 minutes later, a front headlamp exploded, almost causing me to crash.We had met … Continue reading WITCH CASTS A SPELL OVER DINNER
A treasure trove of forgotten radio plays have been returned to the BBC Archives by amateur enthusiasts. Many recordings have been lost, or thought lost, by the BBC over the years but the Radio Circle has collected and restored around 1,000 items from members of the public. Some will be broadcast soon including Pinter’s The … Continue reading FORGOTTEN RADIO PLAYS RESTORED TO BBC ARCHIVES
I became very forgetful for a period, the epitome being rushing home from the shops thinking I'd left some chops under the grill. Thankfully I hadn't but it was another worrying sign, I thought, until it became clear it was probably a Covid hangover. I also began a health kick and have recently switched from … Continue reading MED DIET CAN STAVE OFF DEMENTIA SAY UK RESEARCHERS
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