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This book, thanks to Ken’s wife, Lady Dodd, gives the first ever
in-depth account of his astonishing story, and unravels ‘the
other Ken Dodd’ – the fascinating, kind and complicated private
man with whom she spent her life. Sir Ken Dodd was a national
institution. He worked tirelessly as one Britain’s most popular
comedians for a staggering seven decades. His five hour stage shows
were legendary, and he was still performing these hilarious
theatrical marathons right up to the age of ninety. Ken was the
comedian’s comedian. Fellow pros idolised him and looked up to
him as the guv’nor. He was also a talented ballad singer, and
enjoyed a hugely successful chart-topping career in the 1960s. In
fact his was the only name, apart from The Beatles, to appear in
the top five best-selling singles of that iconic pop music decade.
Despite his nationwide fame and his crazy, larger-than-life stage
persona, he was actually a very private person, away from the
limelight. A quiet, well-read, deeply religious thinker. He
consciously separated ‘the two Ken Dodds’, as he referred to
them, and always declined to cooperate with biographers, in order
to keep the private Ken Dodd just that – private. This book,
thanks to Ken’s wife, Lady Dodd, gives his many fans the first
ever in-depth account of his astonishing story, and unravels ‘the
other Ken Dodd’ – the fascinating, kind and complicated private
man with whom she spent her life. If you liked Ken Dodd you will
love this book. It will undoubtedly surprise and delight you.
Larry Grayson was extremely funny, highly likeable and much-loved.
Those were sentiments felt not just by his millions of fans, but
also by those who knew him personally. He was a complicated man who
didn't become a star until well into his middle age, having worked
for years as drag act Billy Breen. The peak of his popularity came
in the early 1980s with Larry Grayson's Generation Game on BBC1,
with regular viewing figures of over eighteen million. Larry
Grayson's story is fascinating from beginning to end, and has never
properly been told before. This extensively and painstakingly
researched account of his life is aspirational, funny and
heartbreaking in equal measure. "Written with affection and
sensitivity, this long overdue biography tells the wonderful
Larry's remarkable story." Julian Clary "He was an honest comic and
he was funny. I think that's why everybody loved Larry Grayson."
Lionel Blair "Larry had a wicked sense of fun and from many years
in clubs and variety halls his timing was just impeccable. This
fascinating account of his life story is like a rollercoaster
ride." Chris Tarrant
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Great British TV Quiz Shows
Tony Nicholson; Foreword by Chris Tarrant
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R474
R388
Discovery Miles 3 880
Save R86 (18%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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We all love a quiz. It's virtually impossible to hear a quiz
question without blurting the answer out loud, if you happen to
know it. We spend our lives accumulating useless facts, information
and trivia, most of which just sits quietly in our brains gathering
dust, so it's very gratifying to be able to answer quiz questions
and prove all that learning wasn't a complete waste of time. Right
from the birth of commercial television, in the mid-1950s, quiz
shows have been a staple of the nation's TV viewing habits. People
of a certain age will remember Hughie Green's Double Your Money and
Michael Miles with Take Your Pick, but, seven decades later, quiz
shows are still going strong - The Chase and Pointless being two
hugely successful current examples. The programmes have become more
sophisticated and glitzy, the prizes have become bigger and better,
but, ultimately, they are still rooted in the very simple premise
of a question being asked and a person answering it either
correctly or incorrectly, leading to reward or forfeit. This
fascinating, amusing and well-researched book is a personal and
affectionate guide to the evolution of the TV quiz show, through
all the many changes over the years, leading to the ultimate
game-changer, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The book doesn't stop
there, but it does give a detailed insider's view of the most
important quiz show ever created. Readers will wallow in nostalgia
reading about Bullseye, Sale Of The Century and Blockbusters, and
they will learn surprising facts about all the many quizzes we have
watched over the years. Did you know that the format for BBC TV's
Mastermind was based on its creator's experiences of wartime
interrogation by The Gestapo?
In a celebrity-obsessed world can absolute celebrity fame and
idolisation be exploited to gain absolute power... opening the
gates of hell... ? At a worrying time when the once-clear line
between celebrity stardom and political leadership on the world
stage has become blurred, a handsome brooding Romanian street
hustler emerges in Britain as a new messiah. Initially Serghei's
goal is to become famous as a talented magician, but, when his
Svengali-like manager convinces the public that Serghei's magic is
real and he has God-given powers, then an explosive chain reaction
is sparked, which cannot be stopped. Serghei's meteoric rise to
fame turns into adulation and his charismatic charm encourages hero
worship to the point of deification. Dark political forces spot the
immense potential of this new messiah and underhandedly usurp his
mass popularity for their own ends... lifting the lid on a
Pandora's box which threatens British democracy...
This book, thanks to Ken's wife, Lady Dodd, gives the first ever
in-depth account of his astonishing story, and unravels 'the other
Ken Dodd' - the fascinating, kind and complicated private man with
whom she spent her life. Sir Ken Dodd was a national institution.
He worked tirelessly as one Britain's most popular comedians for a
staggering seven decades. His five hour stage shows were legendary,
and he was still performing these hilarious theatrical marathons
right up to the age of ninety. Ken was the comedian's comedian.
Fellow pros idolised him and looked up to him as the guv'nor. He
was also a talented ballad singer, and enjoyed a hugely successful
chart-topping career in the 1960s. In fact his was the only name,
apart from The Beatles, to appear in the top five best-selling
singles of that iconic pop music decade. Despite his nationwide
fame and his crazy, larger-than-life stage persona, he was actually
a very private person, away from the limelight. A quiet, well-read,
deeply religious thinker. He consciously separated 'the two Ken
Dodds', as he referred to them, and always declined to cooperate
with biographers, in order to keep the private Ken Dodd just that -
private. If you liked Ken Dodd you will love this book. It will
undoubtedly surprise and delight you.
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Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
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R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
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