Ahead of a new stage revival, the creators and cast of Channel 4’s classic 90s newsroom sitcom remember close encounters with future Bond stars, writing episodes at the last minute and the meaning between that mysterious titleWhen Drop the Dead Donkey debuted on Channel 4 on 9 August 1990, it was something entirely new. Creators Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin used the offices of fictional TV studio GlobeLink News to combine a classic workplace sitcom with hot-off-the-presses topical gags. Over time, the characters became the main attraction: bickering anchors Henry Davenport (David Swift) and Sally Smedley (Victoria Wicks), amoral foreign correspondent Damien Day (Stephen Tompkinson), and Gus Hedges (Robert Duncan), the jargon-spouting emissary of GlobeLink’s rapacious owner Sir Roysten Merchant. Other cast members included Neil Pearson (as office dogsbody Dave Charnley) and, for two seasons, Haydn Gwynne (as adept assistant editor Alex Pates).Drop the Dead Donkey was a consistent hit, peaking at 4-5 million viewers during its eight-year run. It attracted guest stars such as Neil Kinnock and Jon Snow and up-and-coming actors including Andrew Lincoln, Hermione Norris, Gina McKee and Daniel Craig. Now, the entire surviving cast (Swift died in 2016 and Gwynne in 2023) has reunited for a touring stage show, Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening!, which drops the GlobeLink diaspora into a news landscape that makes the 1990s skulduggery seem almost sweet. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-01-20 11:55:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#stage revival
#writing episodes
#guy jenkin
#main attraction
#jargon-spouting emissary
#consistent hit
#eight-year run
#neil kinnock
#jon snow
#hermione norris
#gina mckee
#daniel craig
#news landscape
#1990s skulduggery
#pearson
Most startups will never see anything close to the amount of money Twitter plans on raising during its IPO this week (a reported $1.6 billion) and in fact, three out of four tech businesses fail. Entrepreneurs in training looking to create a successful company, then, might want to know what... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#makes sense
#early days
#paying attention
The titles which will be distributed for free as part of World Book Night include works by Cheryl Strayed, Maria Semple, Agatha Christie, and more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#cheryl strayed
#maria semple
#agatha christie
In the Oct. 21 issue of Advertising Age, you'll find the closely watched annual Magazine A-List, which honors 10 glossies that are doing really, really well. I'm part of the editorial team that, each summer and fall, works on the list (which involves a lot of in-depth research and... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#years earlier
#kate moss
#henry kissinger
A textbook rental company is trying to mimic the instantaneous speed of ebook delivery for printed books by utilizing civil drones in Sydney, Australia. Imagine the book you need to ace the exam showing up at your door, care of your friendly neighborhood drone. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#printed books
For professional looking design, Adobe Creative Suite products such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop are feature-rich tools you can use to create stunning projects. But using them isn’t cheap. Creative Cloud, which gives you Web access to these software offerings is $50 a month, and even... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#team members
#google drive
#mobile devices
Bookworms in the UK tired of smuggling flashlights to bed might want to take another look at the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. After all, you can get one for £49 now that Barnes & Noble has slashed £20 off its retail price -- that's far, far lower than the amount people had to pay at... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#barnes noble
#book retailer
#feel free
Haynes Publishing Group has reported falls in revenue and profit in its results for the year... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Gains in its educational technology group were not enough to offset declines in the children’s book publishing and distribution unit resulting in a 5.8% decline in total sales at Scholastic for the first quarter ended August 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sales drop
#offset declines
#book publishing
#8% decline
#total sales
Amazon is to drop a clause banning third party Marketplace traders across the EU from offering... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Nook sales at Barnes & Noble have continued to drop in the first quarter of its new financial... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#barnes noble
Hepatitis B gets a little less awful sounding when you see how it looks under a microscope, as part of a new book called Hidden Beauty: Exploring the Aesthetics of Medical Science. It’s strange how something deadly can also be beautiful. These images are all of major diseases--hepatitis B,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#medical science
#human life
New York Times Co., the newspaper publisher controlled by the Ochs-Sulzberger family, reported second-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates as it drew more subscribers for its digital editions.Excluding some items, profit was 14 cents a share, the company said today in a statement.... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital offerings
#arthur sulzberger
#digital efforts
The newspaper industry was hit with more bad news mid-week, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer made deep cuts to its newsroom, and several newspaper publishers reported more revenue declines. The Plain Dealer, owned by Advance Publications, delivered ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#newspaper industry
#advance publications
The film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir 'Wild' will be brought to the big screen by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#film adaptation
#cheryl strayed
#big screen
The film version of Cheryl Strayed's memoir "Wild" is picking up steam: Reese Witherspoon has signed on to portray the author.The film version of Cheryl Strayed's memoir "Wild" is picking up steam: Reese Witherspoon has signed on to portray the author. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#film version
#reese witherspoon
#cheryl strayed
On Monday it was announced that one juror who had found George Zimmerman not guilty had landed literary agent, Sharlene Martin. By 10 p.m., Martin announced she was dropping Juror B37 as a client.Maybe a book by a juror in the Trayvon Martin murder trial isn't such a good idea after all. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#write book
#literary agent
#sharlene martin
#good idea
Penguin is phasing out its Popular Classics series and adjusting the price on the competing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
An anonymous Microsoft source calls talk about Microsoft planning to buy the Nook Media branch of Barnes & Noble 'nothing more than a rumor.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nook media
#barnes noble
Harlequin parent company Torstar has announced restructuring in its book publishing and general... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book publishing
Barnes & Noble knows it's not winning the tablet race by any margin, but the book retailer is hoping for a big boost for Mother's Day. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#barnes noble
#book retailer
#big boost