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 ]
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HarperCollins has acquired a novel by Robert Lautner, a historical author working under a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ian Rankin, A L Kennedy, Andrew O'Hagan, Alasdair Gray, Liz Lochhead, Don Paterson and Robin... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Salman Rushdie's publicity schedule for his new memoir will be unaffected by the increase in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion Children's Books has acquired a new title by wildlife expert and adventurer, Steve... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Just four days after a federal judge approved a settlement in the ebooks price fixing case, HarperCollins has already started discounts. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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American e-tailers including Amazon.com have begun selling HarperCollins ebooks at discounted... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK is looking to exceptionally strong autumn publishing after recording an 8% sales drop... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Transworld has acquired a book which promises to lift the lid on doping in the world of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is there a future for tablet-only publications? The last few weeks have cast an ominous shadow over this niche industry following substantial staff cuts at News Corp.'s The Daily and a decision by the Huffington Post to give up on charging for its iPad magazine after just five issues. While... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2012-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shadow culture minister Dan Jarvis has spoken out about local library campaigns, criticising the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailers have spoken of “dead” high streets in London as shoppers avoid the West End... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shadow culture minister Dan Jarvis has accused his government opposite Ed Vaizey of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin profits have dropped by £20m in the first half of 2012 to £22m, nearly... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The adverse economic environment and consumers who are cutting down on their spending are finally... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Believe it or not, but that whole ebook price fixing fiasco is still an ongoing issue for the Justice Department. New York's senior senator, Chuck Schumer wishes it wasn't however, he simply wants the DOJ to drop the case and walk away. In a lengthy (factually questionable) op-ed in the Wall... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the app market evolves, a publisher’s success is measured less by the number of downloads and more by the engagement level and number of returning customers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2012-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After 20 years on the newsstand, SmartMoney will end print publication with its September issue and go all digital. Dow Jones, which owns the site (and this one as well), said the print publishing schedule just couldn't keep up with volatile market news. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irish book, newspaper and stationery retailer Eason made an operating loss of €5.3m in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith has reported a like-for-like sales decrease of 3% across the group in the last quarter... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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