We interrupt this broadcaster: why did Winston Churchill try to seize the BBC?

In 1926, with the General Strike looming and the right warning of a Bolshevik revolution, the BBC found itself in a dreadful dilemma. Writer Jack Thorne on why he turned this into ‘a love letter to people in authority’Jack Thorne is a furiously busy scriptwriter and, although he’s celebrated for bringing Harry Potter to the stage and His Dark Materials to the screen, he loves a chewy subject. In recent years, he’s tackled child abuse, the plight of care homes in the pandemic, and a Grenfell-like catastrophe that devastates a community. At the moment, his play The Motive and the Cue, about the famously rocky process of putting together John Gielgud’s production of Hamlet starring Richard Burton, is at the National Theatre in London.He will soon have another play on in the city. When we meet, Thorne – tall, gangly, scrappily bearded, wearing a T-shirt with a printed design that instantly calls to mind the armoured bear in His Dark Materials – is on a break from watching a run-through of his newest work, When Winston Went to War With the Wireless. It stages an early crisis for the BBC that shaped its future and set the tone for the way it handles political pressure to this day. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-05 07:00:22 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "We interrupt this broadcaster: why did Winston Churchill try to seize the BBC?"


Natalie Dormer to narrate Harry Potter: A History of Magic

This October Audible will release an audiobook of Pottermore Publishing’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic, read by Natalie Dormer. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Scholastic Sales and Earnings Dropped in Fiscal 2018

Blockbuster sales of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' helped drive revenue to $1.74 billion in fiscal 2017, but without a comparable hit, sales fell 6% in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2018. Operating income dropped 38%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Model spiders to mark 20 years of The Chamber of Secrets

Seven models of the spiders from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will be unveiled across the UK at the end of the month to mark the novel’s 20th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Band's Visit' and 'Harry Potter' dominate Tony Awards with inspired creativity. Why theater needs more

Revivals redeemed a lackluster Broadway year. But now that the Tony Awards have closed the book on the 2017-18 season, it will be easy for producers and press agents to spin a self-congratulatory narrative. “The Band’s Visit,” as arrestingly original a show as “Hamilton” and “Fun Home,” won the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tony Awards: Races to watch and front-runners to beat

Can "Mean Girls" edge out "The Band's Visit" and "SpongeBob SquarePants"? Will "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" or "Angels in American" take home more trophies? Here's a quick rundown of key contenders from shows with the most nominations. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BookCon 2018: Tomi Adeyemi: What If Harry Potter Had Been Black?

Rooted in West African mythology, Tomi Adeyemi's YA debut is a colossal hit. She talks about activism, Harry Potter, and writerly perseverance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Harry Potter and Tom Kerridge fuel Bloomsbury's record revenue

Publisher hits £161.5m takings, driven by Potter sales and Lose Weight for GoodThe evergreen Harry Potter franchise and the popularity of TV chef Tom Kerridge’s Lose Weight for Good has driven book publisher Bloomsbury’s revenue to the highest level in its 32-year history.Bloomsbury Publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Harry Potter's magic: Documentary looks at 20 years since the boy who lived revived magic

In the 20 years since Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone – the first novel in JK Rowling's global publishing phenomenon – was released, the bespectacled boy wizard has achieved many, many revolutionary things. Most importantly, he has transformed children's passion for reading – and... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bloomsbury reveals new Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Bloomsbury will release a ‘house edition’ of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in the Harry Potter series, in June. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Librarians Scrambling to Meet Demand for 'Fire and Fury'

Overwhelming demand for the book has generated wait lists that rival such all-time bestsellers as 'Harry Potter' and 'Fifty Shades of Gray.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bestselling books of 2017: the top 100

While women dominate the charts, it’s been the year of the comeback kings: Philip Pullman, Jamie Oliver, Margaret Atwood …Last year JK Rowling reclaimed the No 1 spot in the bestseller charts by returning from mundane reality to the Potterverse (with the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Thursday's TV highlights: 'Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story' and more

SERIES Movie Night With Karlie Kloss The supermodel and her celebrity guests watch flicks, play games and gab in this new series. First up, 2002’s “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” 6:30 p.m. Freeform The Perfect Suspect The debut installment of this true-crime series tells the tale of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage tops Waterstones Book of the Year list

Philip Pullman's return to the world of His Dark Materials is a hit with bookshop staff. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Soft July for Trade Sales

Sales in the children’s/young adult segment fell 36.8% in July, compared to same period a year ago, according to figures release by the AAP. The decline is due, in large part, to the fact that July 2017 did not see a hit like July 2016, when 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' was dominating... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Warner to launch Harry Potter version of Pokemon Go

Niantic Labs, the creator of free-to-download augmented reality game Pokemon Go, is to launch a new game based on Harry Potter in conjunction with Warner Bros. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The magic that inspired Harry Potter on display at the British Library

Magic is in the air at the British Library here — specifically the magical world of one of the most famous characters in modern literature, Harry Potter. “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” a recently opened exhibition spotlighting rare books and artifacts that detail traditions of folklore and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bringing the magic of Harry Potter to life

Acting children's editor and Harry Potter fan Caroline Carpenter gives her verdict on the British Library's new Harry Potter exhibition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Pullman reveals ill health delayed La Belle Sauvage

Philip Pullman has revealed ill health delayed his writing of the much-anticipated La Belle Sauvage, released today (Thursday 19th October). He also said The Book of Dust trilogy was “darker” than His Dark Materials because he feels “more cynical and closer to despair” than he did 22 years ago. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Book of Dust, Volume 1

You should not use the word love lightly. Love, about a person, means that every inch of them delights you, even the parts that also cause you pain or terror. It means you care about their flourishing; their way of seeing is dear to you; you want to stroke their hair and serve them cocoa; their... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Super Thursday: with 500 new books out today, what should you read?

New books from Mary Berry, Dan Brown and Dawn French are out, as part of the mass launch that marks the start of the Christmas season – and there’s another 250 on the way. Here are 10 titles in the running for No 1More than 500 glossy new hardbacks are set to arrive on the shelves of the UK’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this