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 ]
News tagged with: #love letter #dark materials #national theatre #newest work #harry potter

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Lucky Strike: BBC hopes JK Rowling's sleuth will steal Victoria's crown

Series based on Harry Potter author’s novels written under pseudonym will face ITV’s hit period drama on Sunday nightsThe BBC is banking on JK Rowling’s magic touch in a Sunday night ratings battle between the sumptuous ITV costume drama Victoria and its own thriller, Strike, adapted from crime... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's 'Front Row' comes to television

The BBC will expand its Radio 4 show "Front Row" brand this autumn into television with a new series on BBC Two. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's 'Saturday Review' saved from the axe

The BBC has backtracked on plans to axe "Saturday Review", its cultural discussion programme presented by Tom Sutcliffe on Radio 4. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC unveils UK's biggest poetry festival

This year's National Poetry Day will see the launch of the UK's biggest poetry festival dedicated to new work, in conjunction with the BBC. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SoA criticises removal of BBC radio quotas for drama

The removal of quotas for radio comedy, drama and readings will have a “significant impact” on the Society of Authors' members, the organisation has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's Mallender to head HC's audio arm

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's latest app is a home for its VR experiments

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[ Engadget | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reggie Yates debut to BBC Books

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Updated BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy reveals targeted social advertising, and data sharing with TV Licensing

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[ Betanews | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After broadcasting a desperate plea on Facebook, a U.S. immigrant activist goes missing in Mexico

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viking buys McCarten on Churchill’s ‘Darkest Hour’

Viking has acquired rights to Darkest Hour by Anthony McCarten, a non-fiction narrative history of Winston Churchill’s wartime leadership. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Romola Garai to star in BBC adaptation of 'The Miniaturist'

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC to 'amplify UK's creative voice' in £4m drive

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sorrow as last episode of BBC Radio 4's Midweek airs

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC's Evan Davis joins ranks of journalists with books exploring Post-Truth

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Radio appoints LBA literary agency

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Broadcaster Jeremy Thompson's 'extraordinary' memoir to Biteback

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shukla and Bourne to judge BBC Young Writers' Award

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC’s Jeremy Vine in road rage incident with driver – video

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[ The Guardian | 2017-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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