When good TV goes bad: Goodnight Sweetheart

At the start the sitcom was a compelling comment on male insecurity, but it soon descended into cartoonish plotlinesThe 1990s were an innocent time. Tony Blair was a god, Donald Trump was a joke and the world felt hopeful. It really did seem as though things could only get better. In 1992, the political scientist Francis Fukuyama went so far as to publish a book called The End of History and the Last Man arguing that the triumph of liberal democracy marked a new age of stable government and sunlit uplands. The only real worry was whether you preferred Blur or Oasis. So it was perhaps inevitable that into this comfortable stupor popped Gary Sparrow, a time-travelling bigamist TV repair engineer from Cricklewood.Gary, played by the affable Nicholas Lyndhurst, was the protagonist of Goodnight Sweetheart, one of the most successful sitcoms of that halcyon decade. In it, Gary is a man behaving boringly who is unsure about his role in this confusing modern world where women like his wife Yvonne have the temerity to study psychology instead of cook his dinner. Luckily, he discovers that he can leave this hellish peace and equality behind and travel back to the more exciting East End of the early 40s, where men were men and innocent people died by the thousand. He then does what any of us would do if we’d just discovered the secret of time travel, and shags the first person he sees. This person is Phoebe, a pub landlord’s daughter, who becomes Gary’s other wife. And so begins his... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-01 12:00:23 UTC ]
News tagged with: #travel back #time travel #high concept

Other Publishing stories related to: 'When good TV goes bad: Goodnight Sweetheart'


Book Sales Prognosis: Good 2021, Uncertain 2022

Book sales should finish 2021 on a good note, but a number of factors could mean softer sales in early 2022, NPD BookScan noted during a webinar on third-quarter sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book sales #bookscan


Home Truths review: is David Williamson a reformed 'Bad Art Friend'?

Australian dramatist David Williamson’s new book is a mash up of memoir and autobiography, which casts himself as a former ‘plunderer’ of other’s lives. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-10-20 03:57:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #memoir


Phelps to adapt Jackie Collins' Lovers & Gamblers for TV

Sarah Phelps will adapt Jackie Collins’ Lovers & Gamblers (S&S) as a major new television series. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-05 21:38:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #television series


ViacomCBS adds VideoAmp as Nielsen TV ratings alternative

The network aims for ‘symmetry’ by having agencies use the same tool for currency they already use for planning and optimizing. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2021-09-28 12:45:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nielsen


Why “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover” Is Bad Advice

Who says you shouldn't judge a book based on its cover? The cover has an important job: to capture your attention. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-09-24 10:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book based


Scholastic Has Good Start to Fiscal 2022—with a Caveat

Scholastic reported higher sales and a smaller loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2021, and while it said business is improving, it did point to some “headwinds” which all publishers are facing: rising costs and disruptions in the supply chain. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good start #rising costs #supply chain #scholastic


Bad Form launches series of workshops to demystify publishing industry

Bad Form is launching a series of free events to demystify the publishing industry for people from Black, Asian and racialised communities. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-24 03:18:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #free events


‘Astronauts check our scripts!’: inside the new age of sumptuous sci-fi TV

With clone emperors in haute couture and exotic wolf-lizards poised to attack, Foundation and For All Mankind herald a new era of ravishing spectaculars. Can they do for sci-fi what Game of Thrones did for fantasy?Dynastic infighting, the decline and fall of a mighty empire, tyrannical rulers... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-09-23 15:57:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lee pace #isaac asimov #science fiction


Nielsen Sets 2022 Pivot to Impressions-Based Local TV Buying

Nielsen is shifting local TV from ratings-based buying and selling to impressions-based buying. In January, the company will move to impressions-based buying and selling in local markets across the country, it said today. Top line At the same time Nielsen will shift to impressions-based... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2021-09-21 14:38:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top line #nielsen


Piers Morgan to launch new TV show in deal with News Corp

British presenter Piers Morgan will join News Corp and Fox News Media and host a TV show that will air in the U.S., Britain and Australia Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2021-09-17 00:42:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #piers morgan #tv show #news corp


TV option deal for Mian's Planet Omar series

Hachette Children’s Group has signed a TV option deal for Zanib Mian's Planet Omar series with Bafta award-winning producers Lime Pictures, described as "an incredible milestone for Muslim representation in children’s programming".  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-13 19:45:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette children #hachette


20 Kids’ Reading Chairs to Snuggle Into With a Good Book

All bets are off as #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen introduces gambler Logan Tanner. He lives the exhilarating life of a professional gambler, but all the glitz and glamor hide a dark and violent past as an extractor—a world that comes rushing back to him when the beautiful... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-09-10 10:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good book #`https #bestselling author


TV trade group forms measurement task force amid Nielsen issues

VAB announces new group dedicated to forwarding video measurement, with NBCUniversal signing on as a partner.  Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2021-09-09 17:20:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nielsen


Jamie Oliver TV series searches for cookbook star with PMJ and Channel 4

​Jamie Oliver is aiming to find the next big cookbook star in a TV series from Channel 4 and Penguin Michael Joseph, with the winner securing their own book deal.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-06 11:26:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv series #book deal #cookbook


The Morning After: Locast's local TV streaming service loses legal protections

Locast, a company that claimed to improve access to local TV stations for people who can’t get the signal via traditional means, has been dealt a blow by a New York Court. It lost a courtroom battle with CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, which said the company was violating copyright. Deadline reports the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-09-02 11:15:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rocky start #big news #anthology


Locast loses legal protections that keep its local TV streaming service alive

A company purporting to improve access to local TV stations for people who can’t access the signal via traditional means has been dealt a blow by a New York Court. Locast has lost the courtroom skirmish started by CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, which said that the company was violating their copyright.... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-09-01 10:42:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv providers #local news #global pandemic #copyright law


I did not spend my summer binge-watching TV. Here are the books I loved instead.

Secondhand bookstores provided ample choices at low prices. So I picked up books by Joseph Conrad, James Webb and (too) many more. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-25 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #low prices #joseph conrad


People with disabilities appear in 1% of TV ads

Although they represent 26 percent of the U.S. population, portrayals lag despite progress in product development and entertainment, Nielsen finds. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2021-08-19 18:10:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #product development #nielsen finds #nielsen


The Loch Ness monster may not exist, but such mythical beasts fascinate for good reason

A look at several books that celebrate and analyze star attractions from the twilight zone of zoological fantasy. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-18 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good reason #twilight zone


Octopus signs Krissy Cela's 'feel-good fitness' guide

Octopus is to release Happy Healthy Strong, the new exercise and lifestyle guide from fitness technology entrepreneur, personal trainer and author Krissy Cela. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-17 18:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #personal trainer