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

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Lisa Campbell appointed as Edinburgh TV Festival director

Journalist, who has been editor of trade magazine Broadcast since 2007, will take over from Louise Benson on 24 FebruaryLisa Campbell, editor of trade magazine Broadcast, has been appointed director of the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.Campbell has been with the TV... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Misery Index: Quantifying exactly how bad Facebook makes you feel

2013 hasn't been especially kind to Facebook. The Facebook Home app launcher, announced in April, was poorly received by consumers. Then, in June, the social media service fell under the scrutiny of privacy advocates as information surfaced about Silicon Valley's relationship with the NSA. But... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Good Books Parent Files for Chapter 7

Good Enterprises, whose holdings include the cookbook publisher Good Books, filed voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy December 10 and is preparing to liquidate the company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good enterprises


You're a Good Citizen, Charlie Brown

Regnery's children's publishing program has acquired a five-year license with Peanuts Worldwide, and will feature Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang in books about American history, heroes, government, and civics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #charlie brown #publishing program #peanuts worldwide #peanuts gang #american history


Banning bad reviews undermines the very purpose of reviews

In an interview with Poynter back at the beginning of November, BuzzFeed book editor Isaac Fitzgerald said that the site will not include negative reviews. "Why waste breath talking smack about something? You see it in so many old media-type places, the scathing takedown rip. If you can’t say... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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McIlvaney's Laidlaw trilogy heads for TV

Company Pictures have optioned the TV rights to William McIlvanney's Laidlaw trilogy. Lisa... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv rights #company pictures


James Carol crime debut gets TV series

Sprout Pictures, the independent film and TV company run by Stephen Fry, has optioned James... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv series #sprout pictures #stephen fry


Mira signs TV's Jemma Forte

Harlequin has acquired two women’s fiction novels by TV presenter Jemma Forte, for its MIRA... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fiction novels


Sherlock, Doctor Who and Bake Off in BBC's Christmas TV lineup

Mystery of how Holmes survived rooftop fall is solved, Peter Capaldi makes Doctor Who debut, and Open All Hours returnsIt is a mystery that gripped the nation. Finally the BBC will reveal how Sherlock Holmes survived falling to his apparent certain death, in a festive TV lineup that will also... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Prolific TV creator Shonda Rhimes will write 'part memoir, part inspiration' book (+video)

Shonda Rhimes is the creator of the TV shows 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Private Practice,' and 'Scandal.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #part memoir #part inspiration #shonda rhimes #tv shows #private practice


Prolific TV creator Shonda Rhimes will write 'part memoir, part inspiration' book

Shonda Rhimes is the creator of the TV shows 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Private Practice,' and 'Scandal.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #part memoir #part inspiration #shonda rhimes #tv shows #private practice


TV Fears 'Race to the Bottom' With Real-Time Bidding

Programmatic buying might be common for digital publishers, but for TV networks, shaking up legacy media buying won't happen easily.Interpublic Group of Cos. announced in August a consortium that includes A&E Networks, Cablevision, Clear Channel and Tribune to build and test an automated... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #real-time bidding #programmatic buying #digital publishers #interpublic group


Short ebooks: don't let one bad experience ruin a literary phenomenon

Penelope Lively's recent short ebook for Penguin drew criticism for its brevity – but readers should not be put off the genre as a whole"Overpriced", "ridiculous", I feel cheated". Amazon reviewers haven't been wholly positive about a digital short Penelope Lively has written for Penguin... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is an X Factor for novelists a good idea?

A literary talent show is about to be aired in Italy, but is television the right place to nurture literary talent?Jonny Geller, agent and joint CEO, Curtis BrownAn X Factor for books is about to launch on Italian TV – it had to be Italian, didn't it? – and you can imagine the literati running... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vice versa


Good Housekeeping Gets New Editor-in-Chief

Hearst Magazines president David Carey announced the hire of Toronto-based Chatelaine editor-in-chief Jane Francisco as editor-in-chief at company flagship Good Housekeeping. Per  Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jane Francisco Named Editor-in-Chief of Good Housekeeping

Hearst Magazines named Jane Francisco the editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping magazine, the company said Monday, succeeding longtime editor Rosemary Ellis. Ms. Francisco is editor-in-chief of Chatelaine, a women's lifestyle magazine based in Canada. She begins her new job Dec. 2.Ms. Ellis,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: Topsy and Tim on TV after 50 years

Cressida Cowell, author of the How to Train Your Dragon book series, and Greg Childs, former executive producer for CBBC & Cbeebies, discuss the re-introduction of classic children's TV. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lenovo Miix 10 review: A good tablet with an (optional) killer keyboard

Lenovo is known for building notebooks with exquisite keyboards, but the company is also no stranger to the tablet game. It has also introduced pioneering convertibles, such as the Yoga 11s and the newer Flex 14. The Miix 10 should be the culmination of that experience, but this hybrid falls... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You Talked About These New TV Shows, but Did You Watch? Mostly, Yes

In a series of September and October posts (the most recent one right here), Ad Age has been taking a broad view of the "social buzz" surrounding the fall TV season's new shows. We worked with the Keller Fay Group, a market-research firm that specializes in tracking "real world" conversations --... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eyetracking And The Neuroscience Of Good Web Design

Fabian Stelzer, EyeQuant's CEO, believes there's a science to how we view the Web. Whether on desktops or on mobile, whether we're male or female, young or old, our eyes will be drawn to certain common elements of web design–– a combination of contrasts, locations, contours and colors. Stelzer's... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tech world #email address