- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Flamingo; New edition edition (2 April 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006551750
- ISBN-13: 978-0006551751
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
246,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > History of Film > Britain
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
"The average Briton spends 11 years in front of a television set during an average 72 year lifespan." This statistic--which does not even begin to consider the implications of the multimedia-rich society into which we are all running apace--is disturbing. It is also the starting point from which Stuart Jeffries validates his personal quest to find the effect television has had on his generation of viewers.
Young people--and not so young people, these days--do not grow up. Not completely. Two shandies in the bar and everyone will be singing the tune from Captain Pugwash, or reciting the name of the firemen from Camberwick Green. This same televisual nostalgia sparked "100 greatest adverts", and has proven a boon to purveyors of Bagpuss merchandise. It is with one eye on this never-ending appetite for the re-heated soup of cultural and personal remembrance (the other eye is fixed firmly on media studies students) that Stuart Jeffries has written this book. Certainly, it is a personal story. Thirtysomething contemporaries of Jeffries who cut their teeth on Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy will reap the greatest rewards from the spot-on descriptions of times gone by. However Mrs Slocombe's Pussy also works as an investigation into the cultural values of British society, using well-argued qualitative analysis of "throwaway" shows such as Are You Being Served? (from which the book's title is derived) and It Ain't Half Hot Mum, to judge the attitudes of the nation through perhaps the most pervasive influence of all--light entertainment.
Jeffries viewpoint is clear and well defined and he has managed to wrestle complicated ideas into a format which should be accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of media terminology. Of course, any study such as this is subjective, since the writer's choice of viewing is, and always has been, influenced by any number of social and cultural--school, family and class factors--which shape the individual within the nation's cultural context. If you can live with the belief that Billy Connolly is bad while The Thin Blue Line is good, you will find Mrs Slocome's Pussy a rewarding read. --Helen Lamont --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘Jeffries’ scintillating humour conveys serious and though-provoking ideas in this hilariously Proustian, witty, entertaining and wholly idiosyncratic study of growing up with television.’ Daily Mail
‘This is as captivating an account of a life lived with television as one is likely to encounter.’ TLS
‘Unnervingly clever and witty.’ Independent
‘Enviably funny and original.’ Evening Standard
‘This is a cracking read, cutting a humorous, intelligent swathe through thirty years of British television. No mean feat, but, tie us up and whip us with John Inman’s measuring tape if he hasn’t pulled it off. Oooooh!’ Maxim
‘Quite irresistible, perceptive and thought-provoking.’ Daily Telegraph
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The cover is rather garish, with the words 'pussy' and 'telly' most prominent and I'm not sure I'd give it to my mum for a birthday present, but for 30 something guy like myself, there were lots of moments of recognition and hoots of laughter.
Television is something that, like it or loathe it, brings us all together in shared memories. On top of that, it's a medium which doesn't often get a serious critical eye cast over it. Jeffries is obviously a clever bloke (the chapter on war coverage was really thought-provoking), but you could imagine having a pint with him too, which makes him good company in this read. Highly recommended!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I picked up the paperback of this book at Euston station and it kept my mind off the awful journey to Carlisle by making me laugh my head almost literally off (which would have been alarming for my fellow passengers, and Railtrack sees to alarming passengers much better than I can). Jeffries knows how to tell a joke, and such big portions! I'd recommend this to anyone. Cheers!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book certainly brings back memories of some long-forgotten shows and will also make you look at some programmes in a different light. Jeffries writes poigniantly about programmes as varied as Bill and Ben and Brideshead Revisited. His demolition of THE TV News and also Changing Rooms is worth the price of the book alone. Jeffries manages to be funny where appropriate but also hits a sombre note where required. If I have one criticism of this book it is that Jeffries occassionally indulges in academic language and references where it's not required but apart from that a highly readable and enjoyable book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What an excellent read
I guess it helped being the same age, but this book took me back to so many fond memories and also many times I found myself exactly on track with the author. Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2001 by stevehale@hotmail.com
Between the gutter and the stars
I bought this to tide me through a flight to Japan, and it certainly managed that. The opening few chapters were brilliantly written and look back on television that _I_ remember... Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2001
I hated this book
I have reasonably broad reading tastes, but everything about this book annoyed me. It is pretentious in a media studies way. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2001
The Koreans? cruel... The Scottish? worse than the Koreans
After meeting Stuart Jeffries at this year's (2000) Edinburgh Festival, and concluding that he was a bit like me, I bought a copy of his book, which he signed. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2000
Superb - anyone over 18 will find references they recognise
This book is brilliant, providing one doesn't try to treat it as a totally serious cultural analyis. It's supposed to be fun! Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2000
Annoyingly trendy
Stuart Jeffries can definitely write, but he has written one of those books that is normally published by Routledge with footnotes - a kind of sub sub Roland Barthes analysis of... Read more
Published on 2 July 2000
Had me shrieking with recognition!
Stuart Jeffries book is Ab Fab! It had me shouting out in recognition of long forgotten programmes and names. Read more
Published on 19 April 2000
Shared symbols
It's a commonplace now to say that we thirtysomethings are the first generation to have been brought up is a culture unified around tv products. Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2000 by Dr. K. Brown
Very disappointing
Encouraged by all the reviews on this site, I bought this book expecting some illuminating insights into the state of British television. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2000
Once upon a time, on a TV station long, long ago...
If you're a forty-something who grew up in Britain durng the Sixties and Seventies, then you really have to read this book. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2000
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