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Review
"* 'Hugely enjoyable... Perhaps without realising it, we are now living through a light entertainment golden age. How nice to have a book that makes you ponder such an idea in the first place.' - Sinclair McKay, Daily Telegraph * 'It is... refreshing to read a book about popular entertainment by someone who genuinely loves it, without so much as a hint of that rather purist, Anglo-Saxon sneer we so often, as a nation, display about things we do simply for pleasure.' - Peter Bazalgette, Sunday Telegraph * 'A fine book... The top-billers are all here... [and] thoroughly researched facts are bolstered by rambling interviews with surviving producers... The achievement of this book is to give credit where it's overdue.' - Kit Hesketh Harvey, Guardian * 'All-encompassing: game shows, quiz shows, talent shows, sitcom spin-offs, magic acts and dancing sea lions.' - Roger Lewis, Mail on Sunday"
Review
"It is...refreshing to read a book about popular entertainment by someone who genuinely loves it, without so much as a hint of that rather purist, Anglo-Saxon sneer we so often, as a nation, display about things we do simply for pleasure."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A whistle-stop tour through fifty years of British telly, this book chooses, perhaps unwisely, to be a history of the "dry" side of light entertainment, concentrating on the devising of quiz show formats and the ins and outs of ITV franchise applications rather than the talent in front of the camera. The great names are all here, of course- Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper and the rest- but they get short shrift in favour of "he said to me, then I said to him"-style anecdotes related by producers about other producers and doubtless polished in many a golf club bar and at many a Variety Club dinner over the years. I was left thinking I'd been subjected to an endless monologue by a thousand Ronnie Corbetts that never reached the point of being as fascinating as the teller assured me it was.
But this is a well-researched book and contains much that needed putting on the record, so to speak, even if the writing and the organisation of the information betray a certain dogged diligence rather than any real spark.
Definitely not a suitable Christmas gift for that uncle who likes Tony Hancock!
But this is a well-researched book and contains much that needed putting on the record, so to speak, even if the writing and the organisation of the information betray a certain dogged diligence rather than any real spark.
Definitely not a suitable Christmas gift for that uncle who likes Tony Hancock!
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It's fair to mention that I've been a friend of the author's for over 10 years, so I may well be biased. However, light entertainment (or LE) is a subject dear to my heart, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to complain if it hadn't been given a good treatment. Louis' book plays a blinder, being a thoroughly well-researched 354 pages (there aren't 22 pages of notes for nothing), and follows the story of the LE industry from the birth of variety in the middle of the nineteenth century, to the more recent revival in entertainment television in the shape of The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Saturday Night Takeaway, to mention but a few. In essence, this is the definitive work on the genre, weaving a direct link between those early pioneers of variety to today's stars. Where else would you discover the link between Top of the Pops and Billy Cotton's Band Show? It is essential for anyone with even a passing interest in British television, and proves beyond all doubt that there really isn't anything 'light' about guaranteeing quality entertainment for a mass audience.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Written in a very concise style packing maximum info into each line and based on extensive research, those interviewed are a solidly represenatative of TV light entertainment in the period from its inception. An easy read for those with just a general interest and a gold mine for serious students of this and related topics.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
fantastic
Covers everything from early days of music hall and variety to Britain Got Talent the author really did his research for this book. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bumblezzz
THE definitive history of British TV Light Entertainment
Once again Louis Barfe has produced the be all and end all of an aspect of popular culture. His previous book, on the history of recorded music: WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD TIMES GONE... Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2008 by G. Webley
Mustn't Grumble!
Having just received this book I am happy to report it to be a weighty and impressive tome. No I have not yet had time to read all of its 400 pages! Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2008 by Bernard Shaw
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