Tag Archives: war
Ladybird books: Constructing the future past of modern Britain
I used to visit a beloved university English professor and his wife. He had won the Military Cross for hand to hand combat in the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945 but never talked about the terrible things he’d seen. … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Children, Culture, Design, Environment, Germany, History, Media, Uncategorized, War
Tagged 60s, Bachelor of Hearts, books, conway hall, culture, Hardy Kruger, Ladybird books, media, michael balcon, politics, publishing, Sylvia Syms, war, wolf rilla
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We’ll get the President we deserve: Suzan Lori Parks on Hillary Clinton & America’s woman problem
“You’ve consumed too much of the Kool-Aid that the man has been serving you.” Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Susan Lori Parks came into the Front Row studio last week to talk about When Father Came Home From The Wars opening at … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, History, Media, Politics, Radio, Theatre, Uncategorized, War
Tagged American Civil War, culture, feminism, Hillary Clinton, media, politics, Suzan Lori Parks, Theatre Royal Stratford, US politics, war
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On location for HG Wells and the H Bomb
As well as this documentary I’ve written this feature for BBC Culture about how the Atom Bomb changed our culture and imagination. And I discuss it with Robert Elms on BBC London here. Listen from 1 hr 39 minutes. In … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Film, History, Politics, Radio, Science, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Uncategorized, War
Tagged Atomic bomb, BBC Sunday Feature, HG Wells, Jacob Bronowski, Leo Szilard, literature, politics, Radio 3, The World Set Free, Things to Come, war, Winston Churchill
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The curious idea of museums
This article originally appeared in The Big Issue magazine. Journalism worth paying for. What are museums for these days? Are collections passĂ©? Northampton City Council’s decision to sell off an ancient Egyptian statue to fund a museum extension, after striking … Continue reading
An embroidered insult to Hitler: A story about hand made things
My Something Understood for BBC Radio 4 this weekend is all about hand made things. You can listen to a clip of here. And the whole programme here. As well meeting a carpenter who makes fossil-inspired objects about of ancient … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, Germany, History, Radio, Religion, Uncategorized, War
Tagged Alexis Casdagli, Army, culture, embroidery, FTW, Hitler, morse code, needlework, POW, Royal Navy, Something Understood, Tony Casdagli, war
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Oh What A Lovely War Commemoration!
Recently the Prime Minister spoke of his hopes that events to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War would be a “commemoration that, like the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, says something about who we are as … Continue reading
Posted in Comedy, History, Media, Music, Politics, Radio, Theatre, Uncategorized, War
Tagged 1963, 60s, BBC, culture, David Cameron, David Kynaston, elitism, Erica Whyman, Field Marshall Haig, First World War, Joan Littlewood, Michael Billington, Murray Melvin, Oh What A Lovely War!, politics, satire, Theatre Royal Stratford, war
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Mr Lincoln’s Wild Ride
I spent a night in the pub playing skittles recently with The Lawmen of Bristol for a radio documentary. They are Wild West enthusiasts, who transport around their home-made saloon town and re-enact historical gunfights for charity. Each has a … Continue reading
Posted in Film, History, Politics
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, cinema, culture, Daniel Day Lewis, Disney, film, Hollywood, Obama, politics, Spielberg, war
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How The Middle East Became Another Planet
From Flash Gordon’s Ming the Merciless with his harem and his war rocket Ajax, to Frank Herbert’s prophecy-obsessed desert tribes in Dune battling over a valuable resource, the Middle East has always been another planet to western science fiction creators. … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, History, Politics, Religion, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged 70s, Arab Spring, Argo, books, cinema, culture, Egypt, film, Iran, literature, Planet of the Apes, politics, terrorism, war, zombies
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Casablanca: When refugees were glamorous
This was written for the Spectator Coffee House blog, ahead of the Casablanca night at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum on June 22nd, to mark Refugee Week. “I don’t buy and sell human beings,” says Rick to the rival club … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Film, Uncategorized, War
Tagged 40s, Casablanca, cinema, culture, film, Hollywood, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, literature, Nazis, refugees, war
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Something Warhammer This Way Comes
 I discovered the world of Warhammer and Warhammer 40K through my son. Warhammer 40K was launched just over 25 years ago. To mark the anniversary I have written a feature about its world of table top fantasy wargaming for the BBC … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Comics/graphic novels, Culture, Games, War
Tagged culture, FTW, Games Workshop, media, Nottingham, war, Warhammer, zombies
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