Penguin Tv Companion 2nd Edition

by Jeff Evans

Who were Lost in Space? Where did The League of Gentlemen live? When did the Eurovision Song Contest begin? And what does a 'gaffer' actually do? The Penguin TV Companion - fully revised, updated and expanded - answers all of these questions, and thousands more. -- More than 2,300 programmes, with cast lists, transmission dates, detailed synopses and loads more, from Dallas to Downton Abbey, Porridge to Peep Show and The Woodentops to The Wire -- More than 1,500 entries for major TV people - actors, writers, producers and others, from Des O'Connor to Dermot O'Leary, Joanna Lumley to Nigella Lawson and Harry Corbett to James Corden -- Technical terms explained; major broadcasters profiled -- New star ratings, revealing the best, and the worst, of seventy-five years of viewing -- DVD availability highlighted The most comprehensive and addictive book on television you could ever want.

Genres: Tv, Reference

912 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2001

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nostalgic and brings back loads of happy memories. I was surprised how many
programmes I had never seen or even heard of. This is an excellent book of TV history which is a genuine argument-settler in the detail of the shows. Highly recommended.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the TV version of Halliwell's film guide and a great companion to TV viewing.

[Christopher Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is in essentially an encyclopedia for TV. It was perhaps a mistake to start reading this book. Not that it is a bad book as I really enjoyed it. It's just that it is essentially a reference book with over 800 pages of text (in small font!). It has taken me months to finish it. Not only that but it is almost 20 years old, being published in 2003, so by definition it is now out of date. So there is no mention in this book of 'Game of Thrones' or 'Downton Abbey'. It surely makes more sense to use online resourses now like IMDB. Nevertheless I am glad I spent the time reading this book. It reminded me of many characters I had forgotten watching TV as a boy in the 1960s. Who else remembers Sam Leitch presenting Football Preview as part of Grandstand every Saturday, or Monica Rose on Double Your Money? My personal favourite was a children's TV programme that I had a happy memory of as a child that used a slot car track to illustrate the result of that week's Formula 1 Grand Prix. This book told me the name of the programme was Tom Tom - something I had completely forgotten. This book is brilliantly well researched and entries are usually concise and well written.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

4th edition covering TV from 1936-2011 (Also previously owned 2nd edition). An updated version would be great, but in the age of streaming its unlikely!