Tag Archives: Frank Cottrell Boyce

Exploring transcendental meditation lockdown blues – talking More Than Time with Carl Hunter

At a time when concerns grow over the possibility of a further national lockdown in the battle against COVID-19, a newly-released short film documenting the streets of Liverpool as you’ve most likely never seen them before gives a timely reminder … Continue reading

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Still winning Hearts and Minds – in conversation with Carl Hunter

Carl Hunter was stir crazy at the airport when I tracked him down, delayed an hour and condemned to sit around talking to me while drinking Yorkshire tea, his days of rock’n’roll excess with The Farm possibly behind him. He … Continue reading

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All that matters is here – the Hannah Peel interview

Among the festive-themed adverts on our TV screens right now is a touching Aardman-animated tale made for the Alzheimer’s Research UK charity. The Santa Forgot story follows a little girl, Freya, who while preparing for Christmas realises much of the … Continue reading

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The Magnetic North – Liverpool Central Library

You’ve got to love the kind of concert where the band puts a bottle of whisky at the front of the stage for their sell-out audience to share. Now that’s what I call intimate. What’s more, at around half past … Continue reading

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The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce – a writewyattuk review

Frank Cottrell Boyce has a lot to live up to when it comes to publication time, not least considering the quality of his first three children’s novels, Millions, Framed and Cosmic. I also enjoyed the Merseyside author’s re-imaginings of Ian … Continue reading

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Feeding fiction to the 5,000 – my World Book Day 2015 encounter

As I turned down Lowthorpe Road on my approach to Preston North End FC, a ‘cattlepiddler’ of high-vis jackets from a nearby school heading the same way suggested I was definitely in the right place. Close by, coaches belched out … Continue reading

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Cathy’s Adventures in Wonderland – the Cathy Cassidy interview

In my second feature centred around World Book Day 2015, I talked about Alice, libraries, music, the power of dreams and much more with best-selling children’s writer Cathy Cassidy, in an interview a few days before her WBD appearances at Preston … Continue reading

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Finally catching up with Frank Cottrell Boyce

I won’t hold back. Lots of people who know about my love for children’s lit will have heard me talk in glowing terms about the work of Frank Cottrell Boyce, the respected film scriptwriter who turned to fiction with such … Continue reading

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Johnny Vegas in conversation with Steve Royle – Chorley Little Theatre

“Don’t lock me up after this!” came an impassioned request, delivered in that distinctive St Helens tone familiar to many who’ve turned on a TV these past dozen years or so. Besides, from Benidorm, Happiness and Ideal to Dead Man Weds, … Continue reading

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Frank fires Fleming’s thrilling time-travelogue forward

In which the blogger runs the rule over Frank Cottrell Boyce’s 2013 publication Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over The Moon. There’s a sense of being a big kid yourself when you’re a children’s author, the magical element of a Peter … Continue reading

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