Spike & Co

Spike & Co

by Graham Mc Cann (Author)

Synopsis

This is the story of how four people, grouped together inside a set of offices five floors above a greengrocer's shop on Shepherd's Bush Green in West London, launched a golden age of British comedy. On any weekday morning, if you dared to clamber over the crates of fruit and veg outside on the pavement, and climb the five flights of stairs to Associated London Scripts, you would find Milligan, Sykes, Galton & Simpson, shaping the latest shows, swapping the odd story and searching for a funnier line. Together, this eclectic bunch, and their bizarre office block, were responsible for a golden age in British comedy, which included The Goons, Hancock's Half Hour, Sykes, Steptoe and Son, Comedy Playhouse, The Frankie Howerd Show, Beyond Our Ken, Round the Horn, The Arthur Haynes Show, The Army Game, Bootsie and Snudge, That Was The Week That Was, and Till Death Us Do Part. SPIKE & CO is their incredible story.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Edition: UK ed.
Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
Published: 09 Aug 2007

ISBN 10: 0340898100
ISBN 13: 9780340898109
Book Overview: A sparkling history of the golden age of British comedy told through its most famous names - Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Ray Galton & Alan Simpson - and the bizarre office they shared in Shepherds Bush.

Media Reviews
'A tragi-comedy of creative tension, personality conflict, endearing characters and enduring catch phrases' * The Times *
'You will laugh, you will learn, and you will, undoubtedly, start speaking in a silly voice.' * Word *
'McCann summons up ALS's unique atmosphere ... The joy of the book lies in the incisive contributions from comedy legends on everything from the second world war to class war.. It's exhilarating to read top-rank craftesmen discussing what they love doing' * The Guardian *
'A story of collaboration, of ideas generously supported, and criticised without mercy' * The Sunday Herald *
Author Bio
Graham McCann is the most admired entertainment writer at work in the UK today. He is the critically acclaimed and best-selling author of books on Dad's Army, Frankie Howerd, Morecambe & Wise and Cary Grant. He recently edited THE ESSENTIAL DAVE ALLEN for Hodder & Stoughton (2005).