Matthew Holness

Not sure it did, maybe because the Hank Janson books drew heavily on US gangster crime fic and wouldn’t have made much of an impact? Could be wrong, but my impression was it was mainly a postwar UK thing. Dennis Potter was a Hank Janson devotee and the books informed ‘The Singing Detective’ as well.

Absolutely. I once tried to pitch a tv drama about the rise and fall of Stephen Frances and Hank Janson. Sadly no takers, which stunned me as the story’s got absolutely everything in it you could want.

Steve Holland wrote this great biography of Frances. Well worth seeking out.

Steve Holland wrote this great biography of Frances. Well worth seeking out.

He also wrote this superb early ‘True Crime’ gangster biog. I suspect he was also significant inspiration for the Michael Caine character in Mike Hodges’ film ‘Pulp’.

Many thanks, Nick!

Hmm, looks like they’re all down… it’s on YouTube, though.

You’ll get yours in a minute…

The weightless CGI animals are a good start…

Feels like ‘The Happening’…

That’s it exactly. Proper paperbacks!

Mass market aren’t generally stocked anymore, certainly not in the UK as far as I know. They’re smaller-sized and more compact than the standard trade paperback.

I wanted to publish Garth’s books as mass market paperbacks only. That was never gonna happen, sadly, but it would have been perfect and it’s how I imagine them.

No feeling quite like spinning a rack of mass market paperbacks in some jumbled newsagents and finding something exciting and ideally discounted. Grew up on that and it’s why I love books so much. Beats browsing Waterstones any day.

Mass market paperbacks were always my favourite format. Made the idea and the feel of a book so exciting - a compact self-contained world you could carry round in your pocket. Genuinely sad they’re going. Trade paperbacks are just the ‘cheap’ version of a hardback. Not their own thing at all.

Oh God… ❤️😢

Sorry, yes, I meant a matter of how tv paranormal investigations are usually presented. I prefer scientific rigour and some serious questioning, rather than a Derek Acorah-style circus where ‘witness’ accounts are invariably taken at face value. Classic horror, however, I adore 👍🏻

Suspect I would prove far too sceptical.

Quite.

Can’t tolerate that crap when discussing the subject seriously.

In my opinion, this is the definitive examination of the Blue Bell Hill ghost and probably the best book on ghosts I have read. It also contains a healthy element of natural scepticism.

So sorry, Ben.

I’ve watched it about ten times already.

Genuinely think this is his finest work.

Thanks, Joel.

Hi folks. Sadly, the flu, which looks like it might be Covid after all, has laid me low and I’m having to cancel my remaining tour dates this side of Christmas. These will be rescheduled for next year. Hugely sorry to those who were looking forward to seeing Garth this week & next. But he’ll be back

It’s like dialogue from Goodfellas.

Huge apologies, but sadly Garth/me is down with flu and won’t be able to make his/my two Cambridge shows tonight & tomorrow. Hugely sorry for the late notice but I was hoping we could somehow manage it still, but alas we’ve more or less collapsed. Both gigs will hopefully be rescheduled for January.

One of the most rewarding things I ever did was distance myself from social media, head outside and climb Iron Age Hillforts. Away from EVERYONE.

It was already there in the title, tbh. Any actor tearing up at the idea of their younger self drives me nuts. Get over yourself.