Steve Roud was Local Studies Librarian for the London Borough of Croydon and served as Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society for over fifteen years. He has been researching British folklore for over thirty years and is the joint author of the Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore, plus other books on traditional drama and folk song, and the Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland, which won the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award in 2004. His publications include London Lore (2008) and The Lore of the Playground (2010). He also compiles the Folk Song Index and the Broadside Index, two internationally acclaimed computer databases of traditional folk and popular song. He lives in Sussex.

Steve Roud

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

John August

Craig Mazin

The ultimate guide to writing and building a successful writing career—from the creators of the "highly influential" (Vulture) hit podcast Scriptnotes. 
 
With decades of Hollywood experience, John August and Craig Mazin know what it takes to write a successful script for the screen. And over the past ten years, they've analyzed generation-defining movies and shared their wisdom on their popular podcast Scriptnotes, inviting experts in the craft, including Mike Schur, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Seth Rogen, and many others to discuss everything that makes a script shine. 
 
Now, in their first book, August and Mazin draw on more than 550 hours of Scriptnotes conversations, as well as their own storied careers, to help readers begin, refine, and sell their own scripts. Part writing class, part informational interview with the best creators in the business, this essential book shares tips on:<ul><li>The Basics—including the rules of screenwriting, and when to break them</li><li>The Craft—including how to create a compelling story with captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists, and a sound structure</li><li>The Business—including how to pitch a script and the do's (and don’ts) of working collaboratively on a project</li></ul>Perfect for screenwriters, film buffs, and anyone who enjoys behind-the-scenes stories of popular movies like Die Hard and Clueless, this one-of-a-kind resource provides exclusive access to the screenwriting process—and will inspire anyone ready to pen their own successful screenplay.

Scriptnotes

Ruth Jones

James Corden

Gavin & Stacey’ is a TV series like no other. Now, for the first time, its creators James Corden and Ruth Jones tell the full extraordinary story of how they turned their little show into a full-on cultural phenomenon. 
 
As they recount the rejection, obstacles and challenges they faced on the way to giving birth to their beloved comedy creation, James and Ruth also explore the flourishing of their own real-life friendship. While their now legendary on-screen characters Nessa and Smithy had a profound awkwardness to negotiate, culminating in that marriage proposal in the 2019 Christmas special, Ruth and James forged a magical relationship of mutual support based also on a deep, shared sense of subversive fun. 
 
Here, from their tentative initial pitch to the emotionally overwhelming final day of filming, the duo detail what’s occurred every step of the way, bouncing off each other in inimitable style. Full of revelations and never-before-heard stories, this is a one-of-a-kind book about a show that’s already gone down in history.

When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between

A Story of Love and Friendship

Joe Wilkinson

Henry Paker

‘Joyfully absurd and hilarious.’ ADAM KAY 
'One of the funniest things I’ve ever read. It is brilliant.' CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN 
 
Here before you is Joe Wilkinson's brilliantly absurd and utterly fictional account of his time on - and briefly off - planet Earth. 
 
Through cartoon stories (illustrated by Henry Paker) Joe recounts the defining moments and bizarre encounters of his imaginary life – from his schoolboy misfortunes to his formative years on the dating scene, to his money-making schemes and globetrotting adventures. 
 
With tall stories including… 
 
-Winning ‘most nits’ at school 
-That time I threw a turd into a tornado 
-Becoming the bad boy of fly tipping 
-The disastrous double date 
-My car airbag addiction 
-The time I tunnelled too far out of prison and ended up in the prison next door 
-The real reason Bigfoot went into hiding 
 
…this book is a delightfully absurd journey into the mind of a comic maverick. 
 
Hilarious, heart-warming and utterly unique, Joe Wilkinson: My Autobiography is the off-the-wall life story of one of our most beloved and unorthodox comedians.

My (Illustrated) Autobiography

Christopher Fowler

It’s the late 1970s and 20-something Christopher Fowler is a film freak, obsessively watching lousy films in run-down fleapit cinemas. He longs to be a famous screenwriter and put his dreams on the big screen. And so he heads for Wardour Street, Britain’s equivalent of Hollywood. 
But he’s made a spectacular mistake, arriving just as the nation’s filmmakers are falling to their knees, brought low by the arrival of video and the destruction of the old movie palaces. The only films being made are smutty low budget farces and TV spinoffs and instead of being asked to write another 
'Bullitt’, he's churning out short films advertising boilers and nylon sheets. Somehow, against the odds, he finds success – although in a very different guise to the one he expected. 
 
From the sticky Axminster of the local cinema to the red carpet at Cannes, Film Freak is a grimly hilarious and acutely observed trawl through the arse-end of the British film industry that turns into an ultimately affecting search for friendship and happiness.

Film Freak

Paul O'Grady

THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER 
 
'Warmly funny, dry and mischievous . . . Genuine and brilliant.' Daily Mail 
 
Paul O'Grady is one of Britain's very best loved entertainers. He is known and adored by millions, whether as the creator of the acid-tongued Blonde Bombsite, Lily Savage, the presenter of the fantastically successful, award-winning Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 or the massive hit ITV show, For the Love of Dogs. 
 
 
Now, in his own unique voice, Paul O'Grady tells story of his early life in Irish Catholic Birkenhead that started him on the long and winding road from mischievous altar boy to national treasure. It is a brilliantly evoked, hilarious and often moving tale of gossip in the back yard, bragging in the corner shop and slanging matches on the front doorstep, populated by larger-than-life characters with hearts of gold and tongues as sharp as razors. 
 
At My Mother's Knee features an unforgettable cast of rogues, rascals, lovers, fighters, saints and sinners - and one iconic bus conductress. It's a book which really does have something for everyone and which reminds us that, when all's said and done, there's a bit of savage in all of us... 
 
Readers love At My Mother's Knee: 
 
'I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down and the characters really just jumped out of the page.' ***** 
'Candid, heart warming and also hilarious.' ***** 
'Wonderfully written, laugh out loud funny and poignant by turns.' *****

At My Mother's Knee...And Other Low Joints

Tales from Paul’s mischievous young years

Louise O'Neill

2002. 
 
Twin sisters Madeline and Chelsea Stone are joint stars of the AtomicKids sitcom Double Trouble, but everyone knows it’s Maddie who shines most brightly. Until Chelsea beats her sister out for the role of a lifetime and is catapulted into the spotlight. And just as Chelsea’s star reaches impossible new heights, Maddie disappears. 
 
2025. 
 
Chelsea Stone retired from acting after her sister’s disappearance – but living life under the radar is easier said than done when you’re the most famous woman of your generation. 
 
When a storage locker is found containing heart-breaking truths about the year Maddie went missing, Chelsea feels a flicker of hope for the first time in twenty years. This is her chance to discover what really happened to her twin, but to follow the trail she’ll have to face the past and step back into the spotlight . . .

Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone?

Anne Thomas Soffee

SNAKE HIPS follows an Arab-American woman's life as she shimmies her way from getting dumped by her tattoo-artist boyfriend to coming to grips with being single, ample, and 30. Her heart broken, Soffee moves back home to wallow in self-pity. There she comes across a flier advertising the usual classes in yoga, vegetarian cookery, ballet and...belly dancing. Against the wishes of her extended family and friends, she enrols, hoping to heal her heart and reconnect with her Lebanese roots. 
 
Soffee soon discovers that her life will never be the same after she enters the riotous world of belly dancing, a warm and welcoming subculture where younger and thinner are not necessarily better. Soffee's ethnic high leads to Princess Jasmine fantasies - for example, being 'third-favourite wife' to a sheik she is cyber-dating, a perfect relationship until she realizes that being obedient is easier online. Then she falls for a beautiful Lebanese boy-next-door. Among the zils (finger cymbals) and thrills of performing in moose lodges and county fairs, Soffee is surprised to find happiness and true love along the way.

Snake Hips

BBC Studios

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR FANS OF THE HIT TV SHOW! 
 
Are you in the top 50% of the country? 
The top 10%? Or even the top 1%? 
This is your chance to find out. 
 
The 1% Club, the quiz for 100% of the people. 
 
The 1% Club Official Quiz Book, brought to you by the team behind the hit TV show, is a quiz book for all the family, where an 8-year-old has as much chance of winning as an 80-year-old, where intelligence is not based on how many exams you passed, it’s all about how your brain works. Logic and common sense are the key to success. 
 
To win, you need to be able to correctly answer a set of fifteen questions that get progressively harder with each round, starting with a question that 90% of the country can get right down to a question that only 1% of the country can answer. 
 
Suitable for contestants of all ages because, unlike most quizzes, no swotting up is required to win. Have you got what it takes to be part of The 1% Club? 
 
'Brilliant brain-teasing gift!' ***** Reader Review 
 
'Just like the show!' ***** Reader Review 
 
'Love the book!' ***** Reader Review

The 1% Club Book 1

The Official Quiz Book

Jonathan Ross

Why is catalogue shopping responsible for Jonathan Ross's inimitable sense of style? 
 
Why might wearing cape and mask be a fast track to heaven? 
 
Why does Jonathan wince every time he sees a Hoover? 
 
And why did he fall in love with a deep-sea diver? 
 
Why? Because this is Jonathan Ross. And nothing is out of bounds when it comes to talking about life as he knows it. From sex and pugs to rock 'n' roll and genital warts, Jonathan holds forth as only he can. This sharply observed, laugh-out-loud, outrageous page-turner will leave you asking just one question . . . Why didn't he write it sooner?

Why Do I Say These Things?

Ronan Tynan

In Halfway Home, Ronan Tynan, a member of the enormously popular Irish Tenors, shares his moving life story - a story Barbara Walters calls 'so amazing you may find it hard to believe' - of overcoming adversity and attaining worldwide success in several different fields. 
 
Diagnosed with a lower-limb disability at birth, Tynan had his legs amputated below the knee when he was twenty years old. Eight weeks later, he was climbing the stairs of his college dormitory, and within a year, he was winning races in the Paralympic Games, amassing eighteen gold medals and fourteen world records. After becoming the first disabled person ever admitted to the National College of Physical Education, he served a short stint in the prosthetics industry and began a new career in medicine. He continued his studies at Trinity College, where he specialized in orthopaedic sports injuries. 
 
After earning his medical degree, Tynan chose music for the next act in his life. Less than one year after he began studying voice, he won both the John McCormack Cup for Tenor Voice and the BBC talent show Go For It. He went on to win the prestigious International Operatic Singing Competition in France, and in 1998 his debut Sony album, My Life Belongs to You, became a top-five hit in England within just two weeks and eventually went platinum. Later that year, he was invited to join The Irish Tenors, furthering a journey that started in a small Irish village and has brought him to the world's grandest stages.

Halfway Home

The brand new ultimate quiz book for everyone, where an 8-year-old has as much chance of winning as an 80-year-old! 
 
From the team behind the hit TV show, The 1% Club Official Quiz Book 2 is the brand new book packed full of brain teasers and quiz questions.The must-have follow-up to the first bestselling book from the show. 
 
Are you in the top 50% of the country? 
The top 10%? Or even the top 1%? 
This is your chance to find out with BRAND NEW QUESTIONS 
Includes cracking Christmas quizzes perfect for Christmas day fun 
 
To win, you need to be able to correctly answer a set of fifteen questions that get progressively harder with each round, starting with a question that 90% of the country can get right down to a question that only 1% of the country can answer. 
 
Who will join The 1% Club around your Christmas table this year? 
 
***** 
 
'Brilliant brain-teasing gift!' ***** Reader Review 
 
'Just like the show!' ***** Reader Review 
 
'Love the book!' ***** Reader Review 
 
*****

Showing results for: ‘Steve Roud’

Filters

Category

Publication Date

Format

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter