Funny Girl by Nick Hornby - An Entertaining Account of Life Behind a BBC Sitcom in the Sixties

Have you ever watched those classic sitcoms from the 1960s: To Death Us Do Part, Steptoe and Son, Hancock's Half Hour? Or from America, I Love Lucy, and wondered about the lives of the stars and writers behind them?
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby is set against the backdrop of the BBC and tells the tale of Barbara Parker who within minutes of being crowned Miss Blackpool, is handing over her tiara and leaving for London. Her favourite television star is Lucille Ball, and she dreams of being just like her.
After some unsuccessful auditions, Barbara's agent, Brian, helps her by giving her a Voice Improvement Programme record so she doesn't sound so northern, and suggests she changes her name to Sophie Straw. 'Rather like Sandie Shaw', he explains.

Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance - I loved that show too!

After more disastrous auditions, he gives her the script for a new Comedy Playhouse production, called Wedded Bliss? (Yes, it really does have a question mark.) It's written by the fictitious Tony Holmes and Bill Gardiner who, together with junior producer, Dennis Maxwell-Bishop, have had a very successful radio comedy show, starring Clive Richardson who is to star in their new TV show. But when Sophie says she doesn't think Wedded Bliss? is very funny, they decide to write a new show starring her as Barbara from Blackpool and Clive as Jim who works at Number 10. The new show would have it all: the North/South divide; the class system; politics; relationships; and a new star in the shape of the ex-beauty queen from Blackpool! Oh, and much to Clive's disgust, it's to be called Barbara (and Jim)!
The book is an entertaining account about life at the BBC in the Sixties, which also contains some fascinating black and white photos of the stars and writers of the time. I can thoroughly recommend it.

I've really enjoyed My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding

Everyone complains that we see too much of Clare Balding. She seems to crop up everywhere on the TV and radio, and in the newspapers, and I'm very jealous because she always appears very calm and knowledgeable with literally not a hair out of place!
So I was eager to read her new autobiography, My Animals and Other Family, to find out what her made so unflappable.
The book is organised with chapters about each dog or horse that meant a lot to her as she grew up. She had a golden childhood with boxers and lurchers to play with and ponies and horses to ride because her father was Ian Balding, famous trainer of Mill Reef which won the 1971 Derby. She tells the tales of the antics that she and her brother, Andrew, got up to. For example painting the inside of the Puppy Shed including the puppies and themselves bright turquoise, or styling the mane and tail of her pony, Volcano, so he looked like Ziggy Stardust. Needless to say, her mother was not pleased.
I hadn't realised that Clare had had a career as an amateur jockey. The best bit is the race where she nearly unseats the Princess Royal, and the inevitable confrontation in the changing room afterwards!  At the age of twenty, she won the Ladies' Championship on a horse called Respectable Jones. In fact I was a little sad that her story stopped at this point, because I would have loved to keep on reading but, with university and a job at the BBC, she couldn't have had the time or opportunity to ride so much.
I think her calm nature comes from learning to bring the best out of her horses and dogs which loved her and as for her hair, I have no idea, only that she kept having it cut shorter to help her save ounces so she'd be light enough to race!
It's a fabulous book, and I hope that you will enjoy it too.