This is the first full-length study of the screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, whose work for film and television includes Z Cars, The Italian Job, Kelly’s Heroes, The Sweeney, Reilly – Ace of Spies and Edge of Darkness. With a career spanning six decades Troy Kennedy Martin has seen the rise and fall of the television dramatist, making his debut in the era of studio-based television drama in the late 1950s prior to the transition to filmed drama (for which he argued in a famous manifesto) as the television play was gradually replaced by popular series and serials, for which Kennedy Martin did some of his best work. Drawing on original interviews with Kennedy Martin and his collaborators, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the film and television career of one of Britain’s leading screenwriters. Also included is a chapter examining Kennedy Martin’s significant contribution to innovative and experimental television drama - his 1964 ‘Nats Go Home’ polemic and the six-part serial, Diary of a Young Man, plus his 1986 MacTaggart Lecture which anticipated recent developments in television style and technology. Written in an easily accessible style, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in television drama, screenwriting, and the history of British television over the last fifty years.

Thirty years ago one of the most popular British films of all time was released. The Italian Job is remembered by everyone who has seen it, if not for Michael Caine's unforgettable line "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" - which led to the trademark impression of him - then for the literal cliff-hanger of an ending. Consistently in the top 100 films of all time and voted fourth best British film of all time, The Italian Job story is covered here from start to finish: how it was made, by the people who made it.

This book examines the contact relationships between U.S. presidents and America's intellectuals since 1960.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the British cult classic movie The Italian Job. This landmark anniversary presents a unique opportunity to celebrate the film with a coffee table book packed full of images, insights and revelations. Loaded with Sixties swagger, and famed for its endlessly quotable dialogue and one of the most impressive car chases in movie history, The Italian Job is the ultimate celebration of ‘cool Britannia’. From the opening sequence of Rossano Brazzi gliding through the Alps in an orange Lamborghini Miura, to the high-speed getaway across the city of Turin in three Mini Coopers, The Italian Job is a petrolhead's dream. The Self Preservation Society will detail how all these cars, including the Aston Martin DB4 and E-Type Jaguars were found and ultimately where they are today. Over the last 20 years, author Matthew Field he has interviewed all the key people involved in the 1969 production. Through him, their stories are revealed, often for the first time. Based on more than 50 in-depth interviews with the cast and crew, and lavishly illustrated with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and production documents, this definitive book will explode some myths, include a few revelations and tell the fascinating full story of this perennially popular movie.

Throughout its history, British television has found a place, if only in its margins, for programs that consciously worked to expand the boundaries of television aesthetics. Even in the present climate of increased academic interest in television history, its experimental tradition has generally either been approached generically or been lost within the assumption that television is simply a mass medium. Experimental British Television uncovers the history of experimental television, bringing back forgotten programmers in addition to looking at relatively more privileged artists or program strands from fresh perspectives.

"This is the first academic study of the science fiction television devised and written by Terry Nation, who wrote Dalek stories and other serials for Doctor Who, and created the BBC's 1970s post-apocalyptic space adventure series Blake's 7".--Back cover.