Laurel and Hardy are one of the finest comedy acts to have graced our screens. From their Foreign Legion campaign in Beau Hunks to their improvised song and dance routines in Way Out West, their comic genius is known, loved, and celebrated by viewers of all ages across the world. In turn, their influence on other comedies has been profound. British sitcoms abound with Oliver-Hardy-like idiots – who don’t realise they’re idiots – such as: David Brent, Basil Fawlty, Harold Steptoe and Father Ted; as well as their Stan-Laurel-like sidekicks: Gareth Keenan, Manuel, Albert Steptoe and Dougal.  Many people in comedy today are heavily influenced by a black-and-white double-act who made their best films 80 years ago. The Laurel and Hardy Legacy traces the impact of Stan and Ollie, and offers reflective insights into fundamental comedy questions. Why were Laurel and Hardy’s features not as good as their shorts, and why are film versions of sitcoms never as good as the originals? Why do sitcoms have studio audiences and how did Laurel and Hardy fine-tune their films for the cinema audiences they couldn’t see? Why do actors like Oliver Hardy, not comedians, so often play the lead roles in sitcoms?  Based on a series of exclusive interviews with some of the top comic actors and writers of the last 30 years, this book looks at the immense comic legacy of Laurel and Hardy. Stephen Merchant, Richard Wilson, Bruce Forsyth, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Tony Robinson, Barry Cryer, Ardal O’Hanlon, Graham Linehan, John Dunsworth, Nigel Planer and Andrew Sachs all talk about their love of Laurel and Hardy and how they influenced their own work. From Blackadder and The Young Ones, to Hancock’s Half-Hour and One Foot in the Grave, The Laurel and Hardy Legacy is a fascinating insight into the hidden workings of comedy.

The Laurel and Hardy Legacy: Sitcom Stars Talk Stan and Ollie

Biographies & Memoirs

Brophy, Barry

Arts & Literature

Dark River

How many awful presentations have you attended? How many have you given?Awful presentations are too often the norm, with swathes of text on the screen, presenters speaking over everyone’s heads, little interaction, no stories, poor images, and a bored audience. Why?In this book, presentation specialist Barry Brophy explains why competent people give hapless presentations. And it’s not because of nerves. Most of what you thought you knew about presentations is wrong; successful presentations are not about speaking but listening. They are not about your knowledge but the audience’s needs. They are not about ditching PowerPoint but using it properly. They are not about overcoming fear when speaking but overcoming caution when preparing.The truth is you already have the skills to present – your conversational skills – and anyone can craft a spellbinding presentation. Conversations work whereas presentations invariably fail, and this book explains the hidden mental habits which can lead you to misuse your already-perfected speaking skills when presenting.You will learn to:> Make your presentations zing. A presentation is not facts, it’s an interpretation of facts. Your job as a presenter is to advise and guide your audience.> Communicate knowledge to an audience at any level. A presentation fits into a wider communication chain. Understanding this will help you to figure out what works in a presentation – stories, images, videos, examples, analogies, demonstrations, interaction – and, crucially, what should be left out.> Make your presentation audience-centred not presenter-centred. Don’t define your presentation based what you know but rather on what the audience needs to hear.> Connect with your audience. Content is the dominant factor in a presentation, not delivery. You already know how to deliver; you do it every time you open your mouth. The key is to tap into this conversational energy and fluency.> Embrace PowerPoint to make your presentations first class.About Barry BrophyBarry Brophy has nearly two decades of experience helping people make presentations in both the private sector and as a lecturer at University College Dublin. There he has developed specialist Masters Courses that run across all disciplines and has carried out research on how oral presentations work. He is also the author of The Natural Presenter – Turning Conversations into Presentations, which was published in 2007.

Awful Presentations: Why We Have Them and How to Put Them Right

Business & Money

Industries

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Books by Brophy, Barry