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Crooked House
''Crooked House'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in March 1949 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 23 May of the same year. The action takes place in and near London in the autumn of 1947. Christie said the titles of this novel and ''Ordeal by Innocence'' were her favourites amongst her own works. Title meaning The title refers to a nursery rhyme ("There Was a Crooked Man"), a common theme of the author. Narrator Charles's fiancée Sophia says it refers not to dishonesty, but rather "we hadn't been able to grow up independent... twisted and twining", meaning unhealthily interdependent on the intensely strong personality of the family patriarch, Aristide Leonides. Plot introduction Three generations of the Leonides family live together under wealthy patriarch Aristide. His first wife Marcia died; her sister Edith has cared for the household since then. His second wife is the indolent Brenda, decad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery ''The Mousetrap'', which has been performed in the West End theatre, West End since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. ''Guinness World Records'' lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies. Christie was born into a wealthy upper middle class family in Torquay, Devon, and was largely home-schooled. She was initially an unsuccessful w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. History Origins The first issue, published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, was the world's first Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editorial content. As a result, the paper soon took a strong line against radicals such as Thomas Paine, Francis Burdett and J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress and producer. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' (2007). She portrayed Bond Girl Strawberry Fields in the James Bond film ''Quantum of Solace'' (2008), a performance which won her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. Arterton has since appeared in a number of films, including ''The Disappearance of Alice Creed'' (2009), '' Tamara Drewe'' (2010), '' Clash of the Titans'' (2010), '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' (2010), '' Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'' (2013), ''The Escape'' (2017), and '' Vita and Virginia'' (2018). She received the Harper's Bazaar Woman of the Year Award for acting in and producing ''The Escape''. Her theatrical highlights have included starring in ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (2014), '' Made in Dagenham'' (2014), ''Nell Gwynn'' (2016) and '' Saint Joan'' (2017). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords. He is primarily known as the author of several ''Sunday Times'' bestseller novels; for the screenplay for the film '' Gosford Park'', which won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2002; and as the creator, writer and executive producer of the multiple award-winning ITV series '' Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015). Early life and education Fellowes was born into a family of the British landed gentry in Cairo, Egypt, the youngest of four boys, to Peregrine Edward Launcelot Fellowes (1912–1999) and his British wife, Olwen Mary (''née'' Stuart-Jones). His father was a diplomat and Arabist who campaigned to have Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, restored to his throne during World War II. His great-grandfather was John Wrightson, a pioneer in agricultural educat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil La Bute
Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, '' In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the New York Film Critics Circle. He wrote and directed the films '' Your Friends & Neighbors'' (1998), '' Possession'' (2002) (based on the A. S. Byatt novel), '' The Shape of Things'' (2003) (based on his play of the same name), '' The Wicker Man'' (2006), ''Some Velvet Morning'' (2013), and '' Dirty Weekend'' (2015). He directed the films '' Nurse Betty'' (2000), '' Lakeview Terrace'' (2008), and the American adaptation of '' Death at a Funeral'' (2010). LaBute created the TV series ''Billy & Billie'', writing and directing all of the episodes. He is also the creator of the TV series '' Van Helsing''. Recently, he executive produced, co-directed and co-wrote Netflix's '' The I-Land''. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joy Wilkinson
Joy Wilkinson is a British screenwriter, playwright, author, and director. Early life Wilkinson was born in Burnley, Lancashire. At age 14, she co-wrote ''Fried Eggs & Fag Ends'', a play at the Lancashire Young Writers Festival that got reviewed in The Guardian by David Ward. She worked as a journalist before winning the Verity Bargate Award. Career Wilkinson has written several plays, such as ''Britain’s Best Recruiting Sergeant'', ''Fair'' and ''The Sweet Science of Bruising'', which opened at Southwark Playhouse in 2018. In 2015, she was announced as a Screen Daily ''Star of Tomorrow'' for her thriller screenplay, ''Killer Résumé'', which landed her on the 2014 Brit List. She adapted Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen Cao for BBC Radio 4, as well as several Agatha Christie adaptations. Among them were '' Ordeal by Innocence'', '' Sparkling Cyanide'' and '' The Pale Horse ''. In 2021, she wrote an adaptation of Hope Mirrlees' '' Lud-in-the-Mist'' for BBC Radio 4. On television ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phil Davis (actor)
Philip Davis (born 30 July 1953) is an English actor, writer, director and narrator. He is perhaps best known for his lead roles in the television dramas ''Whitechapel (TV series), Whitechapel'' (2009–2013) and ''Silk (TV series), Silk'' (2012–2014). Early life Davis was born in Highgate, London, and brought up in Thurrock, Essex. His father worked for Procter & Gamble in a soap factory and his mother was a hospital dining room supervisor. From the age of eight, he was interested in acting. He attended Ockendon Courts County Secondary School in South Ockendon, Essex, where he was distracted in class but enjoyed school plays. He was also a member of both the National Youth Theatre and Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop.'An Actors Lif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anna Maxwell Martin
Anna Maxwell Martin (born Anna Charlotte Martin; 27 May 1977),Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2006 listed birth name as ''Anna Charlotte Martin''; Registration year 1977; Registration District Beverley, Yorkshire sometimes credited as Anna Maxwell-Martin, is a British actress. She won two British Academy Television Awards, for her portrayals of Esther Summerson in the BBC adaptation of '' Bleak House'' (2005) and N in the Channel 4 adaptation of ''Poppy Shakespeare'' (2008). She is also known for her roles as DCS Patricia Carmichael in BBC One crime drama '' Line of Duty'' (2019–present) and Kelly Major in '' Code 404'' (2020–present). Since 2016, Maxwell Martin has starred in the BBC comedy '' Motherland'', for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance. Her theatre work includes the role of Lyra Belacqua in the production of '' His Dark Materials'' (2003–2004) at the National Theatre. Early life and edu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rory Kinnear
Rory Michael Kinnear (born 17 February 1978) is an English actor and playwright who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of William Shakespeare's villain Iago in the National Theatre production of ''Othello''. He is known for playing Bill Tanner in the James Bond films ''Quantum of Solace'', ''Skyfall'', ''Spectre'' and '' No Time to Die'', and in various video games of the franchise. He is the youngest actor to play the role of Bill Tanner. He also won a Laurence Olivier Award for portraying Sir Fopling Flutter in a 2008 version of '' The Man of Mode'' by George Etherege, and a British Independent Film Award for his performance in the 2012 film '' Broken''. He is also known for starring as all the male inhabitants of the village of Cotson in the horror film '' Men'', as well as his TV roles including Michael on the BBC comedy '' Count Arthur Strong'' (2013–2017), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM broadcast band, FM, Longwave, LW and Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview (UK), Freeview, Sky (UK & Ireland), Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it the UK's second most-popular radio station after BBC Radio 2, Radio 2. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts news programmes such as ''Today (BBC Radio 4), Today'' and ''The World at One'', heralded on air by the Greenwich Ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular culture. The magazine debuted on February 16, 1990, in New York City. Different from celebrity-focused publications such as '' Us Weekly'', '' People'' (a sister magazine to ''EW''), and '' In Touch Weekly'', ''EW'' primarily concentrates on entertainment media news and critical reviews; unlike '' Variety'' and '' The Hollywood Reporter'', which were primarily established as trade magazines aimed at industry insiders, ''EW'' targets a more general audience. History Formed as a sister magazine to ''People'', the first issue of ''Entertainment Weekly'' was published on February 16, 1990. Created by Jeff Jarvis and founded by Michael Klingensmith, who served as publisher until October 1996, the magazine's original television advertising solic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margery Allingham
Margery Louise Allingham (20 May 1904 – 30 June 1966) was an English novelist from the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", and considered one of its four "Queens of Crime", alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. Allingham is best remembered for her hero, the gentleman sleuth Albert Campion. Initially believed to be a parody of Dorothy L. Sayers's detective Lord Peter Wimsey, Campion matured into a strongly individual character, part-detective, part-adventurer, who formed the basis for 18 novels and many short stories. Life and career Childhood and schooling Margery Louise Allingham was born on 20 May 1904 in Ealing, London, the eldest daughter of Herbert John (1868-1936) and Emily Jane ( Hughes; 1879-1960). She had a younger brother Philip William, and a younger sister Emily Joyce Allingham. Her family was immersed in literature; her parents were both writers. Her father was editor of the ''Christian Globe'' and ''The New London Journal'', to whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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