Neil Astley
Neil Astley, Hon. FRSL (born 12 May 1953) is an English publisher, editor and writer. He is best known as the founder of the poetry publishing house Bloodaxe Books. Life and work Astley was born in Portchester, Hampshire, and grew up in nearby Fareham. He was educated at Price's School, Fareham (1964–71), the Alliance Française, Paris (1972), and Newcastle University (1975–78 and 1979–81).''Who's Who 2010'' (A & C Black, 2009). From 1972 to 1975 he worked in Leicester, Colchester, London, Paris and Australia, as a journalist, in publishing (Yale University Press), and as a press officer for Warner Brothers' magazine division and for Lyons Maid ice cream.National Life Story Collection at the British Library Sound Archive (Book Trade Lives transcript) In his essay "The Story of Bloodaxe","The Story of Bloodaxe: 1978–2008", ''In Person: 30 Poets'', filmed by Pamela Robertson-Pearce, edited by Neil Astley (Bloodaxe Books, 2008), pp. 237–62. he recounts two early life-cha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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FRSL
The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elected from among the best writers in any genre currently at work. Additionally, Honorary Fellows are chosen from those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of literature, including publishers, agents, librarians, booksellers or producers. The society is a cultural tenant at London's Somerset House. The RSL is an independent charity and relies on the support of its Members, Patrons, Fellows and friends to continue its work. History The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) was founded in 1820, with the patronage of George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent", and its first president was Thomas Burgess (bishop, born 1756), Thomas Burgess, Bishop of St David's (who was late ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located on the River Tyne's northern bank opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England. Newcastle developed around a Roman Empire, Roman settlement called Pons Aelius. The settlement became known as ''Monkchester'' before taking on the name of The Castle, Newcastle, a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. It was one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres during the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle was historically part of the county of Northumberland, but governed as a county corporate after 1400. In 1974, Newcastle became part of the newly-created metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. The local authority is Newcastle Ci ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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RTÉ
(; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. It is headquartered in Donnybrook in Dublin, with offices across different parts of Ireland. RTÉ is a statutory body, overseen by a board appointed by the Government of Ireland, with general management in the hands of a committee of senior managers, currently an interim leadership team, headed by the Director General. RTÉ is regulated by Coimisiún na Meán. It is financed by the television licence fee and through advertising, with some of its services funded solely by advertising, while others are funded solely by the licence fee. The current network consists of 4 main TV chan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Sunday Programme
The following details are for the programmes that GMTV (Good Morning Television) broadcast on ITV. GMTV is the former breakfast television franchise for the UK's ITV network. It began broadcasting on Friday 1 January 1993 and finished on Friday 3 September 2010, being replaced by ITV Breakfast. ''GMTV'' 1993–2000 ''GMTV'' is the original brand for GMTV's weekday breakfast magazine programme from 6:00 am. It included national and international news stories, regional news, weather, interviews, cookery and health features, human-interest and showbiz stories, and competitions. In spring 1993, shortly after the channel's launch, a separate news-focused programme was introduced between 6:00am and 7:00 am, which in early 1994 became ''The Reuters News Hour''. The main 6:00–9:00 am programme remained named ''GMTV'' but, as part of the show's new look for the millennium, this main programme later became ''GMTV Today''. On 3 January 2000, ''GMTV'' relaunched and chang ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and documentaries. BBC Two has a remit "to broadcast highbrow, programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio channels, it is funded by the television licence, and is therefore free of commercial advertising. It is a comparatively well-funded Public broadcasting, public-service channel, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most public-service channels worldwide. Originally styled BBC2, it was the third British television station to be launched (starting on 21 April 1964), and from 1 July 1967, Europe's first television channel to broadcast regularly in colour. It was envisaged as a home for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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University Challenge
''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC revived the programme on 21 September 1994, the programme's 32nd anniversary, with Jeremy Paxman as the quizmaster. Paxman relinquished his role as host following the conclusion of the 52nd series in 2023, and was succeeded by Amol Rajan. The current title holders are Christ's College, Cambridge, who won their first title in the final of the 2024-25 series on 12 May 2025. On 21 April 2023, the BBC unveiled a new set and title card, which debuted on Rajan's first episode, aired on 17 July 2023. The show has always been produced by the same company (originally named Granada Television, renamed ITV Studios in 2009 and renamed again Lifted Entertainment in 2021), under licence from Richard Reid Productions and the College Bowl Company. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Midweek (BBC Radio 4)
''Midweek'' was a British weekly radio magazine series broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was aired on Wednesday at 09.00 and repeated the same day at 21.00. For most of its run it was presented by Libby Purves and each week several guests discussed various topics with her. '' Start the Week'' and '' Stop the Week'', also broadcast on Radio 4, employed similar formats. The programme ended in March 2017 as part of a schedule change. History The first edition, initially billed in the ''Radio Times'' as ''Mid-week'' (billed as ''Midweek'' from October 1981), was broadcast on Thursday 23 November 1978. The programme moved to Wednesday mornings in October 1979. The original presenter was television documentary maker Desmond Wilcox. Other presenters between 1979 and 1983 included Russell Harty, Benny Green, Des Lynam, Elaine Stritch, Valerie Singleton, Ned Sherrin, Mavis Nicholson, Pete Murray, Noel Edmonds, Henry Kelly and Clare Francis. Purves had originally joined the programme in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Front Row (radio Programme)
''Front Row'' is a radio programme on BBC Radio 4 that has been broadcast regularly since 1998. The BBC describes the programme as a "live magazine programme on the world of arts, literature, film, media and music". It is broadcast each weekday between 7:15 pm and 8 pm, and has a podcast available for download. Podcasts consisted of weekly highlights until September 2011, but have been full daily episodes since. Shows usually include a mix of interviews, reviews, previews, discussions, reports and columns. Some episodes however, particularly on bank holidays, include a single interview with prominent figures in the arts or a half-hour-long feature on a single subject. Details ''Front Row'' has been broadcast since 1998. It developed out of BBC Radio 4's previous daily arts programme '' Kaleidoscope'', which ran from 1973 to 1998. The programme's presenters include Tom Sutcliffe, Samira Ahmed, John Wilson, and Kirsty Lang. Former presenters include Stig Abell, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Today Programme
''Today'', colloquially known as ''the Today programme'', is BBC Radio 4's long-running morning news and current-affairs radio programme. Broadcast on Monday to Saturday from 06:00 to 09:00 (starting on Saturday at 07:00), it is produced by BBC News and is the highest-rated programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks. In-depth political interviews and reports are interspersed with regular news bulletins, as well as '' Thought for the Day''. It has been voted the most influential news programme in Britain in setting the political agenda, with an average weekly listening audience around 6 million. History ''Today'' was launched on the BBC Home Service on 28 October 1957 as a programme of "topical talks" to give listeners an alternative to listening to light music. The programme's founders were Isa Benzie and Janet Quigley. Benzie gave the programme its name and served as its first '' de facto'' editor. It was initially broadcast ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Poetry Book Society
The Poetry Book Society (PBS) is a British subscription-based book club dedicated to selecting, recommending and publicising new poetry books. Every quarter, it selects two Poetry Book Society Choices and four Poetry Book Society Recommendations. Members receive copies of selected books plus a magazine. History The Poetry Book Society was founded in 1953 by T. S. Eliot and friends, including Sir Basil Blackwell, "to propagate the art of poetry". Eric Walter White was secretary from December 1953 until 1971, and was subsequently the society's chairman. The PBS was chaired by Philip Larkin in the 1980s. In 1993, the Society set up the annual T. S. Eliot Prize, awarded to the best new collection of English-language poetry from the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. The Society continued to administer this award until 2016. The Society ran its first New Generation Poets promotion in 1994. It organised two subsequent "Next Generation Poets" promotions, in 2004 and 2014. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settlements on the island of Ireland by population, fifth most populous city on the island of Ireland and the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, fourth most populous in the Republic of Ireland, with a population at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census of 85,910. Located near an earlier settlement, Galway grew around a fortification built by the List of kings of Connacht, King of Connacht in 1124. A municipal charter in 1484 allowed citizens of the by then walled city to form a Galway City Council, council and mayoralty. Controlled largely by a group of merchant families, the Tribes of Galway, the city grew into a trading port. Following a period of decline, as of the 21st century, Galway is a tourist destination known for festivals ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |