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"Any News?"
was the customary greeting exchanged between friends in Tilling when they
required gossip; on efbenson.co.uk, this is
where, hopefully, news about E.F.Benson and his works will appear; this
will only happen, of course, if we have some news to print! If you
see anything E.F.Benson related in the news, or if you are a publisher
with a new E.F.Benson book release, please email
us! When sending in items for this page, please remember to clearly
state where and when you saw the item, (if in a magazine or newspaper,
please include the name of the author and the title of the magazine/newspaper;
if possible, please also include the website of the publication)
Please do not, repeat NOT, submit
items from either the Tilling Society Newsletter or from the E.F.Benson
Society's mailings (including "The Dodo"; both are read by the efbenson.co.uk
team, and we don't want to tread on anyone's toes! |
|
| 06-04-2008 |
BBC Radio
4 is running an adaptation of "Lucia's Progress" this week (7th-11th
April) with, according to the BBC website, much the same cast as before.
Sadly, Ned Sherrin passed away earlier this year, so adaptation duties
have passed to John Peacock. The adaptation, in 5 15 minute parts,
will be broadcast as part of "Woman's Hour" (at approximately 10:45am)
and repeated in the evening at 7.45pm) and will be available on the BBC's
"Listen Again" feature for 6 days after first broadcast (the episode is
usually put up after the 7.45pm repeat)
Cast details can be found here.
(Many thanks to "Georgie" for the information!) |
|
| 26-02-2008 |
There is
a new E.F.Benson podcast, from the efbenson.co.uk
team! Entitled "Radio Tilling", the first episode is online now;
more details can be found at the "Radio
Tilling" weblog! The podcast has been submitted to iTunes and
should be available on there soon - hopefully in time to mark the 68th
anniversary of Fred's death (on February 29th) |
|
| 26-04-2007 |
BBC Radio
4 will be broadcasting the latest of the Ned Sherrin adaptations,
"Mapp & Lucia" from Monday 30th at 9.45 BST and 19:45 BST (My thanks
to Jonathan Dunlop for making me aware of this!) - the adaptation is in
10 parts and stars Belinda Lang as Lucia (Ms Lang took the role in the
first two of Sherrins adaptations, Queen Lucia and Lucia in London), Nicola
McAuliffe as Mapp (Ms McAuliffe is new to this role, though she has appeared
in a great many film and TV roles, including the 'voice' of James Bond's
car in "Tomorrow Never Dies"!) and the returning Nikolas Grace as the Narrator,
with Michael Maloney as Georgie (Mr Maloney appeared with TV Lucia Geraldine
McEwan (as Miss Marple) in the ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's story
"By The Pricking Of My Thumbs"). As with previous adaptations, "Mapp
& Lucia" should be available on the BBC's "Listen Again" facility (requires
RealPlayer) for upto 7 days from first broadcast - so set your recording
equipment... A link will be posted to the relevant page shortly;
in the meantime, here is a link to the BBC
Press Office page (scroll down for the "Mapp & Lucia" item) Hopefully
we will, in due course, see the remaining novels adapted for radio; after
which, perhaps the Tom Holt sequels could be considered? |
|
| 14-11-2006 |
Although
not directly about Fred, the following may well be of interest to
fans of his Ghost or "Spook" stories! Robert Lloyd Parry, of the
Nunkie Theatre Company, is presenting the one man show "A Pleasing Terror
- Two Ghost Stories by M.R.James" at the New End Theatre, Hampstead, London
between the 16th and 31st December 2006 (the show is currently touring
around the UK, full details on the Nunkie
Theatre Company website! There is also a favourable review of
the production on the website of The
Stage newspaper.
M.R.James was, of course, a contemporary
of Fred, as well as being a friend (and, to some degree, a rival in the
Ghost story stakes!)
Thanks for Robert for the information! |
|
| 11-04-2006 |
At last, efbenson.co.uk
is proud to announce our DVD Competition! If you would like to win
one of three copies of the new "Mapp & Lucia" DVD set, kindly supplied
by Network DVD then please Click
Here |
|
| 09-04-2006 |
Further to the news item below
(24-03-2006), Network have very kindly provided efbenson.co.uk with a review
copy of their forthcoming "Mapp & Lucia" release - you can find the
review here! Also, watch this space for
an exciting announcement soon! |
|
| 24-03-2006 |
News about a new edition of the
"Mapp & Lucia" DVDs!
Unfortunately, the 4 disc set
of "Mapp & Lucia", the LWT/Channel 4 series from the 1980's and released
(after much campaigning by The Tilling Society amongst others) by Granada,
has gone 'out-of-print'. All is not lost, however - Network DVD,
who have issued a wide variety of sets featuring such classic British TV
series as The Goodies, Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, On the Buses,
Ever Decreasing Circles and many more, are bringing out a new edition of
the complete "Mapp & Lucia" series on 10th April 2006!
Watch this space for further information
as we receive it! |
|
| 19-02-2006 |
Benson Day in Lincoln
efbenson.co.uk
has
received the following from Cynthia Reavell of the Tilling Society:
We have news of a Benson Study
Day which is to be held in Lincoln Cathedral's Wren Library on Saturday
9th of September 2006 - this is a collaborative event organised by the
Cathedral Library and the Tilling Society, with talks about the family
and its members, and representative readings from the works of each; it
promises to be both stimulating and entertaining, and we very much hope
many Tilling Society members will be there. Speakers are to include
Tom Burnett and Gail-Nina Anderson, both of them knowledgeable, experienced
and entertaining speakers who have given much enjoyed after-lunch Tilling
Society Gathering talks in the past (in 1995 and 1999 respectively).
The icing on the cake for anyone needing further persuasion is that Lincoln
is a most splendid ancient city, and its Cathedral is particularly fine.
Those of you who were at the Tilling Society Lincoln weekend in 1998 will
remember what a special venue this is. And don't be put off by the
designation 'Study Day' - the speakers and readers will be the ones to
have done the studying, and all the audience has to do is to listen and
enjoy. We are also hoping that it may be possible for a tour
of the Chancery (home for several years to the Benson family), although
this is yet to be confirmed. It's also an opportunity to meet up
with other Bensonites and Tilling Society members over a light lunch and
between times.
Please do note the date in your
diary; and nearer the time, send an SAE (Stamped Addressed Envelope) and
request for details from:
Nicholas
Bennett,
Librarian,
Lincoln Cathedral Library, The Cathedral,
Lincoln,
LN2 1PZ
UK
(It's as well to be aware that
the Library staff are mostly away on annual holiday during much of August)
Recent Annual Study Days have
been on: Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln (2003); Philip Larkin
(2004); Alfred Lord Tennyson (2005). The 2006 price is not yet fixed
but, to give you an idea, the 2005 event was £15 for the day, plus
an optional £6 for a light sandwich lunch. |
Top of Page |
| 16-02-2006 |
The Tilling Society is, alas,
no more - Cynthia and Tony Reavell, who have run the society for many years,
have decided to call it a day. This leaves just The E.F.Benson Society
still actively publishing a newsletter and recruiting members.
All is not lost, however - if
anyone has information, articles, news or general gossip that they would
previously have sent into The Tilling Society, please feel free to send
it in to efbenson.co.uk instead! Space
and time permitting, we will include it on this site - either (if relevant)
on this 'Any News?' page, or elsewhere if possible! |
Top of Page |
| 16.02.2006 |
Due to circumstances beyond our
control, EFBenson.co.uk has, sadly, been rather neglected during 2003-5;
however, things have now improved and hopefully the site will enter 2006
with renewed vigour and a gradually revealed new look!
There is a new contact address:
Arbuthnot_Q_Wanderlust@efbenson.co.uk
(Mr Wanderlust is the Webmaster for efbenson.co.uk!)
- if you still have our old address in your address book, please replace
it with this one! We have also registered efbenson.com as a domain
name - typing either www.efbenson.co.uk or www.efbenson.com should take
you to this website!
Throughout the course of 2006
we will be updating the look of the website, the first time we have done
this since we started in 2000!
We will be converting more and
more sections to the new look throughout the year, with the aim of completing
the revamp by December 2006 (if not earlier!) We
would particularly appreciate any constructive comments or suggestions
about the new look which you might care to make - we want this site
to be as usable and reader friendly as possible! |
Top of Page |
| 21.02.2003 |
Tom Holt's highly entertaining
follow-up to the Lucia novels, "Lucia in Wartime" has now been issued as
an unabridged 'audiobook' by Isis Publishing. The book, which is
available on 5 cassettes or 6 CD's, is read by Norma West, who has appeared
in numerous TV series, films and stage shows, including guest appearances
in cult classic "The Prisoner", "Smiley's People", "Miss Marple" and "Poirot".
- 
The audiobook can be ordered
direct from Isis Publishing
or from Amazon.co.uk by 'clicking'
on the cover image above
|
Top of Page |
| 21.05.2002 |
Another production of John van
Druten's "Make Way For Lucia" has been announced! This time the Bolton
Little Theatre is the venue, from June 15th to 22nd 2002.
Tickets, which range from £5.50
- £6.50, bay be ordered by calling the Box OFfice on 01204 524469
or Albert Halls Ticket Centre on 01204 334400.
Alternatively, email: info@blt.demon.co.uk
or visit the theatre website:
The ticket price includes a free
programme(!), and, following the performance on 22nd June, there is an
optional supper available for £4.
The theatre address: Bolton Little
Theatre, Hanover St., Bolton, BL1 2AR
(Thanks to Cynthia Reavell of
The Tilling Society for the information, and for the flyer reproduced below!)
|
Top of Page |
| 06.01.2002 |
Possibly some good news for fans
of the "Mapp & Lucia" series - apparently US publisher Moyer Bell,
who did such an excellent job in reissuing the Benson books over the last
few years, intend to reissue the well-received, but difficult to obtain
Tom Holt sequels sometime in 2002! The Moyer
Bell website shows "Lucia Triumphant" as being in the Spring 2002 list
(see the cover below) and sources close to the author confirm that he has
been in discussions with them. If the books ARE reissued, this is
excellent news as the
original Black
Swan editions currently fetch very high prices on eBay and elsewhere;
they also make frequent appearances in the "Bring
and Buy" section of this website!. In addition to the two 'Lucia'
books (the aforementioned "Lucia Triumphant" and "Lucia in Wartime"), Tom
Holt is the author of a large number of well received and highly popular
'comic fantasy' novels - more information about Mr Holt (including details
of his other books) can be found here:
Moyer Bell cover for "Lucia Triumphant"
(subject to change and confirmation)
('Clicking' on the cover picture
will take you to the Amazon.com website, where the book is available for
pre-order (at time of writing!))
|
Top of Page |
| 27.12.2001 |
Some sad news - It was reported
this morning that Sir Nigel Hawthorne passed away on 26th December.
Probably best known for his role as "Sir Humphrey Appleby" in "Yes, Minister"
and "Yes, Prime Minister", and for his outstanding performance in Alan
Bennett's "The Madness of George III" (later filmed as "The Madness of
King George"), Benson fans will fondly remember him as "Georgie Pilson"
in the LWT/Channel 4 series "Mapp & Lucia", produced in the mid-80's.
Certainly, the series, which
also starred Geraldine McEwen, Prunella Scales and Denis Lill. brought
a great many new fans to Fred's works, and Sir Nigel's contribution was
enjoyed by many. He will be sadly missed.
There were a number of informative
Obituaries in the UK National Newspapers;
The
Daily Telegraph
The
Guardian
The
Times
The
Independent
There are also a couple of web
sites devoted to Sir Nigel and his work:
The
Sir Nigel Hawthorne Fan Page
A
Tribute to Sir Nigel Hawthorne
|
Top of Page |
| 22.07.2001 |
News of ANOTHER stage production
based on the Lucia books,; this time of the John Van Druten
play "Make Way For Lucia".
Details as follows:
"The Graffham Rustics - based
at Graffham near Petworth, West Sussex, will be staging John van Druten's
"Make Way for Lucia" as their Autumn play. The Graffham Rustics now in
their 50th year are an amateur group and have earned a reputation for well
staged and entertaining productions over the years.
Make Way for Lucia will be staged
at The Empire Hall, Graffham nr Petworth on Thursday, Friday, Saturday
8th, 9th, 10th of November 2001. Please contact neil_castle@hotmail.com
or phone 07974 932335 for more details
|
Top of Page |
| 01.06.2001 |
Anyone who missed the production
of "Mapp & Lucia The Musical" during it's short run at the Jermyn Street
Theatre now has another chance - there is to be a run at the Greenwich
Theatre, London from Monday 2nd July to Saturday 14th July 2001.
The theatre seats rather more than the previous venue, so there should
be no excuse for not attending this time!
Tickets are £12, £14
and £16 (concessions £2 less). Matinees are on Wednesdays
and Saturdays, at 3pm - evening performances are at 8pm
Tickets are available from the
box office (telephone: 020 8858 7755 or online at http://www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
)
(Our thanks to Cynthia Reavell
of The Tilling Society for this information!) |
Top of Page |
| 16.04.2001 |
The first instalment of "Lucia
In London" adapted by Ned Sherrin, was broadcast today on BBC Radio 4 -
there are four parts to the adaptation - if you missed today's episode
you can catch up with the remaining three on the next three Monday's at
11.30 am!
The cast is as follows:
(Click on the highlighted names
to be taken to biographical information! Please note that this will
take you away from this page)
| Lucia |
Belinda
Lang |
| Benson |
Nickolas
Grace |
| Daisy |
Sarah Badell |
| Georgie |
Guy
Henry |
| Mrs Boucher |
Gaye Brown |
| Olga |
Anna Quayle |
| Robert |
Alan Leith |
| Mrs Antrobus |
Elizabeth Morgan |
| Piggy |
Janice Cramer |
| Lady Ambermere |
Jean
Trend |
| Adapted by Ned Sherrin |
Directed by Celia de Wolff |
Both The Daily Telegraph and The
Guardian had this as their 'Pick of the Day' for Monday (in their Saturday
issues) - both used a picture of Belinda Lang;
 
(Left to Right - The Guardian,
the Daily Telegraph (both Saturday 14th April 2001)
The Guardian -
"EF Benson's Mapp and Lucia books
were the high water mark of camp 30's humour. The endless intrigues between
arch social climber Lucia and bitter old bat Miss Map(sic), the two queen
bees battling for supremacy in the tea party set of the quaint Sussex village
of Riseholme, is comedy on par with Diary Of A Nobody. Thank heavens,
then, for Ned Sherrin's dramatisation of the best book in the series, Lucia
in London (11.30am, R4)
Lucia, who has always scorned
London life as shallow, has a change of heart after her husband inherits
a house in Brompton Square, and she is as determined to rise to ascendancy
in Kensington salons as she has done in Riseholme. But the competition
is a little tougher. Belinda Lang (pictured) reads. WH"
Daily Telegraph -
"Gillian Reynolds' Choice
Lucia in London
(Radio 4,11.30 am)
EF Benson's sharp comedy of manners,
adapted for radio by Ned Sherrin, stars Belinda Lang as the socially mobile
Lucia who has now moved from sleepy Riseholme to London's bustling Brompton.
Guy Henry plays her faithful best pal Georgie (he of the challenged coiffure).
Nikolas Grace becomes the voice of Benson. Benson works well on radio.
as previous versions have shown. Let's hope this one gets a swift repeat.
Elsewhere, the Bank Holiday impells
Radio 4's drama to go all out for nostalgia." |
Top of Page |
| 14.02.2001 |
Thanks to The Tilling Society for
supplying the following information about the 'West End' production of
"Mapp & Lucia", the musical (Libretto by Peter Benedict, music by William
Hetherington) which was first seen at a read through performance at The
Theatre Museum!
The play, which has been a great
success at all subsequent performances (which have included Kate O'Mara
and Fenella Fielding) has a three week run at the Jermyn Street Theatre,
near Piccadilly, London from Tuesday February 13th to Saturday March 3rd,
with performances at 7.45 pm Tuesday to Saturday, and a matinee performance
(at 3pm) on Sundays Tickets are £15 and can be booked by calling
the box office of the Jermyn Street Theatre on 020 7287 2875
The cast features Aimi Macdonald
as 'Lucia', Gaye Brown as 'Mapp' and Peter Gayle as 'Georgie', with Becky
Barnes, Su Chandler, Iain Cowden, Paddy Glynn, Charles Grant, Ros McCutcheon
and Richard Pescud.
Read
the official press release (and see pictures of the cast) here!
Gaye Brown pops up in more Lucia
related news - she is appearing in the long awaited Ned Sherrin BBC Radio
4 adaptation of "Lucia in London" which is to be broadcast in 4 30 minute
episodes from Easter Monday (April 16th) at 11.30am. Hopefully the
BBC's marketing department will produce a cassette of this adaptation,
which promises to be good - who knows, if it is a successful we may see
more Benson on the Beeb! |
Top of Page |
| 12.12.2000 |
Thanks to Anne Cowan for reporting
the article in "The Times" concerning the Tenancy of Lamb House being available!
The annual rent levied by the National Trust (who retains ownership of
the property in perpetuity) is £13,500 per annum.
Read
the original Times article here.
|
Top of Page |
| 03.12.2000 |
Attending a preview of the British
Museum Great Court, we noticed that, in the Reading Room list of "Notable
holders of Reader's Tickets" was one E.F.Benson! In a display of
books by the aforementioned notable ticket holders were six of Fred's works
- "A Reaping", the Penguin "Licia Rising" omnibus edition, the recent Prion
"Mapp & Lucia", "King Edward VII", "Charlotte Bronte", and "Dodo".
They can be found on the right (as you enter the Reading Room from the
South) |
Top of Page |
| 12.11.2000 |
Belated we know, but an example
of Fred's work has made an appearence in the Millennium Dome in London!
The E.F.Benson Webpage team visited on Sunday 12th November and one of
the first things we saw was a huge 'video screen' type display depicting
a set of bookshelves with filled with books surrounding the Learning Zone..
Being (we like to think!) typical Bensonites, we searched for a Benson
book and found 'Lucia Rising', one of the Penguin paperback compilations
of the "Mapp & Lucia" novels. According to the Official Millennium
Dome guide, the display features "more than thirteen thousand famiiliar
books (which) entice us into the zone"
Nice to see that Fred's works
are regarded as 'Familiar'! The team took pictures (see below)
1  2  3  4 
1
- The 'Bookshelves' from a distance (to give some idea of the size of the
thing!) Now, where's Fred Benson...
2 -
Let's zoom in a bit. A-ha! What's that sitting between Jilly
Cooper and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin"?
3 -
Closer still, and could that be a Benson book with a Penguin spine?
4
- Yes it is! 'Lucia Rising'! Success!
|
Top of Page |
| 08.10.2000 |
Browsing the internet book shop
Amazon.co.uk bir Fred Benson titles, we noticed that Penguin appears to
be about to reissue "As We Were: A Victorian Peepshow" early next year!
This is news to us, so we thought we would share it with you!
The release date, according to
Amazon, is February 22nd, 2001. The cover price appears to be £4.99
(although Amazon have it at a lower price). No details on who designed
the cover yet, but here is a copy for your interest. Amazon.co.uk
are taking pre-orders ('clicking' on the picture below will take you to
the relevant page - alternatively, go to the Twistevants'
page!
|
Top of Page |
| 25.07.2000 |
We have been mentioned
in the 29 July-4 August issue of the Radio Times, a UK TV radio and TV
listings magazine, in connection with an imminent broadcast on satellite
TV of the excellent "Mapp & Lucia" series!
 
|
Top of Page |
| 13.05.2000 |
Sirami (Alistair Kerr) reported
to the Benson mailing list that he had 'Spotted on Amazon UK - "Mapp &
Lucia" to be published in June 2000 by Prion Books (ISBN 1853753904). Hardcover
- 320 pages' Apparently Amazon did not have a cover picture of this
new edition. Watch this space... |
Top of Page |
| 19.02.2000 |
According to the the Daily Mail
newspaper, (thanks to Siriami (Alastair Kerr), and confirmed by the latest
issue of the E.F.Benson Society's newsletter, Ned Sherrin is working on
a radio adaptation of "Lucia in London" for BBC Radio 4. No details
on casting as yet, but there are apparently to be four, 30 minute programmes,
to be broadcast early next year (2001). Lucia hasn't been heard on
the BBC since the Aubrey Woods adaptation of "Queen Lucia" way back in
the '80's, so hopefully Mr Sherrin's work will inspire a burst of Luciaphils
and Tillingites to appear!
More news on this when we receive
it! |
Top of Page |
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© 2000-2006 P.A.Bines, except where otherwise stated
The
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