The last look at the stories behind the bestselling books in postwar Britain, examining what their success says about the decade of publication. Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Reading the 1980s. Terry Pratchett, Salman Rushdie, Jilly Cooper, Alice Walker and Joanna Trollope contribute to a literary examination of a decade of soap-opera shoulder pads, bloated bank balances and dole-queue despair. Books under discussion include Alice Walker's Color Purple, Stephen Hawking's Brief History of Time, Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, Audrey Eyton's F-Plan Diet, plus the works of Tom Wolfe, Sue Townsend and Jeffrey Archer.
Director Tim Robinson
Series producer Mary Sackville West
FURTHER INFORMATION: to read more about the books featured in this series, visit www.open2.net/readingthedecades or go to Ceefax page BBC BOOK: Reading the Decades: 50 Years of the Nation's Bestselling Books is available. price £16.99