Michael Billington – författare

The townships of Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme nestle neatly in a triangular area bordered on the south by the River Mersey, on the north-west by the River Irwell/Manchester Ship Canal and on the east by the M60 motorway. In this, the first substantial book on the area since 1898, local historian Michael Billington draws on census records, newspaper reports, antiquarian books, church accounts, Victorian church magazines, trial records, OS maps, burial records, Industrial School Act records and conversations with local historians and residents. The author, himself an Urmstonian, takes the reader on a journey of discovery in his portrayal of old houses (many now demolished due to disrepair or to make way for the motorway), churches, farms, weaving, the arrival of the railway, children and education, entertainment, sport, customs, culture, the war years and more. There are many previously unpublished photographs, maps and stories to take older residents on a nostalgic journey down memory lane whilst also introducing younger readers to a fascinating trio of townships some seven miles or so to the south-west of Manchester, itself immersed in the glory of the Industrial Revolution.

A book of selected reviews from one of the foremost authorities on British theatre.Until his retirement in 2019, Michael Billington was Britain's longest-serving theatre critic, penning around 10,000 theatre reviews during his 48-year tenure as the Guardian's drama critic. He was present at an eye-watering number of premieres and witnessed first-hand the exciting developments in British theatre over the past 30 years, as well as the substantial pressures it faced - never more so than today.Following on from Billington's first collection One Night Stands, Affair of the Heart offers a rich, authoritative insight into British theatre over the last 3 decades from his unique professional perspective. It begins with Tony Kushner's UK premiere of Angels in America at the National Theatre in 1992 and culminates with Inua Ellams's celebrated adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters at the same venue almost 30 years later. En route, we're exposed to the fallibility of theatre criticism through his much-regretted original criticism of Sarah Kane's Blasted and its role in identifying major talents at the first opportunity.Starting each chapter is a brief commentary on the developments of that era and the social, political and cultural context within which this theatre was being produced. Also included are key obituaries and letters in response to reviews written, providing a rich collection of curated archival material.

Having surveyed post-war British drama in State of the Nation, Michael Billington now looks at the global picture. In this provocative and challenging new book, he offers his highly personal selection of the 101 greatest plays ranging from the Greeks to the present-day. But his book is no mere list. Billington justifies his choices in extended essays- and even occasional dialogues- that put the plays in context, explain their significance and trace their performance history. In the end, it's a book that poses an infinite number of questions. What makes a great play? Does the definition change with time and circumstance? Or are certain common factors visible down the ages? It's safe to say that it's a book that, in revising the accepted canon, is bound to stimulate passionate argument and debate. Everyone will have strong views on Billington's chosen hundred and one and will be inspired to make their own selections. But, coming from Britain's longest-serving theatre critic, these essays are the product of a lifetime spent watching and reading plays and record the adventures of a soul amongst masterpieces.

Richard Burton once said that his ambition was simply "to be a millionaire". David Niven was expelled from public school for stealing. A young Charlie Chaplin worked as a glass blower to keep his family from poverty. Alfred Hitchcock appreciated good food. Eric Morecambe wrote a book on fishing, appropriately titled "Eric Morecambe on Fishing". At nine years old Diana Dors declared, "I am going to be a film star, with a swimming pool and a cream telephone". The public has always been interested in the lives of those who choose entertainment as a career. We seem constantly thirsty to find out what makes these people tick and we envy their lifestyles. For this collection, Michael Billington, writer, presenter and drama critic, has selected from the "Dictionary of National Biography" around 100 such lives from 100 years of the world of entertainment.