Ebury Spotlight – förlag

From his humble beginnings in a quaint Welsh mining village to the dazzling lights of Hollywood, much-loved star, Luke Evans takes us on a poignant and inspiring journey that spans from the heart of Wales to behind the scenes of the global stage Growing up in a small village in the Rhymney Valley, Luke's life was shaped by his Jehovah's Witness upbringing, a path he'd eventually navigate to come out to his parents, knowing he risked losing them. In his raw and honest account, he shares his struggles of always feeling different and being bullied as a child, and his brave decision to leave home at just seventeen, searching for a new life and a place where he truly belonged. Starring first on the West End stages in iconic productions like Miss Saigon, Avenue Q, and Rent, he quickly captivated the hearts of audiences and caught the eye of Hollywood's elite, going on to secure roles in blockbuster films like The Hobbit, Beauty and the Beast, the Fast and Furious franchise, and Nine Perfect Strangers TV series. In this intimate memoir, Luke takes us behind the scenes of his career on the stage and screen. He writes beautifully of the relationship he now has with his family and the respect they all have for one another on their different paths. Luke's story is a powerful tale of resilience, courage, and the pursuit of finding a sense of belonging and identity.

As lead presenter for Sky Sports Formula One live coverage, Simon Lazenby is at the center of Grand Prix race-weekend action. In this book, he takes us off camera to give us exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the people who power this multi-billion-pound sport. Drawing on over a decade’s accumulated first-hand knowledge and connections across the paddock, Simon talks to key experts and professionals within the teams and the overall organization, who each reveal how they operate, how they compete, the skills they've learnt to navigate the challenges they face. Among the insiders who let us into their world are Max Verstappen's race engineer, whose voice we hear on the driver's cockpit radio communicating key strategic decisions, and the Aston Martin mechanic who oversees the team responsible for assembling the F1 car from 145,000 different components before each GP. There's the performance coach, who has to ensure that the drivers' necks can withstand the equivalent of 24kg of weight (helmet + head + G force) and Giorgio Piola whose sketches of F1 cars have been revered since the late 1960s. George Russell talks about life at Mercedes as their new lead driver. And at the top of pyramid are Zak Brown, CEO of current contenders McLaren, and James Vowles, team principal of Williams, who are breaking through. In all, we get insight for some 27 separate roles up and down the paddock. We see split-second, mid-race decision-making at the pit wall, lightning physical and technical efficiency in the pit lane, high-level politics and boardroom maneuvers, emergency medical interventions, genius design innovation and much more inside track action. This is a unique, first-hand insight into human performance under extreme pressure at the highest level of motorsport, bringing man and machine together to compete at speeds of 200 miles per hour.