Jon Abbott

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Customer reviews on Amazon U.S. for Jon Abbott’s Cool TV of the 1960s

“Great new take on three classic shows! ...intelligent and insightful. It is clear the author very much loves these shows... a fresh perspective on their importance relative to their place in pop culture. The book features an episode guide with thoughtful commentary and analysis for all three shows… well worth the price”

“Jon Abbott’s earlier works on Irwin Allen and Stephen J. Cannell occupy pride of place on my bookshelf. Here he tackles a trio of American 1960s television shows which became pop culture phenomena--The Man from UNCLE, Batman and The Monkees …intelligent and thought-provoking. His section on UNCLE is worth the cost of the book alone…”

“Each part has a full season by season episode guide with summaries and cast… Must read if you love these shows!”

“Very detailed about three great shows. Hope there is a sequel with more shows and how they influenced television and the 1960s”

“A complete, extremely well researched guide to three of the most popular shows of the 1960s: The Man from UNCLE, Batman, and The Monkees. As a kid, I watched only UNCLE every week, Batman in its beginnings, and The Monkees almost never, but I found what he had to say interesting and perceptive. I didn't always agree with his views but his points are clear and he often offers comparisons to other shows of the genres and information that I had not known before reading this. The detail and research that went into the formation of ‘cast and crew’ information is indeed remarkable and the book is worth it's price for that information alone. Highly recommended if you have any interest in even one of these shows”.

Customer reviews on Amazon U.K. for Jon Abbott’s Cool TV of the 1960s

“A good read in relation to the culture of the times… very well written and brings back many good memories”.

“Really interesting book, enjoyed it”

Customer review for The Elvis Films on the Elvis Information Network

“Let me say that I am a fan of the author’s earlier works...

I knew Jon Abbott would infuse his coverage of the eclectic Elvis film canon with a pop culture sensibility and an appreciation beyond the narrow minded perspective of many film critics. The author provides a general overview of the narrative of each film and demonstrates a perceptive understanding of how elements play off each other (and) infuses his discussion with a heady mix of behind the scenes anecdotes... He also comments perceptively on Elvis’ seminal role in the growth of teen culture.

While I may not agree with everything he has written, I appreciate and respect his consideration and interpretation of Elvis’ body of film work and its wider implications and influences. In discussing each film Abbott also goes off in juicy tangential diversions to enlighten the reader about the non-Elvis film careers of many of his co-stars, film producers and directors. Pop culture addicts (like me) will particularly welcome these explorations. Abbott perceptively observes about Michael Ansara and Theo Marcuse (who featured in Harum Scarum): "Both Ansara and Marcuse were the sort of busy and prolific performers whose faces were so well known to the public that, either consciously or in an almost subliminal fashion, they became virtual visual reference points in films and TV of that period, creating their stereotypes through the sheer number of their appearances".

His is a “fan” perspective with a healthy dose of pop culture treats and cogent analysis... an abundance of facts, opinion and anecdote to enjoy and reflect on. Abbott’s off-center ‘pop culture’ perspective gives The Elvis Films a different feel to most other books on Elvis’ celluloid career and for this reason it is a fresh and invigorating read. However, the author and I will have to agree to disagree about the value of Elvis’ late 60s films”

(see the full review on elvisinfonet.com)

Customer reviews on Amazon U.S. for Jon Abbott’s Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s

“Mr. Abbott tackles the herculean task of reviewing somewhere (around 500) films, most of which are some variety of crap, and manages to write something interesting about each one… There are a plethora of witty remarks on hand, and Mr. Abbott is especially adept at insulting English sexploitation films from the decade in question… As an overview of an immense body of work spanning more than a decade, this is an excellent primer. Perhaps he strives a little too hard to have a fun quip about every bad film he sees, but it does keep the tone light and enjoyable. There are many illustrations and the chapters are organised in a relatively intelligent way. Very impressive overall, just not perfect, like the movies that are detailed within.”

After expressing his reservations, this reviewer writes:

“Still, this is great idea for a book and Abbott genuinely does an admirable job (he even has a whole chapter on Gloria Guida and Italian sex comedies!). If I sound a little critical, it's only because this would be truly wonderful book if the author... would bite-back his harsh personal opinions just a little bit.”

“I received my voluminous tome (some 700 pages) about a week ago and haven't been able to put it down since. Jon Abbott obviously has a real passion for the same movies genre that I am also obsessed with and he writes of the films in a very informative, knowledgeable and easy read way. Any criticism of him being opinionated is unjustified and other reviewers appear to not have read his Preface which gives great explanation of his writing/reviewing style.”

“Jon Abbott, known for his books and articles about vintage television, began writing this chunky tome for a publisher who wanted a serious scholarly book on the topic of seventies sex films. He found he couldn’t keep to a serious tone when writing about sex movies so ended up self-publishing. The fact that he makes no attempt to restrain his personality is a large part of what makes the book such an entertaining read. His writing can be insightful, especially when writing about classic films like Klute, Don’t Look Now or The Beguiled. And he gives a good run-down of particular sexploitation genres, such as nurse movies and women-in-prison films. He does well with his coverage of Russ Meyer and Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, but I would have liked to see him delve as far into the absolute rubbish that was coming out of the U.S. as he did into the absolute rubbish coming out of Europe and the U.K. While all the coverage of interchangeable Jess Franco and Jean Rollin films might drag a little, mostly it’s a romp through the sublime, the hilariously godawful and the sizzlingly sexy. You are bound to read about many titles with which you were unfamiliar.”

Customer reviews on Amazon U.S. for Jon Abbott’s The Elvis Films

"I was keen to learn more about the oft-derided Elvis films and this book doesn’t disappoint. Jon is clearly a fan and the book takes an overall sympathetic look at the Elvis films whilst happily thrashing a few that deserve it. If I had to criticise something I would say that in my opinion there is an excess of detail on the supporting cast members but maybe they deserve more than a footnote in the Elvis story. Though I totally disagree with some of the opinions in Jon’s book it was a good read and very enjoyable. Well done Jon”.

“I like this book. For one thing, the author points out that though these movies were not respected by the film community, or, even by Elvis himself, they were what people were wanting to see, stood in line, and paid to see. They were the blockbuster movies of their time. If he was unhappy making them, he really was a great actor because in each film he is so absorbed in each scene, beautiful himself, of course, and always seemed to be having a great time. The aim of the author is to put the reader in the place of the then viewer, and then explain why it would be so appealing to the ticket buyer as well as a new viewer. And he does an excellent job”.

Customer reviews on Amazon U.K. for Jon Abbott’s The Elvis Films

“Jon Abbott has written a well researched book on the Elvis Presley films and he has his prejudices and likes as we all do. I found my eyes glazing over when the TV credits of every starlet who ever appeared with Elvis were listed and so I think the book could have omitted large chunks of this information and been all the better for it… Instead, I would have liked more information on the songwriters… Not a bad book to pick up and refer to from time to time”.

“Well worth a read for any Elvis fan. Takes a different slant than most books covering this part of Elvis’ career… It’s written by someone who actually likes Elvis’ movies and is very well versed in them. A lot of information many fans won’t have come across before”.

“A good read, some unusual facts”

Customer reviews on Amazon for Irwin Allen Television Productions, 1964-1970: A Critical History (hardback and softback, U.S. and U.K. sites)

“Jon Abbott has done an amazing job compiling four of Irwin Allen’s classic 1960s sci-fi TV shows into one great book… informative background history... synopsis of every episode with a detailed review, complete with guest cast, it also includes who wrote and directed each episode. This is a perfect example of how a book like this should be done. In other words this is the only book you need on these four shows because it’s all there—the plots, writers, directors, guest stars and the author’s review of each episode filled with trivia and fun facts... this book is the best episode guide out there. I look at it like a more detailed version of the excellent 1977 book Fantastic Television…”.

“...an excellent critical appraisal of these particular shows. It’s clear from the outset that the author has a deep affection for Allen’s output and he’s not shy to admit it, but neither is he afraid to highlight the many inconsistencies and absurdities... substantial information... there’s so much to get your teeth into here that you’ll find yourself revisiting this book many times over... a very worthy and compelling read. His style is open and accessible, yet knowledgeable and authoritative. I like that, and having read the book, I certainly feel more empowered to discuss each show’s respective merits with confidence and clarity…”

“If you enjoy Irwin Allen’s work, this is a must-purchase. You may not agree with some of the episode assessments but it’s an enjoyable and sometimes thought provoking book. And there isn’t really anything else quite like it on the subject…”

“What makes this book different from most others is the author’s viewpoint and ‘critical history’ of the shows themselves; not everybody may be in agreement, good or bad, with his statements, but it is very interesting”.

“Jon Abbott’s book should not be looked on as just another TV series episode guide. There are already many of those available and that’s not what Mr. Abbott’s book is about. Instead, the author guides us episode by episode through the four science fiction series that Irwin Allen produced back in the ‘60s, giving his critical evaluations of each hour-long show. Since we’re dealing with opinions here, one might find them at variance with the author. I personally find that refreshing…”

“I always thought Lost in Space got too silly by the third season, but this book made me go back and re-watch the episodes again. That’s a good book”.

“I absolutely loved this book. I read it a couple years ago and enjoyed every moment of it. If you enjoyed sitting in front of that tv watching any or all of Irwin’s series, you will love it too”.

Customer reviews for Stephen J. Cannell Productions on Amazon.com

"This is an excellent book with many insights into the creation and production of the prolific Cannell library of TV shows. I initially purchased the book as reference for his Stingray series, but found it to be a comprehensive look at the philosophy and methodology of the man and the company. Lots of useful analysis of all of Cannell's shows. Well worth the purchase".

Customer reviews for Stephen J. Cannell Productions on Goodreads

“Way better than the other Cannell book. This one is incredibly detailed. The author spent many years compiling information and had some really great trivia. More information than most would ever need…”

Thank you to all those reviewers! (See the full reviews, and others, on those sites)

Jon Abbott was born in Lambeth, London, England in June, 1956.

Thanks to Huckleberry Hound and Supercar, Jon Abbott has been writing professionally about popular culture for around thirty years, during which time he has written over four hundred articles on American film and television for over two dozen different trade, specialist, and populist publications in the U.K. These have included City Limits, Television Weekly, TV Comic, Video Today, Starburst, Stills, Media Week, Adult Movies on Video, What Video, What Satellite, TV Zone, Time Out, The Face, The DarkSide, Video Buyer, Video World, Cult Times, Comedy Review, SFX, Home Entertainment, Dreamwatch, and Infinity.

He has a wide range of interests in 20th century film, television, and music, including gangster films ranging from Cagney through to Corman and Scorsese, classic cartoons, 1950s sci-fi movies, 1960s TV and comics, and 1970s cinema.

He is particularly fond of the work of Laurel and Hardy, Phil Silvers, Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, Termite Terrace, Tamla Motown, the Beatles, Hanna-Barbera, Irwin Allen, Gerry Anderson, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Elvis Presley, Clint Eastwood, Stallone and Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, and Stephen J. Cannell. He's also a fan of Tom and Jerry, Republic Serials, The Untouchables, The Outer Limits, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Man from UNCLE, the Daleks, the Adam West Batman, the Emma Peel Avengers, The Invaders, the original Star Trek, Godzilla and Gamera films, pulp magazine covers and pop art, cheesy, sleazy sex films ( and good ones), shameful Italian comedies, Chinese gangster films (especially with Chow Yun Fat), Fawlty Towers, Frasier, and The Sweeney.

Despite the above, he doesn't live in the past, because he's bought the best of it into the future with him, and he prefers his i-pad, i-pod, DVDs, and big screen TV to vinyl, censorship, and two-channel television.

Check out Jon's DISCOVER lists on the IMDB; for a short-cut to them all, type in Hat Squad and go to his Stephen J. Cannell list, which will link you to all the others.

About Jon's books:

Irwin Allen Television Productions, 1964--1970 (softcover and kindle, McFarland)

(hardback out of print but available from some sellers; identical content)

During the 1960s, Irwin Allen produced 274 episodes of his four fantasy TV series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. This book offers background, comment and criticism, trivia and anecdotes, interview quotes, and information on the related work of the writers, directors, and actors who contributed to them. In recent years, thanks to frequent and popular re-runs on TV, DVD availability of all four series, and a heavy internet presence, the fantasy worlds of Irwin Allen have been rediscovered. To enjoy pre-CGI pulp sci-fi at its finest, start here... and by all means form your own opinions with the information at your fingertips.

Contents: preface; introduction; Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; episode guide; Lost in Space; episode guide; The Time Tunnel; episode guide; Land of the Giants; episode guide; bibliography; index.

"Well-researched... Straightforward and bold... Rare trivia... This comprehensive guide will be invaluable" (Filmfax)

"This is not a dry book... Nor shy of pointing out the highs and lows" (TV Zone)

"Fans will love it... You can be very proud of this marvelous publication" (Irwin Allen News Network)

"A treasure trove of information... Highly detailed... I defy anyone to better this... Fully comprehensive... This has to be the final word on the Irwin Allen shows" (The DarkSide, magazine of the fantastic)

Stephen J. Cannell Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots (softcover and kindle, McFarland).

For twenty years, Stephen J. Cannell was in the hero business. Or perhaps, the anti-hero business. Whatever the case, his heroes were on the side of the slightly tarnished angels. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cannell was the single most influential figure in populist action/adventure television. His series range from the smart, wry humor of The Rockford Files to the comic-book exploits of The A-Team. Inbetween, he has created, co-created, and overseen such productions as the pacifist but macho war series Black Sheep Squadron, super-hero spoof The Greatest American Hero, the beach boy bromance Riptide, the outrageous vigilante show Hardcastle and McCormick, and the Eastwood-inspired anti-cop show Hunter. In the late '80s, he produced the critically acclaimed 21, Jump Street, and the quietly horrific, grim, dark mob show Wiseguy.

In the 1970s, his marriage of B-western plots and values to the post-Watergate cynicism of 1970s cinema refreshed popular culture, drawing from themes explored and avenues opened by Robert Altman and Clint Eastwood, perhaps the two most influential film-makers of the period. His knowing, self-parodic approach to a tired and weary action/adventure genre permeated all of American television throughout the 1980s, and much cinema thereafter.

On the surface, Cannell's heroes are traditional conservative icons of Hollywood myth, cops, judges, vigilantes, military men, tough guys--but they are also renegades and rebels, individual malcontents at odds with the injustices of the world. And despite producing shows featuring handsome but flawed male heroes (or perhaps because of it), his shows were phenomenally popular with the female audience as well as the intended men, displaying a satisfying progressive attitude towards women both in front of, and behind the camera.

This book discusses in detail the programs of this writer-producer (and sometimes director and actor), and lists every episode of his 1970s and 1980s series, with storylines and writer, director, and cast credits for 22 shows. With extensive quotes and research, it discusses Cannel's methods of working, his critics, his recurring themes and obsessions, and his successes and failures, and includes publicity materials, information on unsold pilots, and a four-page bibliography and ten pages of sources and quotations to support the author's observations and opinions. Every statement is backed up by cross-referencing numerous examples not only of specific episodes of Cannell shows, but other producers' series as well. There is a 38 page index.

Shows covered: The Rockford Files; Baretta; City of Angels; Black Sheep Squadron; Richie Brockelman; The Duke; Stone; Tenspeed and Brownshoe; The Greatest American Hero; The Quest; The A-Team; Hardcastle and McCormick; Rousters; Riptide; Hunter; Stingray; The Last Precinct; 21, Jump Street; Wiseguy; J.J. Starbuck; Sonny Spoon; Unsub; plus: unsold pilots; The Wrap-Up; sources of quotations; bibliography; index (all featured series include episode listings).

"Outstanding" (e-mail to publishers, Cannell Entertainment)

The Elvis Films (paperback and kindle, Createspace/KDP)

When a man single-handedly changes the course of popular music with one of the most pure and passionate original sounds of the 20th century, it's tough to care about his sideline occupations. But Elvis Presley wanted to be an actor as much, if not more, as he wanted to be a singer. Many Elvis fans didn't like his movies, and neither did Elvis, very much. And yet, the vast majority of them were box office smashes, sure-fire money making hits. Someone was buying tickets. In the 1960s, it seemed everyone was buying tickets.

This book considers Elvis Presley's films not as an unwelcome intrusion into the insular Presley universe, even though this is how Presley and his associates usually viewed them, but as a significant part of the late 1950s and primarily 1960s pop culture they represented. Elvis Presley, after all, loved film and TV. The Elvis Films puts these guilty pleasures into context with not only Presley's life and circumstances at the time, but looks at how they related--or in some cases did not relate to--the other popular culture of the period. A provocative and fact-filled analysis of the Elvis movies and the arts and media environment that surrounded them.

Cool TV of the 1960s (paperback and kindle, Createspace/KDP)

It was perhaps synchronicity, everything in the right place at the right time. After Prohibition, the Depression, WWII, and McCarthyism, mainstream America wanted some fun--in color. The post-War world was ready for a New Age and new ideas, for which Elvis and JFK had paved the way. When pop music, the art world, and the fashion world told the rest of the world to lighten up and loosen up, the timing was right. Television followed other aspects of popular culture just as enthusiastically as the public did--and the buzzword of 1960s popular culture and media was NEW! NEW! NEW!

The 1960s was an extraordinary time of creativity for television, with over thirty classic shows on the air in the mid-1960s simultaneously. September 1964 had seen the debut of secret agent show The Man from UNCLE, which in 1965, soared up the ratings to become an all-media phenomenon, influencing toys, books, comics, film, fashion, satirical comedy, and advertising.

Although its beginning was a little more complicated, The Man from UNCLE was conceived quite bluntly as a TV version of James Bond. It became an entity in its own right when development fell to the enormously creative Sam Rolfe, who single-handedly devised the complicated, multi-faceted organisation that was the United Network Command for Law Enforcement--UNCLE. The end result was the most dynamic, complex, fast-paced, action-packed, sexy, and exhilarating adventure show of the 20th century; as the first television series to employ the hand-held camera, the faddish, youth-orientated shows that preceded it moved at a snail's pace in comparison. And with the casting of a co-star who became the most popular MGM actor of all time, UNCLE thawed the Cold War and created the buddy movie.

But with the death of President Kennedy, the brave new world of youthful hope and co-operation that UNCLE represented had taken a severe blow. As a result, The Man from UNCLE became less of a hopeful dream and more an escapist fantasy in the years to follow. UNCLE wanted global peace too, but instead of growing its hair long and throwing flowers around, it wore a dinner suit and used smoke bombs and bullets!

But 1966 was to get wilder still. The Batman TV series had arrived in January, 1966 as a mid-season replacement that, following dire test screenings, ABC had no great hopes for. This colorful and stylish parody of the comic-book character delighted kids and adults alike with its bizarre confrontations between the preposterous cowled boy scout Batman and his obnoxious do-gooding student Robin and marvellous performances from familiar Hollywood character actors as the heroes' eccentric adversaries. It became television's second major fad of the 1960s.

The primary legacy of the Batman TV series was to give everybody in film and TV permission to go completely loopy, and late '60s film and TV still looks quite bizarre because of it. Nowhere was this more evident than in the wacky TV series The Monkees, a half-hour freestyle sit-com imitating the madcap style of the Beatles' feature films. The show was the precursor of the pop video, and the birth of the manufactured boy band, and the onscreen spot gags, parodies, and imaginings of the four leads pre-date series such as The Simpsons and Family Guy by decades. There had been nothing like these three series before. It would be well over twenty years before anyone dared attempt such levels of creativity again.

Television is an insular, self-referencing, timid, and parasitic medium that trails behind most other art forms. All television programming has sprung from radio, books, comics, films, or other TV shows, and can be traced back to earlier pop culture origins. These three series, although equally true to that rule, are unique among most television series of any decade in that their influence spread beyond television to affect all aspects of other arts and media as well--books, film, comics, toys, music, satire, fashion, and advertising.

This is the story of the secret agent craze, the super-hero fad, and the first boy band--three media phenomena that still influence popular culture today.

Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s (paperback and kindle, Createspace/KDP)

(Adult content and strong language)

To look at the world of the past through films can be a sobering insight into how things have changed, but to look at the world of the 20th century through sex films is to witness a world that is almost inexplicable. In no decade is this experience more bizarre than the 1970s, and yet it is less than half a century in the past. Was society really so strange and different only forty years ago?

JON ABBOTT, born in 1956 and a teenager in the 1970s, looks back at the era through over two hundred films exploiting sex and nudity, some of which he loved, and some of which he... liked a little less!

This opinionated and fact-filled history looks at the strange new world that adults of both sexes and all ages found themselves in during the 1970s and surrounding decades, from the 1950s to the present day.

It looks at films from all around the world, including America, Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Czechoslovakia, China, and Japan, at sci-fi, horror, crime thrillers, comedies that weren't funny, and serious-minded films that were hilarious. Some of the best-known masters of sexploitation are well represented--Stanley Long, Greg Smith, Joe Sarno, Russ Meyer, Mac Ahlberg, Jess Franco, Jean Rollin, Tinto Brass--as are some of the sex films' most beautiful and prolific practitioners--Sylvia Kristel, Gloria Guida, Lina Romay, Maria Forsa, Edwige Fenech, Felicity Devonshire, Christina Lindberg, Joelle Coeur... and such mainstream movie names as Jane Fonda, Jenny Agutter, Julie Christie, and Pam Grier.

These films were often not pornography, as we understand the term. But what were they? Who made these films and why, and who were they made for? What did they say then, and what do they tell us now? In some cases, what were we thinking?? But in others, what have we lost? Nothing even remotely like these films is being made today. What has replaced them, and how, and why?

100 of the Best, Most Violent Movies Ever (paperback and kindle, Createspace and KDP)

This book looks at the very best violent movies and their follow-ups before CGI ruined everything and turned action films into second-rate animated computer games. From Cagney and Corman to Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat, from Coffy and Black Caesar to Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction, from Republic serials to the Die Hards and their clones, from Shaft and Get Carter to Schwarzenegger and Stallone, these are films faked the hard way, with real stunts, real explosions, real muscles, real imagination, strong scripts, serious carnage, and real cars on real roads.

If it’s hypocritical to thoroughly enjoy lurid, violent films yet abhor real violence (as I do), then it seems even more hypocritical to deny the frisson one gets from a violent movie. This book has been written for the pleasure of the audience that shares my enjoyment of the Stallone/Schwarzenegger style of film and their predecessors, and that laughs and hoots along with me as bullet-riddled thugs dance and fall, and buildings and cars explode. I attempted to produce it with the same honesty that I did with Strange New World, my study of 1970s sex films, another frowned-upon genre that I enjoy and examined with a complete absence of self-imposed guilt. It seems from some of my Amazon reviews that my cynical sense of humor and deliberately anti-academic irreverence toward a subject—pop culture—that is supposed to be bright and breezy and fun, is sometimes mistaken for a contempt for the subject matter, be it sex films, Elvis films, pulp sci-fi or cult TV. Nothing could be further from the truth, I love this stuff and I want other people to love it as much as I do. So enjoy this book and enjoy these films…

Here are one hundred of the best, most violent movies ever. Where they came from, why they’re great, and what’s in ‘em that makes them great.

The Great Desilu TV Series of the 1960s (paperback 2016 and kindle 2017, Createspace and KDP)

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's imprint is all over television history. The Desilu company that was formed by Lucy and Desi to produce and market Lucy's TV series I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show was later sold to Paramount, handing them three of the biggest cash cows in television history--for it was Desilu that produced and financed The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek, three of the most admired and respected television series ever made.

All three would never have made it to air without the power, influence and support of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. It was Lucy who took television out of New York theaterland to Hollywood; she financed the pilot for I Love Lucy with her own money; she was the first to film before a live audience; her show pioneered the three camera system of filming sit-coms; her onscreen pregnancy forced American television to grow up a little when it was written into her series. It was Desi who protected The Untouchables; it was Lucy who bullied Star Trek and Mission: Impossible onto the air.

This book examines the four major Desilu legacies of the 1960s in detail--The Untouchables, The Lucy Show, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek.

The Great Desilu Series of the 1960s is a fascinating, fun-filled, fact-filled story of four famously loved television series--related in the context of each other and discussed together for what I believe to be the first time.

JON ABBOTT is a freelance writer on 20th century pop culture with over four hundred articles on TV and film published in over two dozen different magazines, trade, specialist, and populist. He is currently contributing to the cult TV magazine Infinity. He self-publishes, has had two previous books published by McFarland in the U.S., and lives in Brighton, England.