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Find out moreBen Thompson's comedy career began in the winter of 1986-7, reading a photocopied Ronnie Corbett monologue to an audience of angry students. He never performed again, but later took the opportunity to parade his ignorance of the basic principles of stagecraft in front of a national audience as comedy critic of The Independent On Sunday from 1994-97. He has also written profiles of Britain's best known comedians for The Face, GQ, The Independent, Night & Day and The Saturday Telegraph.
Based on hundreds of interviews with comedians and people directly involved, it charts the history of ‘The Golden Age of British Comedy’ – from Vic Reeves in the ‘90s to the Office.
Christopher Columbus is one of the most famous explorers of all time, but he was neither the first nor last adventurer to ever stumble upon a great discovery. From the Silk Road of Asia to the icy shores of Antarctica, our knowledge of the world today is in large part due to several intrepid pioneers, risking life and limb for the sake of exploration. After all, setting off into the dark unknown requires an enormous amount of bravery. But every explorer quickly learns that courage and curiosity aren't enough to save you if you can't read a map or trespass on somebody else's land! In this fourth installment of the Epic Fails series, authors Erik Slader and Ben Thompson introduces readers to an international cast of trailblazers and details every mutiny, wrong turn, and undiscovered city of gold behind the age of exploration.
Ask anyone who knows about music and they'll tell you: without Steve Jones, punk rock would not exist. This is not hyperbole. The prototypical street-urchin-turned-Sex-Pistols-guitarist was the inspiration for and creator of the punk movement, which started shaking the culture in late 1970s London and is just as strong today. Lonely Boy presents never-before-told stories of an abused boy who was neglected by his mother and stepfather and abandoned by his biological father. It chronicles the petty crime and anger of his youth, which fueled the musical onslaught to come, the meteoric rise of the Pistols, the role of impresario Malcolm McLaren, and how a band with one album defined a generation and changed history. Lonely Boy educates people on where it all started, straight from the guy who inspired the whole scene.
Ferocious raids, heroic battles, larger-than-life leaders, and courageous explorers that changed the course of human history.From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real.History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson's lively storytelling style brings the Vikings back to life in this second book in the exhilarating Guts & Glory series!
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Calibri} History comes alive for kids like no textbook can in this epic account of the American Civil War that's perfect for history buffs and reluctant readers! Contains awesome illustrations!From courageous cavalry rides deep into enemy territory to harrowing covert missions undertaken by spies and soldiers, the events of the American Civil War were filled with daring figures and amazing feats. This exhilarating overview covers the biggest battles as well as captivating lesser-known moments to entertain kids with unbelievable (and totally true) tales of one of America's most fascinating conflicts.History buff, Civil War reenactor, and popular blogger Ben Thompson uses his extensive knowledge and vivid storytelling style to bring the Civil War to life in this first book in a thrilling new series featuring incredible people, events, and civilizations. Get ready to learn just how awesome history can be!
In 1964, Mary Whitehouse launched a campaign to fight what she called the 'propaganda of disbelief, doubt and dirt' being poured into homes through the nation's radio and television sets. Whitehouse, senior mistress at a Shropshire secondary school, became the unlikely figurehead of a mass movement for censorship: the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, now Mediawatch-uk. For almost forty years, she kept up the fight against the programme makers, politicians, pop stars and playwrights who she felt were dragging British culture into a sewer of blasphemy and obscenity. From Doctor Who ('Teatime brutality for tots') to Dennis Potter (whose mother sued her for libel and won) to the Beatles - whose Magical Mystery Tour escaped her intervention by the skin of its psychedelic teeth - the list of Mary Whitehouse's targets will read to some like a nostalgic roll of honour. Caricatured while she lived as a figure of middle-brow reaction, Mary Whitehouse was held in contempt by the country's intellectual elite. But were some of the dangers she warned of more real than they imagined? Ben Thompson's selection of material from her extraordinary archive shows Mary Whitehouse's legacy in a startling new light. From her exquisitely testy exchanges with successive BBC Directors General, to the anguished screeds penned by her television and radio vigilantes, these letters reveal a complex and combative individual, whose anxieties about culture and morality are often eerily relevant to the age of the internet. 'A fantastic read . . . I can't recommend it highly enough.' Lauren Laverne, BBC Radio 6 Music
Unstoppable true stories of the most hardcore showdowns, last stands, and military engagements of all time! When only one can live, its an Ultimate Deathmatch!This aint no table tennis. Youre not here to skip rope with your niece. Youre here to witness the catastrophically awesome exploits of historys greatest badasses. Not only that, youre here to see what happens when badasses collide, when glory and doom hang in the balance, when two men enter one man leaves. If you dare listen, youll hear the stories of . . .Cyrus the GreatThe king who forged the Persian Empire with blood, steel, and a few thousand rampaging camelsSt. Moses the BlackThe Patron Saint of Asskickings, who taught bandit thugs a lesson in turning the other cheekThe War of AracauThe only successful indigenous resistance to Spanish colonization, led by a Mapuche warrior who strapped blades to his arms after the conquistadors sawed off his handsThe Rani of JhansiThe Indian warrior princess who took on the British crown with a sword in each hand and her baby strapped to her backTango Mike-MikeOne lone Green Beret single-handedly rescues an entire Special Forces squad from a pinned-down position deep behind enemy lines in CambodiaThe Charge of the Australian Light HorseEight hundred horsemen armed with bayonets embark on the last great cavalry charge in history, rushing toward trenches filled with machine guns, rifles, and huge bullets
Ben Thompson went to China at the age of 50 to study Mandarin. He soon found himself drawn into the world of TV and film acting. He stayed for over 10 years and took part in more than 70 television series and films. This book is intended for anyone going to China who might want to try some screen acting, including actors and drama school graduates considering making a career move in that direction.
Since the beginning of human history people have created myths, tall tales, and super- and anti-heroes. They've told stories of men and women who embarked on intrepid adventures, performed extraordinary feats of unparalleled awesomeness, and overcame all odds to violently smite their foes. In Badass: The Birth of a Legend , Ben Thompson compiles all of these fantastical tales from the beginning of time to today and tells them in the completely over-the-top manner in which they were intended. Whether it's Michael, the Archangel who defeated Satan, or the super-punching villain, Ivan Drago, whose epic battle with Rocky Balboa was immortalized on the silver screen, these timeless legends are so totally insane they'll blow your hair to the back of the auditorium and leave you wondering what the heck just happened. This title includes profiles such as: Rama (half-god warrior who rescued his wife by killing a giant monster); Samson (Biblical strongman); Beowulf (hero who slaughtered Grendel and his mother); Bradamante (medieval Italian warrior princess); Dirty Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood's iconic tough-guy cop); The Joker (crazy evil psychotic clown who torments Gotham City); Moby Dick (carnivorous white whale who kills all who attempt to hunt him down); Frankenstein's Monster (heartless serial killer who dedicates his life to annihilating his creator); and, the Predator (badass movie monster equipped with awesome sci-fi hardware).
Bringing historical events to life with its laugh-out-loud stories and striking illustrations, Badass chronicles the asskicking age of antiquity to the fearless modern era in chapters that include the stories of: Ramses II - the greatest of the Egyptian Pharaohs, who once said look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair; Alexander the Great - Macedonian King who conquered the entire known world before his 33rd birthday; Blackbeard - the most feared cutthroat to ever sail the Caribbean; and, Bhanbhagta Gurung - Gurkha soldier who cleared out six enemy positions with grenades, a knife, and a healthy disregard for his own safety. From Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan to Bruce Lee and George S. Patton, this relentless onslaught of badassitude is the perfect addition to the canon of manliness that includes The Truth About Chuck Norris and The Alphabet of Manliness .
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