After comedian Tommy Cooper (right) died journalist John McEntee charmed his way into his widow's home, where he sat with her for two or three hours, the account of which is revealed in his memoir (left) I'm Not One To Gossip But... While Mrs Cooper wept into her gin and tonic, McEntee fielded calls from fellow comics including Eric Morecambe and Ronnie Barker, informing them in Jeeves-like tones that 'Mrs Cooper is indisposed'.
The Shipping Forecast is broadcast nightly on Radio 4 at 00:48 hours. Nic Compton said the BBC voices 'inspire calmness and certitude' in a touching tribute.
From Carla Bruni to Dior, this well-researched book makes you feel as learned as Vivienne Westwood, as it details 150 years of fashion.
According to poet Boris Pasternak's great niece, the romance in Dr Zhivago was inspired by Boris' young lover Olga Ivinskaya - who was said to be the model for the novel's love interest.
From September 26, to October 2, speakers at a packed week of events will include Archbishop of York John Sentamu, Jo Malone, Terry Waite, Sara Pascoe and Miriam Gonzalez Durantez.
POPULAR FICTION
Timothy Gandy, timid fiftysomething widower, sets out on a modern version of the Georgian Grand Tour.
LITERARY FICTION
Two families grow up in Sixties suburban California, only to find themselves yanked apart when the mother of one runs off with the father of the other.
PICTURE BOOKS
Kitty-in-Boots is in many ways a modern feminist character, who sneaks out dressed in a Norfolk jacket and boots to hunt with a gun.
CLASSIC CRIME
Offbeat assignments are second nature to Detective Peter Diamond. In the latest he investigates a fatal car accident.
MUST READS
Glorious privilege, rather than simplicity, is the prevailing theme of the life recalled in this engaging memoir.
THRILLERS
Dear Mr M is a riveting but disturbing literary thriller from the richly talented Dutch author Herman Koch who sprang to prominence with his gripping The Dinner in 2009.
RETRO READS
Extremely dark comedy enthrals in this unforgettable visit to London's fog-bound, seedy Earl's Court circa 1939.
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Amid the squalor and horror of the trenches, Churchill found a contentment that had eluded him in England. Within a few days he was writing to Clementine: 'I am very happy here. How I ever could have wasted so many months in impotent misery, which might have been spent in war, I cannot tell.' At first, he was told that he could stay in the relative safety of battalion headquarters. Churchill, however, was having none of it. Despite his warnings of what would happen to anyone who crossed him, Churchill proved to be a surprisingly lenient and unstuffy CO. He allowed fellow officers to use his bath, and once refused to discipline a sentry who had been found asleep at his post - an offence, in theory, punishable by firing squad - saying simply: 'He was only a lad.'
On the whole, Portsmouth was a pitiful and abused figure - and Elizabeth Foyster, a Cambridge historian, wishes to present him as more sinned against than sinning.
While the world's gaze has turned firmly to the host nation of the Summer Olympic Games, this fabulous book celebrates the country's evolution to a world superpower.
This book is edited by Marcus Berkmann and is a collection of articles giving a witty and wry look at the eccentricities of British life often featured in the Spectator magazine.
Joe Moran is here to discuss the importance of shyness and shy people in our lives and our history, and, along the way, counter the great extrovert hegemony that seems to have taken over the world.
Thelma and Louise, the Two Ronnies, Lennon and McCartney - all the best things come in pairs!
Mukherjee describes the path from Mendel to the Human Genome Project and beyond with energy and panache. His story of the unravelling of the structure of DNA is concise and illuminating.
This book is by Oxford professor of English Fiona Stafford. It examines 17 common British trees such as willows and yew. She writes about the interesting folklore surrounding different varieties. For example the willow tree provides wood for cricket bats, the quintessential English game. But most people associate the tree with its weeping variety, which was not introduced here until the 18th century.
Marcus Berkmann first visited Stonehenge as a child. He's fascinated by this look into the history of the site. Puts a theory forward that it was the final stop in a funeral procession.
What do we really know about the bizarre series of events that took place with Van Gogh in the French town of Arles on the night of December 23, 1888?
Science says our love for baby animals is hard-wired into the brain and, if this book, Wild Babies, by best-selling author and photographer Traer Scott is anything to go by, it's true.
Now Gary Fildes may rub shoulders with the Astronomer Royal but, judging by this refreshingly ego-free, crisply no-nonsense account of his life, it doesn't seem to have changed him.
If you haven't managed to catch David Hockney's 82 Portraits And 1 Still-Life exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, why not pick up a copy of the accompanying book?
The word 'mudlark' was coined in the 18th century as a malicious description for the scavengers who scoured the banks of the River Thames for scraps.
All this week, Labour MP Simon Danczuk is laying bare how the Establishment, the Liberal Party, the police and even MI5 covered up the industrial-scale child abuse of 29-stone Rochdale MP Cyril Smith. Today, how his victims were ignored and betrayed when they tried to expose their suffering.
In the finale of her unique inside story, Vicky Pryce, the wife of disgraced ex-minister Chris Huhne, describes life at open prison East Sutton Park.
In the second extract from her autobiography, published exclusively in the Mail today, Mary Berry describes the sudden death of the son she doted on, pictured left.
In his compelling new biography, Gary Morecambe talks about his father's relationship with Ernie Wise and how he continued to make them laugh even up until the end.
The star was accused of being a communist after allegedly telling banquet guests 'the Russian purges' were a 'wonderful thing'.
Jerry and Lucian had never quite bonded. While sitting for him she gave him cashmere jerseys, which he loathed. But worse, she had a habit of being late.
In an extract from his explosive memoirs, Power Trip, Damian McBride reveals how the former Chancellor survived by the skin of his teeth after credit crunch bungle.
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