Steptoe and Son by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson with Robert Ross (BBC Worldwide £16.99)
THERE were two comedy shows in the early 1960s that were capable of bringing the entire nation to a complete halt.
One was Hancock's Half Hour. The other was Steptoe and Son.
Without doubt, there was something about this mould-breaking sitcom that brought a gritty realism to a new era of socially-aware comedy.
Rooted in the warts-and-all school of kitchen sink drama, you could almost smell the dry rot and mould in the unsavoury abode of this dysfunctional father and son.
No subject was taboo. Death, politics, sexuality... all human life was there. Anyway, here it is - the inside story of one of the greatest creations from two of Britain's greatest comedy writers.
Steptoe and Son chronicles the life of the series using exclusive interviews with surviving members of the cast and crew. Illustrated with unseen photographs from the BBC archives, it reveals fascinating behind-the-scenes secrets held until now in official BBC correspondence.
At its peak, Steptoe and Son attracted record audiences of up to 28 million.
Harold Wilson even asked the Beeb to move transmission on the night of the General Election as he believed it might affect the working class vote. Such was the power of the show.
Not just for retro-telly addicts, this is a compulsive read that should appeal to all tastes.
John Phillpott
