Product Description

Episodes in the life of Longden, his wife and his army of cats. The theme is the experience of Longden watching LOST FOR WORDS become a TV drama along with a collection of observations of life at home and abroad.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18553 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 303 pages

From the Back Cover
A behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Lost For Words, the Emmy-award winning TV drama based on the Deric Longden classic.

In A Play on Words, Longden is at his wittiest chronicling the wondrous experience of seeing his autobiographical book Lost For Words come to life on film. Several years in the writing, his screen-adapted version of this sequel to Wide Eyed and Legless had finally been completed thanks to the continual needling of Dame Thora Hird, who breathed life into the role of his mother in both films.

In his own inimitable style, Deric describes the daily goings-on around the film set amidst the continuing chaos of his private world, where he serves as official guide dog to his blind wife, the writer Aileen Armitage, and as parent, therapist, chief entertainer and chef to their three and a half cats and assorted other animals. Despite the usual interruptions by this familiar cast of characters, his own brand of literary work somehow manages to get done.

About the Author
Deric Longden
Deric Longden was born in Chesterfield in 1936 and married Diana Hill in 1957. After various jobs he took over a small factory making women's lingerie, but began writing and broadcasting in the 1970s. The demands made on him by Diana's illness, subsequently believed to be a form of ME, forced him to sell the factory, and since then he has devoted himself to full-time writing, broadcasting, lecturing and after-dinner speaking. Diana's Story, published in 1989, some years after Diana's death, was a bestseller. It was followed by Lost for Words, The Cat Who Came in from the Cold, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, Enough to Make a Cat Laugh and A Play On Words. Deric Longden's first two books were adapted for television under the title Wide-Eyed and Legless, and an adaptation of Lost for Words was screened in January 1999, attracting an audience of more than 12 million viewers and winning the Emmy for best foreign drama. He married the writer Aileen Armitage in 1990 and now lives in Huddersfield.

Customer Reviews

Another hilarious selection of anecdotes from Deric Longden
A Play On Words is another hilarious selection of anecdotes from Deric Longden. This time he chronicles the production of one of his previous books, Lost For Words, into a television play starring Thora Hird and Pete Postlethwaite. Like his other books we hear of his totally unbelievable but undoubtedly true exploits with his wife, (the writer Aileen Armitage), his cats and with ordinary members of the public. The differences that make this book special are, first, it gives us an insight into the mind of the writer watching his work come to life on television. Secondly, we are given an idea of what it is like to work with an actress with the experience of the delightful Dame Thora Hird. (Dame Thora Hird also appeared in a previous adaptation of Deric Longden's work - Wide Eyed and Legless). She plays his late mother. To see his mother recreated again by Dame Thora Hird was obviously an extremely emotional experience for Deric Longden. We are privileged to share some of those emotions in this book. However, unlike Diana's Story (about the illness and tragic death of his first wife) this book concentrates more on the joys of being able to remember a loved one without being morbid or morose. It is a truly funny book.

I would recommend that people read Lost For Words before this book to fully appreciate the story.

the best birthday ever!
It's not very often that you get such an inside view of what it is like having a book turned into a television play, and Deric (as usual) manages to capture his life in a unique and very funny way. I met Deric in November this year (the day before my birthday; hence the above) and he is a lovely warm man in person, very humble and quite nervous still at public speaking. He signed my book, and even put happy birthday in it! Although I now have an edition with a few extra words by the author,which makes it extra special, it is nevertheless a really warm and funny book. My advice if you've never read his work before is to try "Lost for words" the book first, then the film, and then this. Even if you don't, you will find yourself hanging on to every word. By the way, Deric, I meant what I said, we all want more books on your life & cats!

Another fantastic and heartwarming book from Derec Longden.
I got this book this afternoon and finished it within 5 hours. The story makes you laugh and cry all the way through. I found myself laughing out loud and fighting back the tears whilst I read this book, something that last happened with Derec's previous book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself". I found myself raging with jealousy at him for having the honour of being made to take Dame Thora Heard out to lunch. This book is up there with all of his previous works, I am going to re-purchase the rest of his back catalogue, He is so good, if you lend his books to anybody you will never see them again. Guard them with your life!