Yes, it's a great book!
What is slightly unusual about this, is that it is a 'making of' book written from a very personal perspective. A more general book might have included more detail with regards facts and figures, but this is a truly unique personal account and it reads very much like a journey.
What occurs to me is that Jane Royston's story, in some way, mirrors that of Dora. A young girl who loves horses, who has a secret place which eventually becomes her home. A true life docu-drama, to use the modern parlance, could be made out of this!! I was genuinely surprised and amazed to discover how Jane's derelict farm became Follyfoot - this must have been a dream come true!
To say that it is packed with amazing photos and anecdotes would be an understatement. Believe me, it's worth the £14.99 just for the photos! The writing style is informal and chatty and I do like the way that Jane can attribute very revealing and often amusing stories very specifically to certain episodes. I learned a lot from reading this book and was constantly finding myself thinking "Blimey...I never knew that!" For example, James Bolam originally suggested the idea to YTV, I assume in the 1960s? An obscure little nugget of info there to start with!!!
Buy the book and it will provide many hours of interesting and enjoyable reading. The design is good, the layout clear and uncluttered and I love the recent (albeit short) interviews with the surviving stars.
Just two questions:
1) Can we see the script for the unmade film?
2) Does the footage for the unaired pilot episode still exist?
A great book. I can happily give it a big
!!!! CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE.
