Adrian Albert Mole is the fictional protagonist in a series of books by English author Sue Townsend. The character first appeared as part of a comic diary featured in a short-lived arts magazine published in Leicester in 1980, and shortly afterward in a BBC Radio 4 play in 1982. The books are written in the form of a diary, with some additional content such as correspondence. The first two books appealed to many readers as a realistic and humorous treatment of the inner life of an adolescent boy, and capturing the zeitgeist of the UK during the Thatcher period.
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Labour Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle from 1997 to 2017.
Anne Frances Milton is a former British politician and lobbyist who served as Minister of State for Skills and Apprenticeships from 2017 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Guildford from 2005 to 2019. Elected as a Conservative, she had the whip removed in September 2019 and subsequently sat as an independent politician.
The Starlight Barking is a 1967 children's novel by Dodie Smith. It is a sequel to the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
"Maggie's Farm" is a song written by Bob Dylan, recorded on January 15, 1965, and released on the album Bringing It All Back Home on March 22 of that year. Like many other Dylan songs of the 1965–66 period, "Maggie's Farm" is based on electric blues. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on June 4, 1965, and peaked at No. 22 on the chart. Dylan only needed one take to record the song, as may be heard on the exhaustive 18-disc Collector's Edition of The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966, which includes every alternate take recorded during Dylan's 1965–1966 sessions but only the one version of "Maggie's Farm".
Gail Lewis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Fiona Corke. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 March 1987. Corke left the role in 1989, but made appearances in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She reprised the role in 2019, as Gail returns to Erinsborough to meet her granddaughter.
Peter and the Shadow Thieves is a children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, in 2006. Written by humorist Dave Barry and novelist Ridley Pearson, the book is a sequel to their book Peter and the Starcatchers, continuing the story of the orphan Peter and his latest adventures with the Starcatchers. The "Starcatchers" series is an epic story of a battle between good and evil, incorporating a reimagined version of characters and situations from J.M. Barrie's classic novel Peter and Wendy. It was illustrated by artist Greg Call.
"The American Dad After School Special" is the second episode of the third season, and the twenty-fifth overall episode, of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 17, 2006, and is written by Dan Vebber and directed by Pam Cooke.
"Fat Farm" is a short story by American writer Orson Scott Card. Originally published in the January 1980 issue of Omni magazine, it also appears in his short story collection Maps in a Mirror.
The Children's Hospital is the second novel by Chris Adrian, published on August 22, 2006 by McSweeney's. One critic called it a "dark, hilarious .. epic novel" that "can be gruesome."
Obesity in the United Kingdom is a significant contemporary health concern, with authorities stating that it is one of the leading preventable causes of death. In February 2016, former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt described rising rates of childhood obesity as a "national emergency". The National Childhood Measurement Programme, which measures obesity prevalence among school-age pupils in reception class and year 6, found obesity levels rocketed in both years groups by more than 4 percentage points between 2019–20 and 2020–21, the highest rise since the programme began. Among reception-aged children, those aged four and five, the rates of obesity rose from 9.9% in 2019–20 to 14.4% in 2020–21. By the time they are aged 10 or 11, more than a quarter are obese. In just 12 months, the rate is up from 21% in 2019–20 to 25.5% in 2020–21.
Creatures of Circumstance is a collection of 15 short stories by the British writer W. Somerset Maugham, first published by William Heinemann in 1947. It was the last collection of stories prepared by the writer.
Mr. Stink is a 60-minute BBC television film adaptation of the 2009 novel of the same name by David Walliams that was first broadcast on 23 December 2012.
Theresa May's tenure as prime minister of the United Kingdom began on 13 July 2016 when she accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to form a government after the resignation of her predecessor David Cameron in the aftermath of the European Union (EU) membership referendum, and ended upon her resignation on 24 July 2019. May's premiership was dominated by Brexit, terrorist attacks in Westminster, the Manchester Arena and London Bridge, the Grenfell Tower fire, and the Salisbury poisonings. As prime minister, May served simultaneously as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party.
Gary Canning is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Damien Richardson. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 November 2014. Richardson previously appeared in the show in 1992. Following his first stint as Gary, Richardson reprised the role in late 2015 and returned the following year in a regular capacity. Gary is portrayed as an easy-going, work shy bogan. He was introduced as the estranged father of Kyle Canning, and his early storylines focused on his attempts to reconnect with his family. After accepting money from Paul Robinson to beat Ezra Hanley, Gary was sent to prison.
Boss Level is a 2020 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Carnahan and written by Carnahan and Chris and Eddie Borey, from a story by the Boreys. It stars Frank Grillo as a retired special forces soldier who tries to escape a never-ending time loop that results in his death. Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts and Michelle Yeoh co-star.
Host is a 2020 British independent supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage and written by Savage, Gemma Hurley, and Jed Shepherd. A computer screen film that takes place entirely on a Zoom video call, it follows a group of friends who attempt to escape a demon they inadvertently summoned during an online séance.
Starving in Suburbia is a 2014 American psychological drama made-for-television film about a high school student and competitive dancer, Hannah, who develops a severe eating disorder after becoming obsessed with a pro-ana forum on Tumblr that promotes self-starvation, as Hannah's family are preoccupied by her wrestler brother's upcoming tournament. The film stars Laura Wiggins, Brendan Meyer, Paula Newsome, Marcus Giamatti, Izabella Miko, Emma Dumont and Callie Thorne. It received mixed reviews from critics, while being noted for addressing two phenomenons previously unaddressed by made-for-television films: pro-ana websites, and anorexia among males.
