Prison, Channel 4, 9pm, produced and directed by Paddy Wivell. https://www.channel4.com/programmes/prison/on-demand/66913-001 https://www.channel4.com/programmes/prison/on-demand/66913-002 Durham Prison in the North East of England holds around 950 inmates on any given day. In the first episode there were no real surprises, apart from the prisoner that managed to smuggle a phone inside up his arse. He freely admitted to it on camera. There’s a...

If you've got children of a certain age around the house, then you'll know about Bing! If not, his work may have passed you by, particularly if you don't happen to be an avid fan of CBeebies. Bing! (and he always comes with his own exclamation mark) is a charming black rabbit dressed in a colourful set of dungarees (which people my age would have called a romper suit in the dark ages). He has a series of adventures with his friends Sula (an...

David Halberstam was killed in a car crash in 2007, clichéd as it is, his memory lives on here. This is a book all American citizens need to read before saluting the flag. Old Glory, American Presidents should be handed it when they are sworn in and take office. The Korean War began on 25 th June 1950 and lasted three years. The forgotten war, a stepping stone into Vietnam. Military historian S.L.A Marshall described it as ‘the century’s...

Our Story of the Week is london_calling79's introduction to his series 'I'm Not Disappointed, I'm Just Angry'. It's funny, it's touching, and it's shot through with rage at the state of things in the UK education system. Do read it, and the chapters so far, if you haven't already: https://www.abctales.com/story/londoncalling79/im-not-disappointed-im-ju... Poem of the Week is ralph's 'Going Out for Cigarettes', which gives us a whole novel's...

Steven tells a story through linked facts. A tale of theft, lies and violence. Land where coal is discovered, it's there for grabs. Who wins - the bosses. Who loses - the miners and their families who lose their health hacking the coal out, who lose their homes migrating from one mining shanty town to the next and who get cheated out of their pay by having to pay high rents for rotten housing and worse plots to grow their vegatables than if they...

Story and Poem for the month of June very kindly selected by Sean McNulty: Mirror World by Poetonahill https://www.abctales.com/ story/poetonahill/mirror-world I am usually wary of overtly sentimental poetry. I think it’s because I find it a very difficult thing to achieve: to write a poem, a lovely poem, a lovely sentimental poem. It takes some skill to produce something like that without the weight of artifice hanging. Luckily, here at...

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Poetry Monthly – July Hello all, Sorry for the delay in Poetry Monthly – I’ve been busy and then sloth-like in the heat when I’ve stopped! June’s focus was ‘In your shoes’ and as usual, ABC writers took it their way and made the focus their own. Here are some pieces to go back to: https://www.abctales.com/story/dihard/your-shoes https://www.abctales.com/story/shannan-lea/mommys-shoes For July, the focus for Poetry Monthly is ‘Golden’. Think...

Summer is here! And it's just a bit too hot. stay in the shade and read the wonderful pieces on the site - starting with our brillaint picks of the week! Poem of the week from Elsie Katz, allows us to fill in the gaps with our own personal dreams of escape https://www.abctales.com/story/elsie-katz/go-now Story of the week is a stunning two-parter from JohnShade - it's really very special: https://www.abctales.com/story/johnshade/mask https://www...

Robertson Davies was a Canadian and the trilogy was published in the 1950's. His style of writing is out of style now. Lots of words, piercing observation of his huge cast of mainly arty, middle-class characters, shocking events- fraud, suicide, unbearable domestic situations, laugh out loud dialogue. I was on a bus going through Budleigh Salterton tittering away and I have no idea what the old prune seated next to me thought. Don't care - she...