An update of TV, Film and Radio information

The Nature of the Beast –book into film

The film version of Janni Howker's award-winning novel was released in November. The story, told in the novel by young Bill Coward, charts the impact of unemployment on a Lancashire mill town and in particular on Bill's family. The Beast of the title roams the moors making attacks on the town; Bill sets out to track it down.

AN UPDATE OF TV, FILM & RADIO INFORMATION

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

- an update on the latest information

Narnia

As any publisher will tell you, getting hard, concrete information on film and TV tie-ins is mighty difficult -'it's scheduled for the Autumn' (don't try to pin them down to which Autumn), `they've just started/finished filming', `it was coming last year, now it might come next', `they're still talking' - forget it. It's whispers, rumours and mentions until suddenly, like a greyhound coming out of its box, the film and TV companies unleash their product and all its attendant publicity, for the publisher, the wrong side of the last minute. For BfK we have the added bonus of getting it out of our publishing friends - it's amazing what they can omit to tell us. Even so my sympathy is with them; it's a dodgy business not least because the book and the screen work on entirely different timescales. So stand by with your salt (forget pinches, have a shovel handy) because here's the best update we could manage for the coming Autumn and beyond.

ANDI'S WAR - a winning newcomer

MOONDIAL

The novel version of Helen Cresswell's compelling story Moondial was published last autumn. In February the six-part serial which she wrote for television starts on BBC 1.

Letter from "The Witch"

TV Reality - The Dangers and the Opportunities

Bernard Ashley considers the issues facing the writer of television for children.

The Secret World of Polly Flint - on screen at last