Alan Strachan

Bernard Miles was a force of nature. Actor, writer, director, life peer and founder of the Mermaid Theatre, Bernard Miles was a visionary who made an indelible impact on British Theatre. In 1959, in a post-Blitz area of London, amongst the ghosts of Shakespeare and Marlowe, Bernard and his wife Josephine Wilson fought every obstacle to establish a truly remarkable theatre that brought new plays to the British public and revitalised the classics. Alan Strachan’s fascinating biography shares the adventures of Bernard Miles from film set to stage door, covering his personal and professional life and revealing the man and his mission. The talented and eccentric characters who worked and supported the Mermaid Theatre fill the pages of this inspiring memoir. And the man at the helm, the Adventurer, has earned his place in theatre history. Whether filming in an oily tank for In Which We Serve, or on stage with his parrot on his shoulder for Treasure Island; whether arranging inspired ‘get rich quick’ schemes to finance the theatre or bringing the house down as ‘The Uncrowned King of the Chiltern Hills’, Bernard Miles was a determined and passionate idealist. Alan Strachan’s book shows the talented, flawed, beloved, troublesome man in all his glory. “This full, rich and enthralling account of the making of one of the British theatre’s great figures is long overdue. Bernard was one of its most important – and most original – standard bearers, for whom we have much to be grateful, as any reader of this riveting book will discover.” - Simon Callow Longlisted for STR's 2024 Theatre Book Prize

Featuring the words and music of Noel Coward. Devised by Gerald Frow, Alan Strachan and Wendy Toye. Chracters: 6 male, 6 female Revue style setting. An immense success in London. An imaginative and innovative presentation of Noel Coward's words, music, sketches, which also shows us something of the man himself. Cowardy Custard contains not only those classic medleys and duets, but also previously unpublished material, snippets of plays and dialogues, material from his autobiographies as background and even a few of his little known poems. The result is a kaleidoscopic glimpse of the Coward achievement. "More densely packed with entertainment than any that has hit town for a long while."-- Daily Mail , London. "A whole ravishing feast ...never ceases to amaze."-- Evening Standard , London.

Utilizing forensic evidence that was ignored by the police, and documents that have never before been released to the public, Alan Strachan has produced the horrific account of a man who was wrongfully executed for rape and murder -- even though it is quite possible that there was neither a rape nor a murder. Both were capital crimes in Canada in 1942 and the accused was British -- a 21-year-old Royal Air Force sergeant whose wife and one-year-old daughter remained in Peterborough when he was sent to New Brunswick to help train Canadians for the war effort. As soon as the trial ended, records were sealed, and anyone interested in documenting the proceedings was told that the transcript would not become available until 2042. But Strachan pursued the matter in 2015 and became the first in more than fifty years to be given full access to that transcript. He then acquired an original copy of the preliminary-hearing transcript, believed to be the only one in existence. Because freedom-of-information laws have been revised since 1942, he was also able to access the original Royal Canadian Mounted Police internal correspondence as well as the diplomatic communications between Canadian and English bureaucrats. Those letters and telegrams document the dereliction of duty by those in power: a Canadian justice minister who went on to become the nation's prime minister; an ambassador who became governor-general; a member of the British royal family; and, of course, high-ranking RCMP officers. The only truly innocent person in this saga is the one who was executed.

Winner of the Society for Theatre Research Book Prize 2020Vivien Leigh was perhaps the most iconic actress of the twentieth century. As Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche Du Bois she took on some of the most pivotal roles in cinema history. Yet she was also a talented theatre actress with West End and Broadway plaudits to her name. In this ground-breaking new biography, Alan Strachan provides a completely new full-life portrait of Leigh, covering both her professional and personal life. Using previously unseensources from her archive, recently acquired by the V&A, he sheds new light on her fractious relationship with Laurence Olivier, based on their letters and diaries, as well as on the bipolar disorder which so affected her later life and work. Revealing new aspects of her early life as well as providing glimpses behind-the-scenes of the filming of Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire, this book provides the essential and comprehensive life-story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest actresses.'A gripping new biography' - The Daily Mail'[Vivien Leigh's] life, lived to the full at every second, will never be better told than it is in these pages' - The Sunday Times'One of the most revealing showbiz biographies ever' - Sir Ian McKellen'Enthralling' - Michael Codron'A wonderful tribute' - Dame Penelope Keith DBE, DL

Poaching of wild animals in Africa has reached devastating numbers. Soon there will be no wildlife left. When a game ranger is seriously injured in a shoot out with a group of notorious, deadly poachers, his body is destroyed but his brain still intact. This news reaches A.P.E.S, an animal protection and scientific institute in the USA. They have an astounding plan to transfer the brain of the game ranger into the perfect body of a mature silver back gorilla also involved in the same incident. Dirk, the ranger, agrees to have the transplant into the body of the gorilla they had named Captain. Captain is now trained to lead a team of genetically modified chimpanzees back to Africa to fight back against the poachers, They also have the scientific back up of the institute to inject into wild animals a serum that lasts for a short time but dramatically increases their intelligence. With his team Captain returns to Africa, but this time the poachers have been joined by a collection of ruthless killers hired by the Chinese mafia. Landing in Central Africa with all their equipment Captain goes up against the killers but find that it is more difficult than they imagined. However as they recruit some of the resident wildlife the odds slowly turn. Even when Captain is captured by the poachers his troops still manage to beat all odds. The poachers are quick to kill and Captain's squad lose some of their compatriots, making them more determined to achieve their goal of getting to the mastermind behind the killings. From America to the deep jungles of Central Africa to Hong Kong, Captain and his troops relentlessly pursue the slayers.

Musical An Entertainment based on the words and music of Cole Porter. Characters: 5 male, 5 female Devised by Benny Green and Alan Strachan. Here's a fresh musical about the King of Musicals, Cole Porter. Green and Strachan have cleverly put together most of Cole's hit tunes with a narration which tells the story of his life, from Yale to Paris to Manhattan to Broadway to Hollywood-- and, ultimately, back once again to Broadway. Includes such Porter standards as "I Love Paris," "Take Me Back to Manhattan," "Love for Sale," "Night and Day," and "I Get a Kick Out of You." A London success, this delightful new show may be done very simply on an almost bare stage with projections.