Turned Out Nice Again celebrates the work of the performers and impresarios who, from the 1930s onwards, pushed the creative boundaries of radio and then television to bring ground-breaking variety shows to a new audience. He demonstrates how the performances of Britain's best-loved entertainers, including The Crazy Gang, Shirley Bassey, Tommy Cooper and The Two Ronnies, were conceived, written and then filmed, often in front of a live audience and under extreme space and time restrictions.

With a cast of thousands, including Peter Cook, Ken Dodd, Dusty Springfield, Spike Milligan, Rolf Harris, Bruce Forsyth and Reeves & Mortimer, Turned Out Nice Again reveals a world of comedians and cavorters, dancing girls and crooners. From the early days of vaudeville, via the golden age of radio, live television spectaculars, the rise of the chat show and alternative comedy, Louis Barfe pulls back the curtain of variety to reveal the world of light entertainment in all its glory.

First published: Saturday 1st November 2008