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Los Angeles Times
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
5 dystopian TV shows to watch — and how they create their terrifying worlds
'Dystopian' TV may seem ubiquitous, but not all dystopias look the same. We asked the creatives behind several series — totalitarian, postapocalyptic or both — to explain how they bring the term to life. 'Dystopia, by definition, suggests an imagined society in which suffering and injustice are normalized. The people in that society are meant to believe their leaders and heroes are always right and working in their interest no matter how evil their values are or how horrifying their behavior,' says Mark Steel, the production designer for the comedy-drama about controlling capitalist overlords (and the outsiders who want to bring them down). 'One of the principal rules for the look of 'The Boys' world was to stay close to the recognizable visual language of American media and culture today,' Steel says. The show uses everything from patriotic rallies to kids' puppet shows to an ice-skating performance branded with the name of the omnipresent corporation Vought International to parallel real life. 'I think absurdity is most effective and funniest when it is set against normalcy,' Steel says. 'We were able to build the Vought on Ice show in a real professional arena at real scale with skaters, costumes and music. The genius of the piece was how far we could facilitate the performance before all hell breaks loose.' 'The Handmaid's Tale's' Season 6 co-showrunner Yahlin Chang says the word 'dystopia' usually connotes overgrown trees and disaster zones. In her show, the slave slate known as Gilead is a veneer of perfection that's fooling no one, 'like a cake with a razor blade in it,' she says. 'Our dystopia has always been very beautiful to look at … because it was meant to sort of clean up the horrible modern world from before where women weren't having babies and where the environment had collapsed,' she says. The homes of the elite commanders and their families are pristine and conservative. Everyone else's surroundings are worn and muddied. But the last two seasons have introduced a new concept: color. Bradley Whitford's Cmdr. Lawrence, the brainiac who masterminded Gilead, has designed New Bethlehem, a supposed safe haven for anyone who escaped his country's oppression to return and live out a Mayberry-like existence. So production designer Elisabeth Williams and her team went all in on white picket fences and manicured lawns. 'It's meant to be the kinder, gentler version of Gilead and it has a deliberately beautiful, pristine sheen on the surface,' says co-showrunner Eric Tuchman. 'It feels artificial and sterile, with a kind of a theme-park vibe to it. It doesn't feel quite real.' 'The Last of Us' is set after an outbreak has wiped out much of human existence. Because of this, Season 2 production designer Don Macaulay says his show also has to try to define 'postapocalyptic,' another term that, he says, 'can, visually, be a million different things.' The creators referenced the video game his show is based on, as well as real-world places that saw mass destruction, like the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. 'There is a certain amount of violence associated with it and destruction associated with it,' Macaulay says of this world. 'But, for the most part, it's really nature taking over again and what that looks like in various environments. … There's places in our story that haven't been touched by humans in decades.' This consideration of the time scale of dystopia and apocalypse led to conversations about when the world in the show 'ended' — and if that matched the events in the game. Bella Ramsey's lead Ellie is a music aficionado. But how far back does that record collection go? 'People who get really into the minutiae may point out that there are a couple of instances … where we bent those rules a little bit,' Macaulay says. The show premiered 10 years after the game launched, 'so there are things in the game that became fairly iconic that wouldn't have been around in our timeline.' More 'Brave New World' than '1984,' 'Paradise' is largely set after an environmental disaster, focusing on a group of survivors who live in an underground bunker that looks like the Grove shopping mall. Production designer Kevin Bird says some of the first conversations he had with creator Dan Fogelman and others involved designing a 'completely different experience from a show about a bunker that's postapocalyptic and living in a rusty tower. We wanted the feeling of the town to be that idyllic, too-perfect way [that is] really just a way of distracting' characters from what's really happening. Here, he explains, essentials like food, clothing and housing are provided for everyone — 'Just don't stray too far from the path.' Bird was aided by an early episode in which it's made clear that billionaire Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) built the bunker as an ode to her deceased son; it's what a child would create if instructed to make a perfect town. 'What was motivating her was to protect the rest of her family as long as possible,' Bird says. The 'Silo' bunker may be the future 'Paradise's' Samantha is attempting to avoid. In this show, production designer Nicole Northridge says, 'The people have lived here for 350 years [and] they're under no illusion that it's a perfect world.' They just don't know how to escape and, because it's supposed to be set after a postapocalyptic event, they don't know what's waiting for them if they do. The silo in 'Silo' was designed in Season 1 by then-production designer Gavin Bocquet. Northridge says it was meant to have an 'Eastern European socialist look, which is very functional, very austere.' Since this story starts centuries after the original inhabitants enter the bunker, she says, 'Everything within the silo is essentially, when we come to it, reused, recycled and quite a bespoke make.' But Season 2 introduces another silo, this one with graffiti and wall carvings. It also had flooded caverns. Northridge and her team had to research how concrete ages while submerged; the effects team built a giant chlorinated water tank. (The crew would sometimes go swimming in it after they wrapped for the day.)
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Sounds announces new podcasts including a new visualised series from Rylan and offerings from Radio 4 including Marianna Spring, comedian Mark Steel and historian David Runciman
BBC Sounds today announces a line-up of star-studded new series and spine-tingling investigations for the summer, as well as announcing the new cohort of next-generation podcasters joining acclaimed industry accelerator programme, BBC Sounds Audio Lab. Whether you're after romance, history, mystery or intrigue, there's a podcast to suit every mood on BBC Sounds. Rylan is back, and he's on a mission to find love! Over the course of 12 episodes, Rylan will enlist the help of guests including Stephen Fry, Philippa Perry, Matt and Emma Willis, Munroe Bergdorf, Louis Theroux and many more, to help him unpack the secrets of healthy, long-term relationships. Rylan: How to Be in Love begins on BBC Sounds on Wednesday 4th June, and will be visualised in full on BBC iPlayer. Alongside these tantalising entertainment titles, BBC Sounds is also set to deliver gripping new investigative journalism from some of its staple Radio 4 umbrella strands. From Radio 4, Marianna in Conspiracyland returns for a new series in June as the BBC's social media investigations correspondent, Marianna Spring, interrogates a case that reflects the emboldening of the wider UK health conspiracy theory movement and the mainstreaming of anti-science ideas on social media. Is society equipped to deal with the normalisation and intensification of these kinds of conspiracy theories? Comedian Mark Steel investigates the longest running libel trial in British history for Shadow World: The People vs McDonald's. Secret surveillance. Undercover spies. Life-changing deception sponsored by the state. And it all starts with a leaflet. Mark Steel unravels the extraordinary story of two young activists who dared to stand up against a global fast-food empire determined to stop them from speaking out. Postwar is a 20-part series on the transformative 1945 UK general election, eighty years on, presented by writer and historian David Runciman who will examine how the postwar consensus emerged from the rubble of World War Two, and explore where it stands today. The series will be published in the BBC Radio 4 strand, Politically. BBC Sounds Audio Lab announces brand new cohort of podcasters BBC Sounds Audio Lab is back for its fifth year, continuing its mission to discover and develop the next generation of audio creators, and helping to tell the untold stories that deserve to be heard. Ahead of The Podcast Show 2025, we're pleased to introduce a brand new cohort of Audio Lab podcasters. We'll collaborate with them to help turn their ideas into podcasts which will be showcased on BBC Sounds, transforming bold and fresh ideas into new series which reflect diverse experiences from across the UK. Chosen from hundreds of applicants, five fresh creators will be immersed in a unique accelerator programme backed by a comprehensive package of practical and professional training while embedded with one of Audio Lab's five production partners located across the UK. Khaliq Meer, Commissioning Executive, BBC Sounds Audio Lab says: 'It's fantastic to be back with a brand-new BBC Sounds Audio Lab Creator line-up for 2025! Marisha, Katie, Adam, Keira and Eva are super impressive next-generation podcasters with uniquely relevant ideas on British cultures and experiences. I can't wait to amplify their growth and development alongside our award-winning BBC and independent production partners, across the UK.' Marisha Currie Marisha Currie is a South African journalist now based in Scotland. Her passions include audio storytelling and visual arts. Her upcoming podcast will explore the biopiracy in modern medicine and the harvesting of biological resources without consent. Marisha will work with BBC Audio Scotland & Northern Ireland in Glasgow. Katie Murphy Katie Bridget Murphy is a filmmaker, writer, and producer from Belfast. She is committed to uncovering authentic stories of motherhood and the human experience. In her new Audio Lab podcast, she will explore the little-known and sometimes extreme actions parents take to protect their loved ones. Based in Belfast, Katie will also be supported by BBC Scotland and Northern Ireland. Adam Batty Adam Batty is a Yorkshire-based writer and creative who is fascinated by the stories that sit on the fringes of pop culture. Working with Persephonica – Audio Lab's production partner in Sheffield - Adam will explore the life of British born American rapper MF DOOM. Keira Edwards Keira is dedicated to telling stories about neurodivergent experiences in a neurotypical world. A soon-to-be Broadcast Journalism graduate from Nottingham Trent University, Keira will work with BBC Audio North in Salford on a podcast theme that unites us all – the brain and aural processing. Eva Brookes Eva Brookes is a creative writer and radio presenter based in London. She's passionate about asking the questions others don't. In her Audio Lab podcast series, she will explore how transracial adoption affects many people across the UK. Eva will be working with Audio Lab's London production partner, Reduced Listening. New Podcast Commissions Rylan: How to Be in Love (4 June on BBC Sounds and iPlayer) Rylan has redefined masculinity in the 21st Century with 'How to Be a Man', looked deeper into the celebrity story with 'How to Be in The Spotlight', and now he's turning his attention to all things love, with 'How to Be in Love'. From a young age, we're taught that love is the ultimate fairytale – that finding 'the one' will finally complete us. But is it time to look at love differently? Rylan is embarking on a mission to rediscover what love is and he'll be talking to his guests about what we should be looking for in a partner (or partners!) and all the relationships that have defined their lives, from short-to-long-term relationships, friendships, family and everything in between. Rylan says, 'Throughout this series, I'll be talking to all my guests about love; what it means to them, how they describe it and how it manifests in every aspect of their lives. I get some unrivalled relationship advice from love experts, ask what we should be looking for in a partner, and discover the secrets of healthy, long-term relationships. Who knows, I might pick up some helpful tips along the way.' Rhian Roberts, Commissioning Editor, Podcasts and Formats, says, 'At the Podcast Show last year, in front of a very lively audience, Rylan pitched to make this series. Very cheeky but also a great idea. He's irresistible. So here we are one year on with How to Be…in Love. The big bonus is you can watch, the now BAFTA award-winning, Rylan learning everything about romance, love and heartache as all 12 episodes will be on the BBC iPlayer as well as BBC Sounds,'. Over 12 episodes, guests will include: Stephen Fry, Philippa Perry, Matt and Emma Willis, Munroe Bergdorf, Louis Theroux, Reverend Richard Coles, former sex worker and porn star Rebecca More and neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart. For the first time, the series will be fully visualised on BBC iPlayer. Episodes one and two of Rylan: How to be in Love will be available on BBC Sounds and iPlayer on Wednesday 4th June, after which new episodes will land weekly. In addition, Rylan's weekly radio show airs every Saturday from 3-6pm on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds. Politically: Postwar (9 June on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds) The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong desire on the part of the British people for something new. But it was also a product of Britain's wartime experiences and revealed the many ways in which the country had already changed. Postwar Britain came into view before the war was over. In some respects, it is still the Britain we are living in today. This series will tell 20 interconnected stories (drawing on the BBC radio archive) about the election of 1945 and how it changed Britain. The 1945 election signalled the dawn of a new era. But it was also a bridge between the past and the future. Presented by writer and historian David Runciman, he says : 'Postwar explores a truly transformative period in our history. It will delve into the social, economic, and political changes that shaped modern Britain, offering listeners a deeper understanding of how the country remade itself before, during and after the dramatic events of the 1945 election. It will also ask whether that postwar world might now be coming to an end.' Additionally, the series features leading historians including John Bew, Patricia Clavin, Lucy Delap, Christopher Frayling, David Kynaston, David Reynolds, Robert Saunders and Wendy Webster. Marianna in Conspiracyland (to be released in June on BBC Sounds) Marianna in Conspiracyland returns for a new series in June as the BBC's social media investigations correspondent, Marianna Spring, interrogates a case that reflects the emboldening of the wider UK health conspiracy theory movement and the mainstreaming of anti-science ideas on social media. Is society equipped to deal with the normalisation and intensification of these kinds of conspiracy theories? The History Podcast: The Magnificent O'Connors (to be released in July on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds) 1941. In a bomb-ravaged London, 56-year-old 'Donk' Ambridge lies on his bed, blood pooling round his head. He's been robbed, beaten and left for dead. The police investigation leads them to a small-time criminal with great ambitions. This is Jimmy O'Connor. Arrested, charged and convicted, he is sentenced to hang on his 24th birthday. But at the last minute, the Home Secretary intervenes. Instead of facing the noose, Jimmy is to serve a life sentence. But Jimmy fervently claims his innocence. He says he's not the man who killed Donk. Fast-forward 25 years and Jimmy is living a wonderful life on the Greek island of Mykonos. Now a sought-after TV scriptwriter, he rubs shoulders with The Rolling Stones and Jackie Onassis and entertains the great and the good with his wife Nemone Lethbridge - one of the UK's first female barristers. Yet the shadow of his conviction looms large over them both, and in time, it will exact a terrible price. For 80 years, the O'Connors have battled what they believe to be a miscarriage of justice. Now his son, Ragnar O'Connor - along with Ragnar's brother, Milo and their 93-year-old mother, Nemone - are intent upon trying one last time to finally get to the truth of the murder of Donk Ambridge. This story will take Ragnar to a startling hidden London of the 1950s and 60s. One in which his parents hung out with the Kray Twins, Ken Loach and Russian officials. It will re-examine the largest single-ship loss of life in British maritime history and will reveal the full extent of why Ragnar's dad was known as the 'most fascinating man in London', and why his mother is just as extraordinary as the man she married. Throughout, Ragnar will battle to get the British Government to release withheld and redacted papers that he thinks will prove his dad was an innocent man. But as the family's long and incredible history is finally revealed, they are forced to face up to new truths, secret recordings and revelations that shake their fundamental belief in the story of their own incredible lives. This six-part podcast series is by BBC Audio Scotland for Radio 4 and The History podcast. Shadow World: The People vs McDonald's (to be released in August on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds) From BBC Radio 4, Shadow World returns with a new series, hosted by comedian Mark Steel. Helen Steel and Dave Morris – a gardener and a former postman - are preparing to defend themselves in an epic legal battle against McDonald's, a corporate giant with billions at its disposal which has employed the best legal team money can buy. McDonald's lawyers have persuaded the judge to demand the defendants produce all their witness statements within three weeks. Dave is on the phone continually. Helen is close to burnout. Then, in the midst of it all, her partner John suddenly vanishes. When Helen uncovers the truth he's left behind, the impact will be devastating. Mark Steel takes us deep into the murky world of McDonald's Corporation vs Steel & Morris – aka the McLibel trial - a landmark in law and the longest-running libel trial in British history when the verdict is delivered in 1997. The case centres on a six-page leaflet accusing McDonald's of exploiting workers, destroying rainforests, promoting unhealthy food and torturing animals. Denied a jury and with no access to legal aid, Helen and Dave are forced to defend themselves, while taking on the business practices and ethical responsibilities of one of the world's most powerful corporations. As Mark unravels a tangled web of covert surveillance, secret operatives and life-changing deception sponsored by the state, he makes the chilling discovery that he too has been caught up in it. Daniel Clarke, Commissioning Editor of Postwar, The People vs McDonald's and The Magnificent O'Connors, says, 'These three new podcast commissions explore fascinating moments in British history, each offering a fresh lens on how the past continues to shape our present. Postwar examines the titanic shifts which followed the 1945 British election with one of our foremost public intellectuals, The Magnificent O'Connors uncovers a personal story of injustice at the intersection of crime, politics, and family, and Shadow World: The People vs McDonald's tells the story of how ordinary citizens faced off against one of the world's most powerful corporations. Together, these series explore how the historic choices made in moments of crisis, protest and conflict continue to resonate today.' Uncanny Summer Specials The Torrelaguna House (June 6 on BBC Sounds) Former soldier Andy heads to a tiny medieval town in central Spain to meet a group of friends for a fun biking holiday. But the old house in which they're staying has a strange, uncomfortable atmosphere. And when Andy witnesses something indescribably nightmarish one night, the house's dark secrets come tumbling out… The Torrelaguna House Part 2 (June 13 on BBC Sounds) After his terrifying night in the Torrelaguna house, Andy's companions admit he's not the only one to have experienced odd occurrences. In Part 2 of the Uncanny Summer Specials, Danny Robins unravels the unsettling past of the old house… drawing us into the fascinating, dark history of Spain's Civil War past and family secrets that refuse to stay buried. Uncanny Live at the Hay Festival 2025 (20 June on BBC Sounds) Danny Robins is joined by paranormal experts Ciaran O'Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow for a special episode, recorded live at the Hay Festival 2025, featuring brand new cases to chill your spine this summer. Are you Team Believer or Team Sceptic? How do we explain them? Central Intelligence (20 June on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds) Hit podcast drama Central Intelligence returns on 20th June for a second series, starring returning favourites Kim Cattrall, Ed Harris, Johnny Flynn, Geoffrey Arend and Rob Benedict for the next chapter in the true story of the origins of the CIA. Joining the cast this series are Kelly Marie Tran, Stephen Kunken and Jon Jon Briones. Eloise Page (Cattrall), a woman rising through the ranks of the male-dominated CIA, takes listeners on an inside journey through major moments in world history as the USA heads into the tumultuous 1960s and the Cold War heats up. AT2
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Aussie ute driver fumes as fellow motorist dobs him in with dashcam 'crusade'
An Aussie ute driver has hit out at a fellow road user after the anonymous motorist dobbed him into authorities over an alleged road rule breach by sharing dashcam footage with police. The aggrieved driver took to social media this week to share a letter they received from the Australian Federal Police telling them their vehicle was identified as committing offences on the road in Canberra "by a member of the public, and submitted to police". Police provided an image taken from the other motorist's dashcam which shows the ute driver appearing over the line while turning at an intersection with the light yellow. The letter from authorities said the driver was caught for not stopping at the stop line on a red arrow and for not displaying P-plates as required. "I appear to be in the intersection during what looks very much like a yellow light. The charges seem a bit detached from reality," the driver complained online. "Regarding the P-plates, I'm not a provisional driver. I was driving a friend's car... now he's the one who has to carry the weight of this noble crusade, facing increased scrutiny in future police encounters because your report will now be on record," they added. 😲 More expensive road fines coming for millions of Aussie drivers 📸 Surprise mobile speed camera trend amid increased monitoring 🤔 Driver's bizarre number plate prompts $933 fine warning The notice from authorities did not come with a fine and was just a "formal warning" but, "police will be able to see you have been issued a caution and will take that into consideration when dealing with you if there is are any further offences in the future," the letter said. The anonymous driver submitted the footage via the ACT's Dangerous Driving online reporting portal. With the increased prevalence of private dashcams on our roads, jurisdictions around the country urge motorists to dob in their fellow drivers doing the wrong thing. ACT Police expanded its online report portal in May last year enabling people to upload footage. Some 360 dangerous driving reports were already submitted in the following four months, with 167 of those including a fine. "While police are happy to see so many people are already using the online portal, we are very disappointed to see the volume of poor driving behaviour occurring daily," Road Policing Detective Inspector Mark Steel said at the time. Just about every state and territory has their own online portal where drivers can help authorities catch road transgressions. In 2020 police in NSW launched a campaign asking motorists to report any drivers they believed were under the influence of drugs and alcohol, or using a mobile phone behind the wheel while Queensland embraced the tactic to crackdown on hooning drivers in 2022. It's hard to know just how many dashcams are active on our roads, but research by insurance giant Allianz in 2019 pointed to a surge in sales, suggesting one in five drivers had one. If that number holds true, it would amount to about 4 million dashcams on vehicles across the country. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged driver who hit school boys charged
A Victorian driver who allegedly struck two Canberra high school students seriously injuring them in a stolen car has been charged by police. The traumatic incident allegedly began in NSW, where police say the 31-year old man from Warrenheip stole a green Holden Commodore station wagon with an eight-year old girl inside, from a childcare centre in Sutton about 7.40am on Friday. Monaro Police District officers were told a man entered the vehicle and drove off, letting the girl out 100m down the road unharmed. 'The car drove off and was sighted travelling into the ACT. No pursuit was initiated,' a NSW police spokesman said. ACT Policing believe the offender travelled from Sutton, NSW, possibly through Queanbeyan and into the ACT between 7.40am and 9.10am on Friday. The man was allegedly out of control and veered off the road when he collided with two school boys from St Edmund's College aged 14 and 15 on Friday. The boys were rushed to hospital with serious injuries from the collision; one of the teens required surgery from his injuries. It is alleged the driver continued along Canberra Ave before he collided with other vehicles and came to a stop near a shopping precinct in Manuka. The alleged driver tried to flee the collision but was apprehended by a group of tradies who detained him until police arrived, ACT Policing Acting Superintendent Mark Steel told media on Friday. Acting Superintendent Steel said the man was taken into custody and was placed under police guard while he received treatment in a Canberra hospital. He said the man who was known to police. Police confirmed the alleged driver was subject to interstate parole and bail conditions and is expected to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court to face nine charges on Saturday. He has been charged with unlicensed driving, driving a motor vehicle without consent, dangerous driving, and negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. An ACT Policing spokesman acknowledged the collision outside St Edmund's College would have been a confronting scene for witnesses. 'We encourage anyone who witnessed that incident to seek professional support,' the spokesman said. 'Major Collision Team investigators continue to urge anyone who may have footage of the vehicle or who witnessed the incident yesterday morning to come forward.' St Edmund's College principal Tim Cleary said the injured boys' parents were with them while they received treatment in hospital. 'The College has organised additional counsellors to support any students who may have been affected by witnessing the event or knowing the students involved,' Mr Cleary said in a letter to parents. 'Please keep the boys and their families in your prayers.' Education Minister Yvette Berry said people in Canberra were thinking of those who had been directly impacted by the tragic incident and were beyond grateful for those who responded. 'My heart is with the two boys their family, friends and the St Edmund's College Canberra Community,' she said in a social media post. 'Strong hugs to everybody today and for the days to come.'
The Guardian
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Leopard in My House by Mark Steel review – a comedian's chronicle of cancer
It starts with a lump on the neck, noticed while shaving and briefly ignored; progresses via a bewilderment of bureaucratic processes to a 'gloriously jolly radiologist' dispatching him for a biopsy; and quickly, although not without the delays and mishaps of a painfully overstretched system, lands up with comedian Mark Steel being handed a cancer diagnosis. When Steel asks the consultant whether his tumour is likely to prove fatal, the doctor replies 'Touch wood', and then actually touches some wood; at least, his patient notes, he was being professional about it. Maybe if the cancer had spread, Steel reflects, 'they'd offer a more extreme approach and get me to pick up a penny and pass a black cat'. Cancer is common, and accounts of experiencing its arrival, treatment and – if you're fortunate – aftermath are hardly rare. But this is not to suggest memoir fatigue. People, and illness itself, are infinitely various, and each chronicle reveals something different in between what have become the tropes of the genre: the shock of the news, the emotional and physical reserves required to endure treatment, the almost inevitably altered perspective on one's own life and on more existential questions of life and death themselves. As a connoisseur of the everyday, as witnessed in his BBC Radio 4 show Mark Steel's in Town, in which he travels around the country meeting the citizenry and performing to them, he is unsurprisingly interested in the minutiae of his treatment and on his interactions with medical professionals, fellow patients and friends and family. Many of these involve throat-catching gallows humour: there is the Russian doctor he meets at the investigation stages, whose muttered 'chances not good' in fact translates to optimism – the chances are Steel doesn't have cancer rather than its reverse; and, in some of the book's most moving passages, the sporting idiom he and his new pal Jules adopt when they're going through radiotherapy together. ('Each day we'd describe the previous day's climb as 'set off at a good pace but only the first stage of the Tour de France'. By the third week it was 'two sets and a break down with a heavily bandaged ankle but determined to finish the match.'') Jules has a bit of luck when it comes to dealing with the claustrophobia induced by the mask worn during treatment because he used to be an army tank commander; he's less lucky with the byzantine path cancer cuts through his body and, despite Steel's understandable impatience with the martial or value-laden language used to talk about the illness, it's impossible not to feel astounded by his courage. He also points Steel, with immense usefulness, in the direction of Stoic philosophy, not in its axiomatic, vibesy current incarnation, but in the part of its original form that deals with the counterproductiveness of feeling that one has been wronged. We are often reminded of those who have not survived. Two of Steel's closest friends, comedians Linda Smith and Jeremy Hardy, both died of cancer, and Steel unabashedly commemorates their lives while pondering that, although he was close to both of them during their illnesses, nothing can convey the intricate practical, mental and emotional realities of facing death. Elsewhere, he catalogues the support given to him by peers who have coped with their own diagnoses, including Matt Forde and Rhod Gilbert, and relays an extraordinarily unexpected and touching message of support from Jimmy Tarbuck. And there is also the background account of Steel's complex relationship with Shaparak Khorsandi, much of which remains private, but which clearly sustains him (perhaps especially when she sends him a Viz annual anonymously). The treatment itself is appallingly gruelling, with particular horrors attendant on the way it deprives the body of saliva – without which eating, drinking and speaking are near impossible – while also flooding it with mucus. But here, too, there is room for comedy, as in the fraught exchange when a provider rings up to enquire how much nutritional formula Steel requires, and the patient is simply unable to make himself heard. The challenges of navigating the healthcare system are legion, but as this clear-eyed, humane and engaging book makes repeatedly and abundantly clear, without the NHS's central tenet – if you are ill, you will be helped – we are completely sunk. Steel himself is now recovered, and cancer-free, but you feel there isn't a day when he doesn't think of those who didn't, or won't, make it through. Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion The Leopard in My House: One Man's Adventures in Cancerland by Mark Steel is published by Ebury (£22). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at Delivery charges may apply
