Deric longden
Encyclopedia
Deric Longden is an English writer and autobiographer.
He married Diana Hill in 1957 and had two children, Sally and Nick. After various jobs he took over a small women's lingerie factory, but began writing and broadcasting in the 1970s for programmes like Does He Take Sugar? and Woman's Hour
on BBC Radio 4
. Most of his work was based on his own experience. His wife Diana's illness, subsequently believed to be a form of ME, forced him to sell the factory. Since then he has been a full-time writer, broadcaster and speaker.
He now has a grandchild named Katie.
The bestselling Diana’s Story, published in 1989, followed by Lost for Words, The Cat Who Came in from the Cold, I’m a Stranger Here Myself, Enough to Make a Cat Laugh, A Play On Words and Paws in the Proceedings.
Deric Longden's first two books were adapted for television, the first retitled Wide-Eyed and Legless. Lost for Words, screened in January 1999 winning the Emmy for best foreign drama and a BAFTA for Thora Hird
as best actress.
After the death of Diana, he married writer Aileen Armitage in 1990 and now lives in Huddersfield
, West Yorkshire
.
The remainder of books tell of life with his near-blind second wife Aileen Armitage, also a best selling author, and their cats.
He married Diana Hill in 1957 and had two children, Sally and Nick. After various jobs he took over a small women's lingerie factory, but began writing and broadcasting in the 1970s for programmes like Does He Take Sugar? and Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. Most of his work was based on his own experience. His wife Diana's illness, subsequently believed to be a form of ME, forced him to sell the factory. Since then he has been a full-time writer, broadcaster and speaker.
He now has a grandchild named Katie.
The bestselling Diana’s Story, published in 1989, followed by Lost for Words, The Cat Who Came in from the Cold, I’m a Stranger Here Myself, Enough to Make a Cat Laugh, A Play On Words and Paws in the Proceedings.
Deric Longden's first two books were adapted for television, the first retitled Wide-Eyed and Legless. Lost for Words, screened in January 1999 winning the Emmy for best foreign drama and a BAFTA for Thora Hird
Thora Hird
Dame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
as best actress.
After the death of Diana, he married writer Aileen Armitage in 1990 and now lives in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
Works
- Diana's Story (1989) concerned life with his rapidly deteriorating wife, who was suffering from an illness that doctors could not understand. This book became a TV production in 1993 called Wide-Eyed and Legless starring Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
, Jim BroadbentJim BroadbentJames "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
and Thora HirdThora HirdDame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
. In America this was shown under the title The Wedding Gift.
- Lost For Words (1991) continued the story of Deric's life, telling of life with his eccentric mother, as she gradually loses her memory. This was also made into a TV movie of the same title with Thora HirdThora HirdDame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
, but this time with Pete PostlethwaitePete PostlethwaitePeter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
in the main role, Deric Longden himself appears as a voice on an answerphone.
The remainder of books tell of life with his near-blind second wife Aileen Armitage, also a best selling author, and their cats.
- The Cat Who Came in from the Cold (1991) introduces kitten Thermal.
- I'm a Stranger Here Myself (1994) concerns his move to Huddersfield.
- Enough to Make a Cat Laugh (1996) continues the story of Thermal, and the other cats in Deric and Aileen's house.
- A Play on Words (2000) continues the story of the cats, but describes the making of TV movies about the earlier books, and the author's reactions to seeing actors take the part of himself, and his mother. He wrote that in the end, he gets images of his mother and Thora HirdThora HirdDame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
mixed up in his mind, because her performance was so powerfully convincing.
- Paws in the Proceedings (2007) describes life with Aileen, his two aging cats, Tigger and Thermal, and wild cat Nokia who lives outside.