The Bodies Beneath by William Fowler and Vic Pratt

Time was when all the culty stuff was American and you had to make do with the odd late night double bill of Hammer on BBC2 if you wanted something more British. Over the last few decades however, the sheer weirdness of post-studio-era British production has emerged, helped enormously by its availability on VHS, DVD and now on-line. And it's more bizarre than anyone could have imagined.

Fowler and Pratt have already done their bit for the cause of cult by developing the BFI's Flipside strand and its related DVD/blu-ray range. Flipside films form the spine of this collection of essays but the range is far wider than just that strand. It even includes such television treats as The Sooty Show and Colin Baker-era Dr Who. Virtually nothing here is what you might call a classic with the possible exception of The War Game or The Stranger Left No Card, but it all has merit even if that only merit is to remind you how strange the past can be. And I think we all needed a reminder that Vincent Price once had a cooking show on daytime British telly.

The prose is lively and engaging, though marred by a smattering of typos; some might say that just adds to its grungy charm. It's great for dipping into or for reading in one go, and is packed with obscure or forgotten facts. Well worth a purchase.