Jeff Evans

Location: Newbury, Berkshire

About me...

I’m a freelance journalist and author of 30 books on a number of subjects – in particular television history (including The Penguin TV Companion). My latest book, Rock & Pop on British TV, combines my fascination with television with a passion for pop music I’ve had since I was a toddler in the 60s.

About my Talks...

The talks last from 45 minutes to two hours (including questions). I present colourful Powerpoint shows that can be tailored to suit the age and experience of the audience. I can bring my own projector and just need a screen or blank wall on which to project.

The talks can also be delivered as virtual presentations (Zoom).

Fee:

From £75, plus travel expenses if more than ten miles from Newbury, Berkshire (happy to travel anywhere in the country). Short-notice bookings may be possible.

My Contact Details:

Phone:

01635 37524

Email:

jeffevans@btinternet.com

View Talks by Jeff Evans

Pop on the Box

Public Speaker from Berkshire, Jeff Evans talks about sixty years of music on television.

Jeff Evans, author of Rock & Pop on British TV, tells the fascinating story of 60 years of music on television in this fully illustrated talk, beginning in the 1950s with shows such as Six-Five Special and Oh Boy! and continuing through the decades with programmes including Juke Box Jury, Thank Your Lucky Stars, Ready, Steady, Go!, Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test, The Tube and Later with Jools Holland, as well as a number of programmes that you may just have forgotten. Expect lots of warm memories and more than a few surprises. And if you have any questions, just fire away!

The talk can be tailored to suit the audience. Tell me your favoured eras and I’ll shape the talk accordingly.

The talk can be delivered as a virtual presentation (zoom).

The Questionable History of the TV Quiz Show

Public Speaker in Berkshire Jeff Evans presents his talk The Questionable History of the TV Quizz show.

One of television’s most successful creations is the quiz show – the programme where everyone can show how clever they are and possibly earn a small fortune in the process. But where did it all begin? Which shows have been the most successful? And who, along the way, have been the winners, losers and – perhaps most intriguingly – the cheaters?

Jeff’s fully illustrated, entertaining talk covers the whole colourful history of the TV quiz show from its earliest days in the 1930s to today, showing how the format developed, celebrating the good, the bad and the ugly, and unearthing some very dodgy dealing along the way.

How could a copy of the Radio Times have helped you win a handkerchief? Which reality show judge once won a set of kitchen utensils on a quiz show? Which dame of British theatre was once a quiz show hostess?

Expect lots of warm memories, plenty of surprises and lots of ‘I didn’t know that’ moments in this 45–60-minute talk, which is also available via Zoom.

Jeff Evans Contact Details:

Phone:

01635 37524

Email:

jeffevans@btinternet.com