Set in a small Leicestershire village in the 1970s, this four-part comedy drama is about the madcap schemes of three children to cheer up their recently divorced mum, Elizabeth. Struggling to cope, she has taken to drinking and compulsive playwriting - neither of which impresses villagers already deeply suspicious of an attractive divorcee. Top of their list is to find her a new man in the hope that it will appease the hostile locals. Additional details Production Studio Broadcast details First broadcast Wednesday 5th October 2016 at 11:30am on BBC Radio 4 Most recent repeats It just doesn't have anything spectacular going on, it's paced quite slow and that does not alter at all and after a while it's a bit like the same story on repeat. It's certainly not as funny as indicated it might be, which is a shame as I was looking forward to that. Overall it was a very average and "okay" read in my opinion. It has some moments that are great but the majority is as bland as watered down custard. I was in equal measures horrified and amused by this story of parental neglect and children fending for themselves. It's a wonderful recreation of a period in recent history - the 1970s - yet it has a much older feel to it, an innocence perhaps better suited to the 1950s. As for the children, their wit and self-sufficiency, their curious mix of worldliness and naivety, reminded me of The Treasure Seekers or The Railway Children. This book is very, very funny. Stibbe has a fine eye for absurdity, and her writing has an unforced charm. [And] there is real darkness here, which makes the humour shimmer all the more ( Independent on Sunday)

BBC Radio 4 - Man at the Helm - Available now BBC Radio 4 - Man at the Helm - Available now

Lizzie's mother tried to break the news to her three children that mummy and daddy have decided to split up and get a divorce.It's laughter through pain and instead of tears. A story of understanding and forgiveness instead of accusations and hatred, of which there are so many in today's life. Soon after her parents' separation, nine-year-old Lizzie Vogel moves with her siblings and newly single mother to a tiny village in the English countryside, where the new neighbors are horrified by their unorthodox ways and fatherless household. Lizzie's theatrical mother only invites more gossip by spending her days drinking whiskey, popping pills, and writing plays. The one way to fit in, the children decide, will be to find themselves a new man at the helm. Showrunner, head producer of a television series, who by analogy to helmsman is also referred to as the helmer and the person helming the series Charming and bittersweet, with a very English flavor, this social comedy is distinguished by Stibbe's light touch and bright eye." - Kirkus Ship simulators [ edit ] A ship bridge simulator with 3-D graphics creates scenarios with realistic sights and sounds to train mariners in ship handling.

Man At The Helm - Radio 4 Sitcom - British Comedy Guide Man At The Helm - Radio 4 Sitcom - British Comedy Guide

The book is told purely from Lizzie's perspective, I found this got very boring after a while. The characters have no opportunity to shine either, I found them all very flat and one dimensional. This book should have been amazing, but it just wasn't. Noel, John V. Jr. (1991-01-16). Knight's Modern Seamanship. John Wiley & Sons. pp.259–260. ISBN 978-0-471-28948-7. In 'Love, Nina', random things seemed to happen and then were never referred to again such as the incident where Nina struggled to write in her life-writing class to reproduce the incident where they led a horse upstairs. Well, if you ever wanted to find out what happened (to the horse and to the attempt to write it), you'll find out here. Land-based ship simulators may feature a full-scale replica of a steering stand with a ship's wheel. Such simulators incorporate magnetic and gyro compasses (or repeaters) for steering. Moreover, a rudder angle indicator that responds appropriately to the helm is part of the configuration. I love it's observations of relationships. Whether it's the big vs little sister dynamic, or the brutal disappointment of love gone wrong, Stibble does a great job of writing honestly and with a lot of humor. I struggled with Lizzie 's mom and her status as helpless victim -- but there's a payoff that probably wouldn't have worked any other way.

Love, Nina) легли впечатления тридцатилетней давности от работы в 1982-1984 няней в доме Мэри-Кей Уилмерс, главного редактора Лондонского книжного обозрения.

Nina Stibbe’s ‘Man at the Helm’ - The New York Times Nina Stibbe’s ‘Man at the Helm’ - The New York Times

Alan Bennett: “I’m not sure. . . . A bunch of literary types doing laundry and making salad — or something.” However technology also allows for a multitude of smaller workstations in a classroom setting. Administrators network student workstations so that the instructor can launch individual scenarios at each station. Computer models are used to accurately simulate conditions such as wind, seas, and currents. Moreover, shallow-water effects or other hydrodynamic forces, such as ships passing close to each other, can also be depicted. A computer application records training sessions, complete with voice commands issued by the instructor which are received by the students via a headset. Nina Stibbe was born in Leicester. She is the author of the hugely acclaimed Love, Nina, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year Award and won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the 2014 National Book Awards. She lives in Cornwall with her partner and two children. Man at the Helm is her first novel.

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My first thoughts reading this book were critical of the flippant nature Nina Stibbe dealt with a serious situation following the fall-out of a marriage break-up. Then, after a little more pondering, I realised that the story was told through the eyes of 10 year old Lizzie who did not have the insight or understanding of the situation but merely coped with it in the best way she could. What we were getting from this author was a light hearted surface and an invitation to look beyond this into the reality of life for the depressed mother and her three children. It's got some sad tones underneath really, things like the girls traveling to London on trains on their own (aged nine and twelve) to get their mother's pills from the only doctor in the country that will prescribe them. It's not stated what the pills are but good hints indicate they are something like Valium. Tragedy for these girls, playing the parental role almost in role reversal. A] joyous read, full of wit and charm . . . I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book ( Express) With their mother's unhappiness the children agreed that their main aim in life would be to find their mother a new husband.

Man at the Helm,’ Nina Stibbe’s Comic First Novel Review: ‘Man at the Helm,’ Nina Stibbe’s Comic First Novel

Let me tell you how delicious this book is: Jane-Austen delicious. The particular pleasures of a Jane Austen book are wit and dignity in the face of impending financial doom. The doom is caused by crazy relatives and simply being a dependent female in a male-centric world, and the only cure is to find a good man. I was planning on giving this book a solid four stars. It is funny. And clever. It has this perfect balance between darkness and humor; pain and hitting your funnybone. But then I decided I had to give it five stars because dear Lord look at all these people that have given it 2 stars or a DNF. And look at its overall rating. It certainly deserves higher than a 3.54. This book doesn't fit into a category easily. I found it to be very funny, but I felt uneasy and anxious pretty much the whole time I was reading it. The young narrator is compelling and the whole family is believable but odd. And endearing. Somehow they either laugh or accept with a shrug every crazy thing that happens to them, so I tried to, but I just kept feeling like things could spiral out of control at any moment. The kids articulate this feeling in their worry that they'll get sent away to a home because their mother isn't doing a good job of taking care of them. So I guess I took on their anxiety, and it was combined with my own outrage at the mother's inability to parent, but then I also took on their desire to take care of her. An odd set of feelings, but I guess that means that the writing took me on that journey. And again, moment to moment, a lot of it is very funny (albeit with a British sensibility, and there were times I thought I might not be getting some of the humor as it was referring to things I didn't know about). Key details Genre Sitcom Broadcast 2016 Channel BBC Radio 4 Episodes 4 (1 series) Stars Eloise Webb, Fern Deacon, Ben Barker, Amanda Hale, Jason Barnett, James Lailey, Elizabeth Bennett and Adie Allen Writers Nina Stibbe and Amanda Whittington Director Gemma Jenkins CompanyFrittelli, John (February 8, 2008). "Ship navigation in harbors: safety issues" (PDF). U.S. Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2008 . Retrieved 6 August 2019. Nine-year-old Lizzie (our narrator) is the perfect conduit for her creator, just the right mixture of childhood innocence and incredulity for the necessary deadpan delivery of Stibbe's particular brand of comedy. Read it and be charmed' Independent Charming and bittersweet, with a very English flavor, this social comedy is distinguished by Stibbe’s light touch and bright eye.