Everything and the Kitchen Sink

An engaging and informative account of 'kitchen sink realism' looking at the artists, musicians, playwrights and authors who wrenched Britain out of post-war austerity and paved the way for the swinging 60s and beyond. Everything AND the Kitchen Sink analyses 'kitchen sink realism' and the birth of 'pop cinema' in the context of contemporaneous debates surrounding politics, civil liberties, sexuality, race, immigration and urbanization. Covering the lives and careers of well-known figures such as Alan Sillitoe, Shelagh Delaney, David Storey, Edna O'Brien and Albert Finney, as well as charting the rise of iconic British series like Coronation Street and Z-Cars, Simon Matthews offers a fascinating blend of social history, pop culture, drama and cinema. Matthews also interviews contemporary figures - including Ken Loach - about the kitchen sink era and how it inspired their work.

Includes a foreword by Tom Courtenay

SIMON MATTHEWS has had a varied career including serving as a local councilor in London for more than ten years, a spell running the British Transport Films documentary film library and several years singing in semi-professional rock groups. He has contributed articles on music, film and cultural history to Record Collector, Shindig! and Lobster magazines. Psychedelic Celluloid, his illustrated history of UK music, film and TV between 1965 and 1974, was published by Oldcastle Books in 2016; the sequel, Looking for a New England, followed in 2021. He is also the author of House in the Country,