After the electorate had dispensed with our services in 2010, Labour went into opposition and I was no longer Home Secretary. I’d been a government minister for eleven years and now had some spare...

 The Attlee’s and The Archers For me, there is something about physical books that no alternative can match; the feel, the smell, the ability to easily turn back (if you’ve lost concentration) or...

Authors always keep a careful eye on book sales but around this time of year we receive news about how our books are faring in libraries across the UK. The Public Lending Right (PLR) monitor the...

Alan at New Broadcasting House with Evan Davies who presents the popular BBC R4 series ‘Bottom Line’ covering business issues. This week Alan will be discussing strikes with Evan along with Susanna...

2022 was a rich year for wonderful albums none of which will probably win the Mercury Prize. One of the very finest is 'Borderlands' by Carlisle band Hardwicke Circus. A thrilling collection of big...

Books published in 2022 that I've enjoyed ( excluding the one what I wrote!) include 'The Gift of a Radio' by Justin Webb, 'Trespasses' by Louise Kennedy and 'France: An Adventure History' by Graham...

A montage from the GIBUNCO Gibraltar International Literary Festival 2022, a 3 day event that was held on the 25-27 November montage.  

I didn’t have a happy time at Sloane Grammar School for Boys although it’s situation on the Kings Road, Chelsea in the swinging 60s was ideal for a music mad kid like me. I entered my teens hanging...

Alan's latest novel has been reviewed in Literary Review Magazine.

Alan is interviewed by Nirjay Mahindru on "Right Side of the Brain" discussing Alan's life and his memoirs....