Matthew Sweet (writer)
- Not to be confused with alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet.
Matthew Sweet (born 2 December 1969) is an English writer, journalist, and BBC broadcaster.
Born in Hull, he holds a doctorate from Oxford University on the sensation fiction of the 19th century, Wilkie Collins in particular. He was among the contributors to the Oxford Companion to English Literature[1] and was both film and television critic for the Independent on Sunday.
His book, Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema (2005) is a history of the British film business from the silent days, and includes interviews with surviving figures from the period.[2]
He is also an author of TV films and series, including Shepperton Babylon (documentary, adapted from the book), Silent Britain, Checking into History, British Film Forever, The Rules of Film Noir and A Brief History of Fun, as well as several Doctor Who audio plays and short stories. He is the presenter of a BBC Radio 4 programme The Philosopher's Arms, a show recorded in front of a live audience in which classic philosophical issues are explored.[3] He is the host of the BBC Radio 3 programme Sound of Cinema about film scores and their composers.[4]
He is a regular presenter of Night Waves on BBC Radio 3.
Bibliography
- Inventing the Victorians (2001), debunking the stereotypes and myths about the Victorian Era, Faber and Faber ISBN 0-571-20658-1, St. Martin's Press ISBN 0-312-28326-1 (hardcover, 1st US edition)
- Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema (2005) Faber and Faber ISBN 0-571-21297-2
- The West End Front (2011), Faber and Faber, a history of London’s grand hotels during the Second World War
Audio dramas
- Doctor Who: Year of the Pig
- Doctor Who: The Magic Mousetrap
- Bernice Summerfield: The Diet of Worms
- Jago and Litefoot: The Man at the End of the Garden
- Jago and Litefoot: The Lonely Clock
- The Voyages of Jago & Litefoot: Voyage to the New World
- Jago and Litefoot: Return of the Repressed
- Jago and Litefoot: Maurice
Short stories
- "The Lampblack Wars" - Short Trips: The History of Christmas
- "The Earwig Archipelago" - Short Trips: Time Signature
