Herschell Gordon Lewis

In 1963 Abraham Zapruder inadvertently shot the most famous snuff move of all time the assassmation of JFK. That same year, Herschell Gordon Lewrs Single- handedly invented the splatter movre With the equally distasteful Blood Feast. Christopher Wayne Curry's book on the Godfather of Gore tells how he inspired a generation of horror movremakers wrth fun-filled treats such as Color Me Blood Red and The Gruesome Twosome. Actually getting to see an HG Lewis movre is a tricky operation. Though, once you have directed your peepers towards some of the entrail-heavy images Within, you may never want to open them again.

A Taste Of Blood is published by Creation Books on Fri 7 lan, priced

Bing Crosby

Born Harry Lillis in 1904, Mr Bing Crosby can lay claim to being one of the Christmas icons of the century. The man who out-cardied and out-crooned DaVId Bowie on 'Little Drummer Boy’ and whose daughter shot JR is the subject of Melvyn Bragg's South Bank Show Christmas special. Friends, family and fellow artists reveal what brought such colour to his cheeks and talk of the avuncular genius who spread more than a little happiness. Aside from the risible Road To movies though, obviously. Ba bum ba-ba bum. And so forth.

The South Bank Show is broadcast on Scottish, Boxing Day, 7 7 . 70pm.

Scottish Cartoon Strips

The face of Angus 09 was one which greeted all those who browsed the pages of the Daily Record or Sunday Mail between 1959 and 1989. A resident of the fictional isle of Drambeg, Og was the work of cartoonist Ewen Bain and a selection of his work is now collated into one volume (The 09 Logs) to mark the tenth anniversary of the creator’s death. It’s also the tenth anniversary of those other Record stalwarts Shuggie and Duggie, and a selection of their adventures are also to be found in the aptly titled Scotsmen Behaving Badly.

The 09 Logs and Scotsmen Behaving Badly are published by Zipo priced f 7. 99 and f 6. 99 respectively.