I loved the teashop bits! Sophie and Mollie were a lovely couple and I liked the way their relationship played out. But for the first half of the book there was no conflict and when it came - it was just too predictable. Sophie's big secret - for me - was a huge let down. I can see that it explained her staying at home etc but I'd have liked it to have been something more gritty. JC: If you happen to interview Almodóvar, do ask him for me whether he was influenced by Fedora! Because I’m sure he was. I mean the only country where that film survived and had a reputation in for thirty or 40 years was Spain. Sopie is OBVIOUSLY moving in with him, because apparently living 1 HOUR away from the city would be too much. Well, tbh, it's hardly a long distance relationship if it takes you an hour drive to see the other person. When I was dating a boy who's now my husband, it took me longer to get to him by bus, and we lived in the same city! Talking of Billy. The heart throb. The irresistible cookie. The most boring character ever invented. EVER! I believe this was a “if you like this, you may like this” library software recommendation. I instantly requested it for the cover alone. Then I took a peek at the synopsis and was reminded of another story . . . .

Only the most hard-hearted could fail to root for Sophie as she falls for A-lister Billy and must take on the mad, bad world of showbiz. This sweet debut reminded me of Last Night at Chateau Marmont' Louise Candlish If you're looking for a romantic read and a summer treat that'll take you on a journey and leave you feeling like you've made a new friend, you'll love Billy and Me' Vanessa Greene But of course, this is a romance book so then enters, Billy Buskin. An actor and teen heart throb who is in town for the filming of Pride and Prejudice. He's cute, he's charming, and he's sweet. Except, I feel like we didn't get to see much of that. He met Sophie, they flirted a couple of times, he asked out and then boom, they are in love and moving to London. There was no build up, we didn't get enough of them together to really develop a connection to them. Nothing,” he said, slightly incredulous, as if to answer would condemn him to a prison filled with pretentious twits. “Nothing.” I watched the frustrated interviewer with some sympathy. Wilder is, after all, not the easiest interview. Just as he has for some seventy years of film-making, today Wilder will leave the chest-beating to others. One-hour special features classic clips alongside new performance footage, fan revelations and star stories plus a brand-new major interview with the man himself.I loved how Giovanna created a story where distance and love were so close. Both Sophie’s and Billy’s feelings came across beautifully and it was wonderful to read about them again. It might seem obvious what was going to happen, but it’s all part of their lives and Giovanna also added other elements to the story, which made it more exciting. Sophie’s mum got her story and I adored reading about the mother-daughter relationship. Billy’s family also added some sparks to it all. Molly was my favourite! Molly was so kind, caring and I felt so much warmth radiating from her! She is the definition of ‘homely’, I felt so at home when she was around and in a strange way she brought happiness and comfort to me. I would LOVE to sit in her teashop, I’d probably spend all my time in there drinking tea, sampling the gorgeous cakes and having a chat with the other lovely local people! Jonathan Coe on Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In: “If you happen to interview Almodóvar, do ask him for me whether he was influenced by Fedora!” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze Billy looks down at the floor and bites his lip. I knew he didn't want me to take this job on, probably for this exact reason, and he just didn't know how to say it without offending me or sounding snobby. Therefore, it's unfair of me to make him feel bad for something that is clearly not his fault. So yes, the differences kept him entertained, but the one subject that always united us was The Apartment. We would return to it again and again, as a symbol of film structure and a rare example of all the elements coming together to create a movie that was almost exactly what the director had intended. Since our book has been published, I’ve become well acquainted with the sometimes militant factions of Wilder loyalists. Some call Ace in the Hole and Sunset Boulevard the unfiltered brutal best of Wilder. Others select Some Like It Hot as the director’s comic masterpiece, the one that made it all look easy. Some love the romantic concoctions of Sabrina and Love in the Afternoon best. Others choose the dark-horse Cagney comedy, One-Two-Three. There is much gunfire between these camps, but if you just look at the bigger picture, as Wilder does, the very fact that these films are still being discussed is “goddamn great.” And I will happily take all the bullets necessary. When the smoke clears, The Apartment will still be my favourite.

I'm sorry. I can see I'm out of kilter with most readers on this but this book just didn't work for me. Waitress and film star fall in love - that's fine. I use that too in one of my books. But this film star is just too good to be true. He's constantly smiling and laughing, using out of kilter phrases for his age, and is just so sweet that I couldn't believe in him. Yet I guess he's why the book appeals to so many. We all want film stars/pop stars to be lovely people and fall in love with ordinary people - just like us. Billy needed flaws. The only real hiccup came from something that wasn't his fault and even though he tried his best to sort it out, we have a heroine who aggravated me so much, I wanted to strangle her.

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Anne-Katrin Titze: Good to see you! On Easter, a dear friend of mine, my father’s wife Gabriele Rigó-Titze, told me about a book I had to read, because it has so many film references and she loved it. It was Mr. Wilder And Me and she was absolutely right.

And I” is so often drilled into children as the correct formulation that we can sometimes forget that it mainly applies when followed by a verb. In many situations, “and me” is actually correct.For five decades now, Billy Connolly has been making us laugh about the very stuff of life. He is beloved across the generations for his anarchic, life-affirming humour - and the unique bond he has with his audience. Here, fans of all ages from all around the globe share their extraordinary stories about how Billy has amused, inspired and influenced them. The one-hour special rewinds his classic stand-up moments, alongside new and unseen performance footage. The project aimed to bring together young people and older people who knew Billy Bremner both in Stirling and Leeds. As part of our intergenerational activity a group of pupils from St Modans school in Stirling had a conversation with two Leeds fans who have supported the club since the 1960s, Heidi Haigh and Chris Keene.