Stephen Longstaffe

• Film historian from Lancaster

Film is so often born out of Literature, so film-based courses, based upon common literary threads, seems a great way to develop appreciation.

Stephen is a retired university lecturer, and has spent the past thirty years teaching film, drama, creative writing and literature at a range of universities, most recently the University of Nottingham. He has also taught a range of adult education courses, and is a regular theatre reviewer.

His books and other research are mostly on historical drama, and his favourite approach is to take a well-known text or film and use historical context and informal discussion to enhance understanding and appreciation. This can yield fascinating insights for even quite recent works.