I’ve been very lucky in that, for most of my life, I have known what I wanted to do, job-wise. Not exactly born with the knowledge, but laser-focused on it once I realised, some time in the mid-’80s,

So Paul McCartney said to Danny Francis in 1974. Francis, who passed away last year, spent the best part of 40 years putting himself between rock stars and trouble – and keeping them out of trouble. But, working with some of the rock world’s biggest names, he was more than just a bodyguard.

Personal recollections of cherished sci-fi and fantasy

Chris Hallam goes beyond the counter to explore what went on behind the scenes in Open All Hours , which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month

I lived in Walsall when I was growing up and I still go back to see my dad, who’s in his 90s. It was a bustling place, there was a thriving market life. Every Saturday, me and my mates would walk thro

From Black Sabbath awakening to jam band to Hanoi Rocks to decades-straddling solo artist, via Finland, London, NYC and beyond, he’s been up, down and up again, through thrills, spills, triumph and tragedy. You could say he’s really lived the rock’n’roll life, but that would be an understatement.