Peter Ackroyd, The New Writing Ventures Awards 2007, and Second World War Stories

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Peter Ackroyd: "Thames: Sacred River" The best selling author of "London: The Biography" talks about his new book on the Thames, which tells the story of one of the world's most famous rivers from source to sea. It covers its history, landscape, flora and fauna and of course the extensive literature it has inspired. New Writing Ventures Awards 2007 Aspiring writer Suzanne Joinson was announced as this year's winner this week and she talks about the unusual inspiration which won her the award. It was a box of letters, documents and photographs that she bought from a stall in Deptford market for £10 belonging to Leila Ahmed and about whom Suzanne then wrote her story. Second World War Books about the Second World War are the latest publishing phenomenon. Open Book talks to two sons of World War Two authors about their father's books. Sir Crispin Tickell on Odette by Jerrard Tickell - the book is based on the account Odette gave him of her activities as a British agent in World War 2. And John Kenneally on "The Honour and The Shame", his father's own account of the heroic action that won him the VC in North Africa. Military historian Sir Max Hastings considers why World War Two books are so popular at the moment and how writing about the Second World War has changed over the past 60 years.