Stephen has been writing about and teaching 20th century cultural history for over 45 years, with specialisms in broadcasting, film and popular music. His six books include From the Hands of Heroes, published by Memory Lane on commission from St Paul’s Cathedral, and Studying Radio for Hodder Headline, which is still a standard textbook for media students some 25 years after publication. He spent over two decades with Reader’s Digest in the UK, where he researched and wrote more than 250 booklets to accompany the company’s music collections. 

A regular contributor to partworks and encyclopaedias, his career also includes spells with the Central Office of Information, Book Club Associates, Hertfordshire County Council and numerous adult education groups and organisations. His many editorial projects for Memory Lane include two Second World War Illustrated Timelines, a Titanic ‘Time Capsule’ ephemera pack and the official Hopetown Darlington visitor guide marking the bicentenary of the world’s first passenger railway.

Born and raised in Bedfordshire, he lives in Letchworth, supports Luton Town FC and is the author of an unpublished lockdown novel about what it was to be a Beatles fan in 1963.