Cath Staincliffe is a crime writer and author of the Sal Kilkenny private eye stories. She is also the creator and scriptwriter of Blue Murder, ITV’s hit detective drama starring Caroline Quentin, and writes the 'Scott & Bailey' books based on the popular ITV1 police series.
Bill Ash was born in Texas in 1917. On the outbreak of war in 1939 he left America and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. From there, he went to England and flew Spitfires. He was shot down over occupied France in 1942 and became a PoW. Awarded an MBE for his wartime exploits, he joined the Communist party and was involved in sheltering Hollywood exiles in the '50s. He worked for the BBC as their India correspondent and subsequently as senior producer of BBC Radio Drama. At one time, Head of the Writers' Guild, he also wrote a number of plays. William Ash died on 26 April 2014.