Big Smoke, Big Screen: 20 Film Writers on London & Cinema, edited by Tom Barnard, is a collection of 20 original essays blending film analysis, history, and personal reflection. Published in December 2024, it explores how London’s cinematic legacy shapes our perception of the city.

As Deputy Editor, I assisted in the editing and proofreading all contributor submissions, and helped to write the 20 inter-essay lists of London-set films (over 200 curated film recommendations in total). My chapter, The Last Picture Show, explores the value of the high street, community cinemagoing and cinema in the suburbs, through a hyper-local lens of the London district of Palmers Green and the erstwhile Palmadium Cinema (1920–1961).

I also led the book’s marketing push, creating assets for a social media campaign as well as distributing press releases and reaching out to bookstores. At the time of writing, Big Smoke, Big Screen is stocked at the British Film Institute’s bookstore at BFI Southbank; on Amazon, it has a 4.7 star rating and is ranking in the Amazon bestseller charts for British Film History (#1) and Film Industry (#3).