The Diary of a Nobody the first, "The Diary of a Somebody", is a direct reference to the Grossmith original. Reviewing this volume in "The Spectator", Benny Green points out several parallels with the original, in both character and event. Matthew's book, says Green, is amusing, but the Grossmiths' book is superior; it is "affecting as well as comical, in a way that the Matthew pastiche is not". In 1982 came the first appearance of Sue Townsend's teenage creation, Adrian Mole, whose passage into young manhood and early middle age is charted in a long series of diaries. The more middle-aged he becomes, says Morton,
Sam Jackson's Secret Video Diary documentary which chronicles the turbulent production. The makers filmed behind-the-scenes footage of production tests, the casting process and filming with Posy Miller, which all feature in the film. Also appearing is Misha Herwin, Posy's mother, who talks with director Guy Rowland about the effect of the film on her. The film runs for 84 minutes, and is narrated by Guy Rowland. Sam Jackson's Secret Video Diary Sam Jackson's Secret Video Diary is a British independent film. The makers believe it is notable for being the first film ever made whose leading actor has died before the start of principal photography.