Ian Dury and performed the theme song "Profoundly in Love with Pandora" for the television series "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾" (1985), based on the book of the same name by Sue Townsend, as well as its follow-up, "The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole" (1987). Dury turned down an offer from Andrew Lloyd Webber to write the libretto for "Cats" (from which Richard Stilgoe reportedly earned millions). The reason, said Dury, "I can't stand his music." When AIDS first came to prominence in the mid-1980s, Dury was among celebrities who appeared on UK television to promote safe sex, demonstrating
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ of Prince William. Mole is also a fierce critic of prime minister Margaret Thatcher, listing her as one of his worst enemies. Apart from the humorous events described in the diary, a lot of the book's humour originates from the unreliable narration of Mole, who naïvely, yet confidently, misinterprets events around him. The book was first published in hardcover by Methuen on October 7, 1982. Sequels include (in chronological order): The book was a best-seller, and had sold 1.9 million copies by November 1985. A 7-part radio series on BBC Radio 4 featured extracts from the book read by Nicholas