Johann N. Schmidt is Professor of English Literature and Media Studies at the University of Hamburg (emeritus since 2010). He has published books on English satire, Dickens, D.H.Lawrence, English melodrama and the history of the American skyscraper. Articles and radio features on film history include Alfred Hitchcock, Alain Resnais, and Shakespeare adaptations. His most recent publication is a book on the "Cultural History of Britain 1945-2010".