Don't Drop the Coffin

From graveside punch-ups and gangland-style funerals to the sci-fi mysteries of cryonic suspension, this is the story of Barry Albin-Dyer, who runs one of the UK's oldest family firms of funeral directors, in Rotherhithe, South London. Now an ITV documentary, this edition contains extra photographs and a new cover. At times funny, at times bizarre, this is an insight into the profession of death. He describes all aspects of his work, from removing bodies from suicide and murder scenes to eccentric morticians, cryonics, spooky happenings and fights in cemeteries. As well as explaining the tricks of the trade, Barry, a Roman Catholic convert, ponders the meaning of death, the afterlife and the process of grieving, and refutes the claim that funeral directors prey on the vulnerable.