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What The F Did I Do Last Night
- The Memoir Of An Accidental
Comedian

At 17, Rowland Rivron
had already fulfilled his
ambitions as a
professional drummer
gigging in London's West
End. All that changed in
the 1980s when he fell in
with the new and anarchic
'alternative comedians'.
Alongside Rik Mayall,
Ade Edmondson, Alexei
Sayle and others, he
appeared in such
culturally defining shows
as "The Comic Strip
Presents", The Young
Ones, The Tube and of
course "French &
Saunders", where he
appeared as the
charismatic Duane, one
half of the inimitable
Raw Sex. But the real
story is what went on
behind the scenes
because, possessing the
constitution of an ox,
he fast got reputation as
a party animal and loose
cannon. When he wasn't
having penalty shoot-outs
with Diana Ross in her
Ritz suite or upsetting
countless Hollywood
stars, he could be found
cycling down the
staircase of the Groucho
Club or setting fire to
himself for money.
Wherever he went there
was bound to be trouble,
hilarity and an
eye-watering bar bill. In
"What the F*** Did I Do
Last Night?" he bares his
soul (and quite a lot
else) in a tale of
hilarious encounters,
death-defying escapades
and shameless
unprofessionalism. You
have to read it to
believe it.

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£2.99

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Becoming Johnny Vegas

Details: ?My name is
Michael Pennington, and
I am not a comic
character. I?m often
mistaken for one though.
You might know him by
another name. Johnny
Vegas.? From BBC Dickens
adaptations to Benidorm
and Ideal to the PG Tips
ads, Johnny Vegas has
become one of Britain's
best-loved comic actors.
But before he'd ever
drunk tea with a knitted
monkey or made himself
the exception that proves
the rule in terms of the
predictability of TV
panel game regulars,
Johnny Vegas was perhaps
the most fearlessly
confessional stand-up
comedian this country has
ever produced. How did an
eleven-year-old Catholic
trainee priest from St
Helens grow up to become
the North West of
Englands answer to
Lenny Bruce? Thats
just one of the many
questions answered by
this eye-poppingly frank
memoir. Becoming Johnny
Vegas establishes its
author as the poet
laureate of the
Pimblett's pie. Once
you've finished this
darkly hilarious tale of
family, faith and the
creative application of
alcohol dependency,
you'll never look at a
copy of the Catholic
men's society newsletter
the same way again. Ideal
for: Perfect for fans of
Johnny Vegas. This
hardback book has 374
pages and measures: 24 x
16 x 3.5cm

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£3.99

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Tommy Cooper Jus Like That - A
Life In Jokes And Pictures

For the first time,
Tommy Cooper's
biographer, writer and
producer, John Fisher,
collects between two
covers the cream of the
comedian's personal
archives, with
photographs, memorabilia
and documents that have
never been seen before.
Had Cooper kept a
scrapbook, this is what
he would have produced.
Souvenirs from his many
stage and television
triumphs jostle side by
side with candid shots of
him at play with his
family, many revealing a
side to the man the
public never really saw.
Here is the authentic
side of Tommy in the
forces, the early show
business struggle, the
backstage world of his
magic, the newspaper
coverage of the most
recognisable man in
Britain, the crazy japes
at home with wife Gwen,
and so much more. This
book, with its brilliant
colour images and
hilarious text, puts the
successive stages of
Tommy's life in full
context. And if you don't
want to follow his life
in biographical detail,
just sit back and relax
by laughing at the many
jokes that crowd the
pages. They tell their
own story!

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£3.99

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Sir Charlie Chaplin - The
Funniest Man

See him? That little
tramp twitching a postage
stamp of a mustache,
politely lifting his
bowler hat, and leaning
on a bamboo cane with the
confidence of a
gentleman? A slapstick
comedian, he blazed
forth as the brightest
movie star in the
Hollywood heavens.
Everyone knew
Charlie?Charlie Chaplin.
When he was five years
old he was pulled onstage
for the first time, and
he didn't step off again
for almost three-quarters
of a century. Escaping
the London slums of his
tragic childhood, he
took Hollywood like a
conquistador with a
Cockney accent. With his
gift for pantomime in
films that had not yet
acquired vocal cords, he
was soon rubbing elbows
with royalty and dining
on gold plates in his own
Beverly Hills mansion. He
was the most famous man
on earth?and he was
regarded as the funniest.
And Still is.... He
comes to life in these
pages. It's an
astonishing
rags-to-riches saga of an
irrepressible kid whose
childhood was dealt from
the bottom of the deck.
Abundantly illustrated.

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£4.99

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Frankie Boyle - Scotland's
Jesus

Details: Reading
Scotland's Jesus should
be like being called into
the living room by your
child shouting that they
see a little red dot on
the head of a TV
newscaster, then riding
the white hot bullet
through the propaganda
circuitry of his or her
exploding brain. It's a
funny book about the
news, partly because it
was decided that a
pornographic book about
Scottish Independence
wouldn't really sell. In
chapters ranging from
International Politics to
the Animal World,
scotland's Jesus?
is allowed the
opportunity to showcase
his increasingly
unsympathetic worldview
and disintegrating
psyche. A torrent of
jokes about recent events
provide the framework for
a broader philosophical
despair. Frankie Boyle
uses the stories of the
popular press as a
springboard to explain
the nature of reality and
the details of our
enslavement to mirthless
corporate Warlocks. Ideal
for: Fans of Frankie
Boyle and fans of stand
comedians. This paperback
book has 285 pages and
measures: 23 x 15 x 2.4cm

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£2.99

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Frank Skinner Dispatches From
The Sofa

Over the course of the
last ten years, Frank
Skinner has toured
sell-out stand-up shows,
hosted countless TV shows
and an award-winning
radio programme, written
two well-received volumes
of memoir, as well as
recording a couple of pop
songs and learning to
play the ukulele. He has
been a busy man. Yet,
for the last two years,
he has also managed to
squeeze in a weekly
column for The Times.
Without fail, he sat
down every week and
wracked his brain to
think of something to
write 900 words about.
Dispatches From the Sofa
is the brilliant result.
Alighting on such random
topics as the potential
demise of Margaret
Thatcher, the love-hate
relationship with your
football club, Mike
Read's musical of Oscar
Wilde, fat pop stars,
Serbian breakfast banter,
the pleasures of
air-guitar, the banking
crisis and the evil
phenomenon of Jedward,
this is a
thought-provoking,
wide-reaching, hilarious
and self-deprecating
collection - which also
includes the first two
chapters from his
unpublished novel - from
one of our funniest,
quickest and most beloved
comedians.

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£3.99

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Driving Miss Smith - A Memoir
Of Linda Smith

In February 2006 the
comedian Linda Smith died
from ovarian cancer. Over
the previous ten years
Linda had established
herself as one of the
nation's funniest and
best-loved comedians,
voted the 'wittiest
person alive' by BBC
Radio 4 listeners. As any
regular listener will
testify, Linda was an
acerbic political
commentator, but she
also had an eye for the
absurdities of modern
life - an eye to rival
Alan Bennett or Victoria
Wood. In DRIVING MISS
SMITH, Warren Lakin,
Linda's partner for
twenty-three years,
tells Linda's life story,
of growing up in a town
called Erith, which
wasn't twinned with
anywhere, 'but does have
a suicide pact with
Dagenham, ' and of
becoming a much-loved
Radio 4 fixture. It is a
witty and moving memoir,
and although it ends
sadly, it is ultimately
a hopeful book and a
fitting tribute to a life
filled with warmth,
courage and laughter.

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£2.99

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Jason Manford Brung Up Proper

Jason Manford is firmly
established as one of the
country's favourite
stand-ups and is up there
with the best northern
comedy legends. His
career began one night in
a pub in Chorlton when a
comedian didn't arrive
for his set and Jason,
the 17-year-old glass
collector stepped in to
fill the gap. From that
point on he's never
looked back, until now
that is...This is the
story in his own words of
everything that lead up
to that fateful moment -
a colourful tale of
growing up with lots of
family and not enough
money, of getting by and
sticking together. It is
a story of his shameless
extended clan of wayward
uncles and singing nans
and a gobby little
knobhead at the heart of
it all called Jason.
Featuring rock-hard great
granddads, doting
grandparents,
pub-crooning nanas,
football-mad dads,
pet-obsessed mums, more
dodgy uncles than you can
shake a stick at, failed
exams, dead-end jobs,
paper rounds,
prostitutes, shocked
priests, manslaughter,
winning goals, sudden
losses, replica shirts,
chip-fat incidents,
scary pubs, pet meat,
fighting Gandhis,
cancelled Christmases,
Sir Oswald Mosley,
flooded tents, call
centres, circumcision,
puppy love, friends for
life, difficult
girlfriends, gigs from
hell, heart break and,
finally, true
love...With his
laugh-out-loud tales of
coming of age, Jason
shows he's a generous
storyteller and as
natural an observer on
the page as he is on
stage.

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£1.99

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Cupid Stunts - The Life And
Radio Times Of Kenny Everett

Details: On paper, Kenny
Everett's qualifications
did not look promising -
not much in the way of
education, physique or
social skills, just a
gift for funny voices,
an oblique imagination
and a way with a tape
recorder. Yet, by an odd
twist of fate, when in
the 1960's and 70's the
British radio revolution
transformed the aural
landscape, funny voices,
oblique imagination and
a way with a tape
recorder were the precise
and perfect qualities the
world was crying out for.
Never a corporate player,
Kenny was frequently
fired, yet still went on
to reinvent television.
Meanwhile, outside the
studios, the challenge
to 'get a life' brought
moments of ecstasy,
frequent bother and at
least one suicide
attempt. And at the exact
moment when tabloid
frenzy about the AIDS
epidemic reached its
peak, he came out. This
new biography, based on
intricate documentary
research as well as
interviews with
colleagues, friends and
enemies - including
Alexei Sayle, Barry
Cryer, David Mallet and
"Whispering" Bob Harris -
not only gets under the
skin of the man, but
also gives a taste of the
times. It captures the
novelty and excitement of
hearing all-pop radio for
the first time, the
terror and bluster of the
high-ups, the brilliant
blossoming of gay culture
throughout the 70s and
80s, and the tragedy and
vile hypocrisy that
surrounded the AIDS
epidemic. Ideal for: If
you were a fan of Kenny
Everett. This hardback
book has 279 pages and
measures: 24.2 x 16.4 x
3.1cm

Availability: In Stock

£5.99

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The Man Who Is Mrs Brown

When Brendan OCarroll,
creator and star of Mrs
Browns Boys, stood on
stage to collect his
first BAFTA for the
phenomenally successful
comedy series in 2012,
it marked a new milestone
in his incredible career.
Finally, he was being
acknowledged as a
worldwide sensation in
his role as the
irrepressible Mammy Agnes
Brown. Over the last few
years, Brendan has
spread his wings to taste
success as an author, a
playwright, a comedian,
an actor, a television
star and more, picking
up major awards along the
way. But it hasnt always
been a bed of roses for
the Dubliner, who
started off life working
as a waiter before
evolving into the hardest
working man in showbiz.
Born in 1955 as the
youngest of 11 children,
he grew up in a
two-bedroom corporation
house in the
rough-and-tumble working
class area of Finglas in
north Dublin. After his
father Gerard died, when
Brendan was just seven
years old, his
formidable mother Maureen
- who influenced Brendans
future career - raised
him on her own. Life
truly didnt begin until
40 for Brendan, who left
school aged just 12 and
tried his hand at
anything to earn a
living, including jobs
as a milkman, DJ, bar
manager and painter and
decorator. But after
being persuaded to have a
go on the comedy circuit
it was the beginning of a
new dawn in Brendans life
that would see him become
the man with the Midas
touch. In the years
since, his work rate has
been phenomenal as his
earthy comedy has become
a global hit, he found
love again and with his
second wife and co-star
Jennifer Gibney he has
become rich beyond his
wildest dreams thanks to
his foul-mouthed
matriarch Mrs Brown.

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£3.99

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Frank Skinner On The Road -
Love Stand-up Comedy And The
Queen Of The Night

Frank Skinner by Frank
Skinner, his first book,
was one of the
bestselling show business
autobiographies of all
time - and perhaps the
best reviewed. It was
variously hailed in the
national press as
'hilarious - often
shocking', 'painfully
and incisively truthful',
and 'a classic of its
kind'. In this new volume
of memoirs, Frank
Skinner describes his
experience of going back
on the road doing
stand-up again, after
many years spent working
mainly on television. His
adventures on tour are by
turns funny and moving as
he meditates on growing
older, the terrors and
joys of trying to make a
live audience laugh night
after night and on the
nature of comedy
itself.For the first time
we read a comedian's
account, in his own
words, of how his act is
put together; his return
to a world of dark little
clubs and the strange
encounters he has there.
But what is perhaps most
startling and original
about Frank Skinner's
writing is his honesty
anbout not only the highs
and lows of his career,
but more intimate and
personal issues - male
sexuality and matters of
the heart. He recalls his
former laddish behaviour
and also tells a love
story about a woan who
has drifted in and out of
his life for years but
suddenly returns just as
he is about to go on
tour. Frank Skinner asks
himself: is it finally
time to grow up?

Availability: In Stock

£3.99

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The Real Mrs. Brown - The
Authorised Biography Of
Brendan O'Carroll

Who'd have thought a
potty-mouthed Dublin
mammy with a cream
cardigan and elasticated
tan tights could storm
British TV screens and
leave a nation helpless
with laughter? Brendan
O'Carroll performs to
tens of thousands of
people a night in
packed-out stadiums
across the country. In
the last four years Mrs
Brown's Boys has become a
number 1 ratings success
and he's even making a
movie. But Brendan has
had to battle hard for
success. The youngest of
eleven children, his
mother was Maureen
O'Carroll, a former nun
who went on to become the
first woman to be elected
to the Irish parliament.
Brendan adored his
strong, widowed mother -
and she later became the
inspiration for his
indomitable character
Agnes Brown. However,
the family endured
poverty reminiscent of
Angela's Ashes and
Brendan saw no option but
to leave school at 12 to
work. He married young
and for decades struggled
to make ends meet.
Eventually, bankrupt and
desperate, Brendan went
to see a fortune teller
who told him she could
see his future achieving
worldwide success as a
comedian and actor. At
first Brendan laughed at
the notion, but then he
thought of how much his
friends loved his gags,
and decided to give it a
go... This is the magical
story of how a loveable
Irishman with a wig and a
wit as caustic as battery
acid surprised everyone -
most of all himself - by
becoming one of the
best-loved comedians in
the world. It is a story
of hardship, heartbreak,
and talent and will
remind readers afresh
that sometimes the facts
can be even more
extraordinary than the
fiction.

Availability: In Stock

£6.99

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The Two Ronnies - Comedy
Classics

The best loved jokes,
one-liners and sketches
from the legendary Two
Ronnies, including
material from 'But First
the News', Ronnie
Barker's hilarious
monologues, Ronnie
Corbett's shaggy-dog
tales from 'the chair'
and their classic
two-hander sketches,
including 'Fork Handles'
- voted the Nation's
Favourite Sketch.

Availability: In Stock

£4.99

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Peter Kay - The Book That's
More Than Just A Book

Step inside the mind of
Peter Kay... It's here he
wrestles with the size of
his Uncle Nobhead's
rocket, ponders his
nana's misuse of her iPod
and reflects on a
childhood spent cavorting
around his bedroom, clad
only in his mother's
leotard whilst clutching
his father's shovel.
These peculiar outlooks
bring to life the unique
world of Peter Kay like
never before. The Book
That's More Than Just a
Book - Book invites you
into a world of suspect
characters and awkward
situations. Here you will
meet Peter's family,
their friends, some
familiar faces, and some
completely unexpected
ones. Chock full of brand
new material and crammed
with photographs and
illustrations, creating
one of the funniest books
you're ever likely to
read.

Availability: In Stock

£3.99

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