Biography - Humour

A deeply personal and laugh-out-loud mixture of nature book and family memoir from the bestselling author of 'The Good, The Bad and The Furry' (10942).

The book follows the author's death-defying 200-mile journey in his antique Thomas Crapper bath - not just across the Channel, but around Kent - right up to the tremendous reception which awaited him under Tower Bridge. Tim met the Queen, and his bath now resides in the National Maritime Museum of Great Britain

We know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python - from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on a remarkable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school, through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film.

Do all the mother's around seem to be getting it right, when you are so obviously getting it all wrong? Read Stephanie Calman's confessions of breaking all the rules and realise that you are just normal! X rated, contains offensive language and explicit sex.

In order to finance his dream of changing the face of British comedy, the author spends a year working as a jobbing gardener for the residents of Hampstead.

Shaun Bythell owns Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop. In these wry and hilarious diaries, he provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff. He takes us with him on buying trips, recommends books and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life.

In his memoirs of his life in France, the author is on a mission to win the heart of his belle francaise by sucking up to her family. But will it be enough to entice her away from her French beau, who is singularly unimpressed by his rival from the barbaric north!

Lynne Truss spent four years as sports writer for The Times and here she gives us a perceptive and very funny insight on being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated world.

More stories of blossoming love and quirky misadventure from Patricia Warren, who set up her country matchmaking business from her kitchen table.

A year in and out of lockdown as experienced by Alan Bennett. The diary takes us from the filming of Talking Heads to thoughts on Boris Johnson, from his father's short-lived craze for family fishing trips, to stair lifts, junk shops of old, having a haircut, and encounters on the local park bench. A lyrical afterword describes the journey home to Yorkshire from King's Cross station via fish and chips on Quebec Street, past childhood landmarks of Leeds, through Coniston Cold, over the infant River Aire, and on.

Jeremy Hardy, who died in February 2019, was perhaps the most distinctive comedian to arise from the 80s Alternative Comedy circuit. This fitting celebration of the brilliant comedian, edited by his wife, Katie Barlow, contains material from his stand-up to his radio monologues, political satire and the joyfully silly gems, as well as tributes from his friends and fellow comedians. It is curated to encompass everything about Jeremy that fans adored.

Sergeant Colin Taylor, has been a valuable member of the police force for over twenty years, five of which have been spent policing the ‘quiet’ Isles of Scilly. Colin has made it his purpose to keep the streets of Scilly free from anchor thieves, goldfish abductors and other culprits, mostly drunken, intent on breaking the law. This is the first hand account of how he did it.

It is 1989. Rae, a fat boy-mad 17-year-old girl living in Lincolnshire with her mum and their deaf white cat, decides to keep a diary. Hilarious and touching, the diary evokes a time when Charles and Di were still together, the Berlin wall was up and Kylie was in the charts. X rated, contains offensive language and explicit sex.

Brendan Sheerin, tour guide star of Channel 4's teatime show 'Coach Trip', with his trademark charm and humour, relates entertaining anecdotes, both from his personal life and his experiences on TV.

Multi-award-winning broadcaster, founder of Childline and The Silver Line, campaigner, mother, grandmother and joyous trailblazer of our times, Dame Esther Rantzen dazzles in the glory of getting older and ever bolder. In this energising A-Z, she time-travels through her most signifcant memories, from meeting Princess Diana to creating a national outrage with a mischievous short film about a driving dog, and reflects with candour and humour on the life lessons she's learned, revealing the hints, hacks and personal philosophies that have been her secrets to surviving almost everything.

Keggie Carew has an unerring instinct for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, of putting her foot in it, and making a hash of things. From the repercussions of a missing purse, to boiling a frog, or the holiday when the last thing you could possibly imagine happens, Keggie has been there. Here she shares her most embarrassing, awkward, uncomfortable, funny, true, terrible and all-too-relatable moments.

From her pygmy goat farm in Vermont, a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel wonders: Can she pull humanity out of its death spiral by writing a scathing memoir about her own greed and privilege?

In this hilariously skewering comic novel, Alison is existentially pained by a climate-challenged world and a country on the brink of civil war.

Her first graphic memoir about growing up with her taxidermist father has been adapted into a highly successful TV series, Death and Taxidermy. It's a phenomenon that makes Alison, formerly on the cultural margins, the envy of her friend group.

As the TV show racks up Emmy after Emmy, Alison's own envy spirals. Surely writing her own wildly popular reality TV series wouldn't be that hard? One that shows people how to free themselves from consumer capitalism and live a more ethical life?!

The author founded the first lonely hearts agency for country dwellers. Based in Derbyshire, she has hundreds of stories of helping love and romance to bloom amongst lonely farming people nationwide.

Successful comedian Jack Dee shares episodes from his life, from working in an artificial leg factory to ending up on stage at the Comedy Store. Along the way he shares his views on aspects of contemporary life, from personal trainers to boutique hotels.

Jonathan Agnew, known to his legions of Test Match Special fans as 'Aggers', has at long last written a warm and witty personal tribute to his late colleague Brian Johnston, universally known as 'Johnners'. With an introduction by Stephen Fry.

'Think of this memoir as a Christmas special in book form, from someone who has been involved in a few of those and understands a bit about the concept. But a Christmas special very much like Only Fools and Horses, in the sense that the stories will be always heading outwards, ranging far and wide and well beyond the traditional festive gags involving giblets left in turkeys.  As I sift through various festive-related episodes in my career, loosening the ribbons, parting the wrapping paper, I'll be doing my best to reach any relevant conclusions about life, work and the meaning of it all that I can usefully pass on to you - baubles of wisdom if you like. Or certainly baubles. You'll learn why I have the perfect face to play Scrooge. And if you're lucky I'll also share what it's like to fly in a helicopter with my old mucker Tom Cruise. Merry Christmas, you plonkers.'

There is no denying the fact that Sir Terry Wogan does more in one year than most people do in a lifetime. This is a wonderfully witty, off-the-wall account of his experiences, from the fans and celebrities he meets to the places he visits, from the highlights of his radio show to the lunacies of our modern world.

Everyone has an opinion about Matt Rife, who at twenty-eight years old is both the hottest and most controversial comedian in America. Now, in his new book, Matt gives his legions of fans and haters plenty to talk about, with hilarious and dangerously revealing stories about his insane rise to stardom - from the trashy backroads of Ohio to the bedrooms of MILFs in LA to sold-out stadiums around the world. Matt Rife is well aware that he's both the most loved and the most controversial comic in America today. And honestly, he thinks that's your problem. In his very first book, Matt reveals without apology everything that led him to becoming comedy's biggest lightning rod before he reached thirty, in a story full of bold and hysterical takes on everything from Justin Bieber tramp stamps and rap battles with ex-cons to Matt's battles with depression and his many brushes with failure before finally hitting it big.

When Rachel Johnson was appointed editor to The Lady she faced an uphill struggle to drag it into the modern age and dramatically increase its readership. This is her frank and very funny account of her first year in the job.