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.

Bernard Cribbin's CV has been an A-Z of the best entertainment that Britain has to offer. Thanks to programmes such as Jackanory, The Wombles, and more recently, Old Jack's Boat, he has become the voice of many millions of childhoods. Seventy-five years in the making and packed with entertaining anecdotes, this is the wonderful story of one of the longest and most celebrated careers in show business.

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.

Actor Michael Simkins decides to broaden his horizons by going on a kind of latter-day Grand Tour to France. This is the entertaining, and often very funny, account of his travels.

Raised within a well-to-do family, Betty MacDonald suddenly finds herself newly wed and set to take on turning an abandoned farm site into a thriving chicken farm.

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!

Gerald Durrell's love for animals in all their forms is combined here with humorous anecdotes about his family for which he is so well known from My Family and Other Animals (9728). Larry, Margot, Leslie and Mother are all present and correct, but so too are spiders, lizards and water fleas.

In her memoir, Mary Wood shares her amusing coming-of-age journey to overcome religious dogma in post-war London during the ever-changing 1950s and 1960s. She offers a witty glimpse into one woman's entertaining journey as she fights to hold onto her identity, discover her passions in life, and ultimately achieve her true destiny.

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.

Three retired grumpy old men feel at a loss understanding the modern world. They need to escape, and their chosen method is a weekly hike in the Peak District. While Freddy and Phil seem happy to bicker between themselves, Don just wants to find a nice pub for lunch!

The author is the senior reporter of "Sporting Life" and a lifelong punter. This hilarious book charts a punter's ups and downs.

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.

Bill Bryson’s nostalgic and hilarious memoir of growing up in an eccentric, but loving, family in 1950s Middle America.

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.

With the cooperation of Ernie's widow Doreen, and drawing on unpublished material from the family archive as well as interviews with friends, Robert Sellers and James Hogg examine the true and patient genius of one of the greatest entertainers of his generation.

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.

As her mother-in-law became increasingly deaf, a correspondence developed from notes left on the kitchen table to summaries of family life left at the end of the day by her bed. This is a humorous work about hearing aids and incontinent dogs and an uplifting story of family love and duty, and generational conflict.

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.

In this vivid account of his first few years in the classroom, The Secret Teacher grapples with the complicated questions of how to teach, how we learn - and how little he actually knows. He celebrates the world’s greatest stories, the extraordinary teachers he has worked with, and the kids: bolshy, bright, funny and absolutely electric. The result is a book brimful of wit, insight and tenderness.

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.

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.

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.

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

Since his launch onto the comedy circuit in 1997, Bolton's favourite son, Peter Kay, has become one of the country's funniest and best loved comedians. Here he tells his own story - in his own very funny style. X rated, contains offensive language.

This is the story of the actor Timothy Spall and his wife Shane and their Dutch barge The Princess Matilda. After a summer on the Thames they decide to head out to sea with only a road atlas and a vast amount of ignorance - and it is absolutely terrifying!