Norman Wisdom's early years could easily have come straight from the pages of a Dickens novel. Left by their frightened mother, ill-treated by a brutal father, Norman and his brother were forced to fend for themselves, sleeping rough in London and stealing food to survive. This is a rags to riches tale of the man Charlie Chaplin said would take his mantle and who went on to make millions laugh around the world for over five decades. Here are the hardships, tragedies and triumphs that gave ...

Norman Wisdom stars in this light-hearted comedy crime caperBritish comedy legend, Norman Wisdom plays small-time crook Norman Hood who’s just been released from prison for burglary. Hoping to make a new life as an honest man, he is entrusted to widow Natalie Matthews (Moira Lister), who offers him a job and accommodation. However, she has an ulterior motive…Follow the farcical misadventures of Norman, played out with a hug...

The hardback of this first and authorised biography received very good reviews and immediately reprinted. It tells the story of one of the heroines of post-war British comedy, on radio, film and TV.Hattie Jacques is known as the billowing, imposing Matron in the Carry On films, as the star of such BBC radio classics as ITMA, Educating Archie and Hancock’s Half Hour, and as the fictional sister of Eric Sykes in his long-running TV sitcom.But the formidable, frumpy galleon-in...

As England's cricket team compete for the Ashes in Australia, ex-England spinner Phil Tufnell is enjoying life as a retired cricketer and national treasure. When the sporting legend hung up his cricket boots back in 2003, little did he know the dramatic direction his professional life would take next.Yet since being crowned 'King of the Jungle', the ex-England spin bowler has never looked back and has become a much loved television and radio presenter. Cricket's dr...

Roy Hudd's career began in the 1950s and since then he has worked with most of the major stars of the last forty years. His career as an entertainer began as a Butlin's "Redcoat" with Cliff Richard, and since then he has worked with such greats as Tommy Cooper, Tony Hancock, Larry Grayson and Morecambe and Wise, and has become one of Britain's best-loved entertainers. "A Fart in a Colander" brings together some wonderful stories from his life, and sparkles with the fun and laughter Roy has...

Les Dawson's autobiography reveals the personal dramas in his life which were to have a profound effect on his life both on and off stage, and recalls the funnier moments that helped him through.

Lee Evans is one of the best-loved comedians in the country; a Hollywood star able to sell out arenas in the blink of eye.But he was not always such a roaring success.The Life of Lee is an utterly hilarious and very moving autobiography charting his ups and downs on the way to the top. Lee takes us on a darkly humorous journey through his childhood spent running wild on a Bristol housing estate and his unconventional school days, when he was publicl...

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 his TV show 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 M...

'There was a lot that we kept from my mother. My dad would say to me as a teenager "Don't tell your mother." We couldn't face the disapproval.'Sue Johnston always seemed to be disappointing her mother. As a girl she never stayed clean and tidy like her cousins. As she grew older, she spent all her piano lesson money on drinks for her mates down the pub, and when she discovered the Cavern she was never at home. The final straw was when Sue left her steady j...

The reigning queen of Albert Square, Laila Morse shares her incredible story for the first time. This is a book that will shock, humble and inspire.

Vibrant and candid memoirs of the late, great British character actor, Pete Postlethwaite.After training as a teacher, Pete Postlethwaite started his acting career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where his colleagues included Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, Antony Sher and Julie Walters. After routine early appearances in small parts for television programmes such as THE PROFESSIONALS, Postlethwaite's first success came with the acclaimed British film DISTANT VOICES,...

An in-depth and fascinating study of one of Hollywood's most popular icons - fully updated and including previously unreleased pictures.Doris Day is almost always portrayed as the sunny, squeaky-clean girl next door. This wholesome image kept her at the top for twenty-four years and thirty-nine films.But behind the effervescent, ever-cheerful image that Doris Day portrayed through dozens of classic Hollywood movies was an extraordinary story of private pain...