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Rene and Me: An Autobiography
Gordon Kaye is famous for his portrayal of the cafe boss in "Allo, Allo", a BBC sitcom and stage show. This is his story of how a shy working-clas Yorkshire boy fought his way up to become the extrovert Rene, discussing the knocks he took along the way. Perhaps the most devastating blow was the recent tabloid revelations about his private life, but Gordon Kaye won the sympathy and admiration of the country by facing up to the situation and telling the truth about his homosexuality. He tells the whole story with wit and compassion and also talks about the other stars he has known and worked with - his friendship with Pat Phoenix and how she got him his first big TV break on "Coronation Street"; his work with John Inman on "Are You Being Served" and there is a wealth of anecdotes about people such as Les Dawson, John Cleese, Marty Feldman, Max Wall, Joan Syms and many more.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 10, 2018
Recently I re-watched the entire series of Allo Allo for the second time, and fell in love with it all over again. Watching Rene break the fourth wall and talk to the viewer feels like coming home to a good friend, and you can't help but love him dearly.
Reading "Rene and Me", the autobiography for Gorden Kaye, feels very similar - it's an intimate, honest look at the actor's life, and I enjoyed finding out more about him. He seemed like a kind but lonely soul, and it angered and saddened me that he was put through so much due to his homosexuality.
Paying just 1p on Amazon for the book was rather sad, as although it was an absolute bargain, I felt like more people should read this book, especially fans of Allo Allo. By chance, the copy I ordered through a used book store happened to have Gorden Kaye's signature (signed to somebody else, obviously, but still!), which I was over the moon about.
Reading "Rene and Me", the autobiography for Gorden Kaye, feels very similar - it's an intimate, honest look at the actor's life, and I enjoyed finding out more about him. He seemed like a kind but lonely soul, and it angered and saddened me that he was put through so much due to his homosexuality.
Paying just 1p on Amazon for the book was rather sad, as although it was an absolute bargain, I felt like more people should read this book, especially fans of Allo Allo. By chance, the copy I ordered through a used book store happened to have Gorden Kaye's signature (signed to somebody else, obviously, but still!), which I was over the moon about.
July 11, 2014
I only watched 'Allo! 'Allo! for the first time last year (2013) and I couldn't believe my eyes! I was wetting myself with laughter every few minutes. I had to watch every episode in every series - it became my mission. After browsing rather disinterested and bored I came across Gorden Kaye's autobiography and for the bargain price of 1p, I thought hey! I'm splashing out here!
I almost devoured this short telling of his life, written with the help of Hilary Bonner - a journalist he trusted very dearly to portray him honestly. And yet, the character of Rene is very evident from the first page with numerous double entendres and gimmicks galore. It is wittily told too, with the exact amount of emotion needed to pull you in and follow him through his childhood and his amateur theatre work.
The two main catching points in Rene and Me were the behind-the-scenes transcript of all the things that when wrong while filming. After watching the entire series, I knew exactly which scene he was referring to. The second great interest to the story is his coming out as homosexual - and rather forcedly too. His loneliness and lack of self-confidence unless when he's hiding behind his numerous characters he's played is sad. You feel for the guy, and when a newspaper threatens to expose his 'secret' life you feel anger and betrayal. The disgusting nature in which one newspaper (after the revelation was revealed) put up a petition to have him quit as the loveable rogue Rene is quite deplorable.
Rene and Me is a bitter sweet tale of the ups and downs of a man who often shies away from the limelight and allows his caricature of Rene - the randy french cafe owner of 'Allo! 'Allo! - to take centre stage. It suffers from a little repetition where numerous incidents and facts are revealed more than once, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.
I almost devoured this short telling of his life, written with the help of Hilary Bonner - a journalist he trusted very dearly to portray him honestly. And yet, the character of Rene is very evident from the first page with numerous double entendres and gimmicks galore. It is wittily told too, with the exact amount of emotion needed to pull you in and follow him through his childhood and his amateur theatre work.
The two main catching points in Rene and Me were the behind-the-scenes transcript of all the things that when wrong while filming. After watching the entire series, I knew exactly which scene he was referring to. The second great interest to the story is his coming out as homosexual - and rather forcedly too. His loneliness and lack of self-confidence unless when he's hiding behind his numerous characters he's played is sad. You feel for the guy, and when a newspaper threatens to expose his 'secret' life you feel anger and betrayal. The disgusting nature in which one newspaper (after the revelation was revealed) put up a petition to have him quit as the loveable rogue Rene is quite deplorable.
Rene and Me is a bitter sweet tale of the ups and downs of a man who often shies away from the limelight and allows his caricature of Rene - the randy french cafe owner of 'Allo! 'Allo! - to take centre stage. It suffers from a little repetition where numerous incidents and facts are revealed more than once, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.
August 28, 2025
A very interesting read about how he never wanted to become an actor, how he never thought or dared to think about becoming one, and how he was pulled into that world (because people liked him that much, or thought he was right for the job, or it was just fate intervened). He always liked movies and was fascinated by that world.
Interesting how someone that shy can become acquainted with the stage. Not only that, but he also grew to love it (despite never losing his stage fright, he stated something like "once I lose the fear, I'll start sucking"). The most interesting part of this book is how, on one hand, he was always super shy, but on the other, he was super fearless. How he dared to do that commercial, with the car hanging off a cliff and nothing to keep him and his coworker safe but a simple rope, is beyond me!
Interesting how someone that shy can become acquainted with the stage. Not only that, but he also grew to love it (despite never losing his stage fright, he stated something like "once I lose the fear, I'll start sucking"). The most interesting part of this book is how, on one hand, he was always super shy, but on the other, he was super fearless. How he dared to do that commercial, with the car hanging off a cliff and nothing to keep him and his coworker safe but a simple rope, is beyond me!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews