The First Rule of Comedy..!: A Memoir

by Jeffrey Holland, Robert Ross

256 pages, Hardcover

Published July 8, 2025

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm of the age where I watched Hi-De-Hi (Ho-De-Ho) and still love watching the old episodes of it now. Spike was always such a likeable character, and the author comes across as just the same!! The book takes us through the author's long and successful career, and he was in a lot more things than I ever realised! It begins with his childhood in Walsall (a local lad - something else I never knew!) and takes us right through to present day. He talks with fondness of his former co-stars and his relationship with Paul Shane was heart-warming. His memories from years gone past are well written and it feels like the author is sat next to you telling it all over a cuppa! A delightful read, my only criticism is that I would have liked much more on the Hi-De-Hi years!

[Benstockbiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious read - I couldn’t put it down! Thank you Jeffrey for taking the reader on a brilliant ride through your life and career - as a life-long Hi-De-Hi fan it is a book I shall treasure and return to over and over!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book full of famous names I grew up watching on TV. A real comfort read.

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst I enjoyed the early chapters about his work for Perry/Croft I found the rest of the book to be rather disappointing.It read more like his engagement diary.